Solution without kbdEdit
Posting this here since I encountered this issue since day 1 of Parallels over a month ago and opted not to use kbdEdit but a more native solution.
As I understand it, the issue here is that Parallels adds a very specific 'Parallels' keyboard layout to Windows, using the Keyboard Layout Synchronisation feature. When you're outside Coherence Mode, you can click on the Keyboard Layout button on Window's taskbar to see that the keyboard layout has 'Parallels' specifically to it (you may need to have a second keyboard layout added already to see this in your taskbar).
So...
Step 1 - By adding your own keyboard layout in Windows, you can solve this immediate part of the issue. Note: since Apple keyboards have different layouts to standard ISO / ANSI - you may find certain symbols' locations being confusing. In which case maybe the kbdEdit is the better solution for you
That doesn't completely solve our issue however - as the Keyboard Layout Synchronisation feature also swaps your keyboard back to Parallel's layout whenever you CMD - Tab back to Mac. One solution is to use the Windows keyboard shortcut to change it back - except it's Win + Space by default (in Windows 11) which is... CMD + Space in Mac for Spotlight! Of course you can change the windows keyboard shortcut to change the language bar (I went with Ctrl + Alt + Win + Space) - but it's still a pain to keep forgetting to switch back and get the √ symbol, and have to change the keyboard layout and then go back to copying your cells again... especially when you work in Coherence Mode tabbing between Windows and Mac apps constantly.
In that case,
Step 2 - let's turn off Keyboard Layout Synchronisation by following this article:
https://kb.parallels.com/115200
In case the article link breaks in the future, here's the gist:
- Shut down your virtual machine (Actions > Shut down). If it is in a suspended state, resume it and then shut down.
- Right-click Parallels Desktop icon > Control Center.
- Right-click the name of your virtual machine > Show in Finder.
- Right-click the .pvm file > Show Package Contents.
- Open the .pvm file in your code editor of choice (TextEdit.app if you don't have any)
- Find this block of code:
<KeyboardLayoutSync dyn_lists="">
<Enabled>1</Enabled>
- Change it to:
<KeyboardLayoutSync dyn_lists="">
<Enabled>0</Enabled>
This has solved my issue entirely and I hope future people will see it.