How under Fusion on a Mac, do you select multiple, discontiguous entries in a list? You can use the Shift key to select multiple contiguous entries, but to select discontiguous entries, in Windows you would use the CTRL key. Release Input Parallels Desktop shortcut cannot be changed in Preferences Symptoms After upgrade to Parallels Desktop 8 or 9 you cannot change the Release Input shortcut in Parallels Desktop Preferences as the function is greyed out. Cause CTRL+ALT is the default shortcut for Release Input in Parallels Desktop. It has been secured for this function in order to avoid confusion. If you switch to a Mac after becoming familiar with Windows, you’ll quickly find that the standard Ctrl+Alt+Delete shortcut doesn’t do anything. Mac OS X does have its own version of the Task Manager, but it’s a bit different than Windows’, and you access it by pressing Command+Option+Esc.

Active10 months ago

I'm a Windows user with a Windows-oriented keyboard, and I switched the Command and Ctrl keys in OSX, because I want to use the same keyboard shortcuts whether in Windows or OSX. This came back to haunt me though when I installed a Windows VM in Parallels, and it broke the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combo to login to Windows in the VM (since the Ctrl key is mapped to Command). I would like to create a shortcut mapping Command+Option+Del to the Parallels menu item Devices -> Keyboard -> Ctrl+Alt+Delete, but the shortcuts section of System Preferences -> Keyboard does not allow me to use the Del key.

I tried following the instructions in this answer, adding this:

to each of

but the key combo is not activating the menu item to send Ctrl+Alt+Del when adding the XML to any of those.

What am I doing wrong here? Do I need something special to activate the options in the 'keyboard' submenu of 'Device'? Do I have the wrong code for the Del key? Am I putting the XML in the wrong plist file(s)?

[Edit]

The problem is worse than I thought, because the keys stay switched in Windows. Is there a way to set the modifier key behavior on a per-application basis? It would be great if I could swap the Command and Ctrl keys generally, and swap them back in Parallels.

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asgallantasgallant
Parallels For Mac Ctrl Alt Delete

3 Answers

I did not find an answer to the base question, but I did locate a sufficiently good workaround. Karabiner offers finer-grained control of keys than OSX's keyboard settings, including the ability to add exceptions to key switching. I used these settings:

Parallels For Mac Ctrl Alt Delete

Now all of the Ctrl keyboard shortcuts I am accustomed to work in both OSX and my VMs.

asgallantasgallant

Parallels For Mac Ctrl Alt Delete Equivalent

I have always been able to perform the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combo functionality in Parallels using Command+Ctrl+Option+Del. As far as I know this is default functionality (based on the fact that I did not play around with the key mappings in Parallels, and this key combo has always worked for me).

However, I don't know if remapping the keys or playing around with Parallels' settings has broken that functionality for you...

Currently, I am using Mac OSX Mavericks with Parallels Desktop 8 (haven't bothered upgrading to 9 yet, though I doubt they would have changed this functionality).

[Edit]

To address your edit: The Command key seems to have a double functionality of both being the Ctrl and ⊞ Win keys in Parallels (or at least on my Mac it does... This may be an option I turned on in Parallels' options). However, it has a preference for being the ⊞ Win key.

Therefore, in Parallels using Command+C and Ctrl+C will both copy, and Command+V and Ctrl+V will both paste.

Alternatively, using Command+D will show the desktop in Parallels, the way that pressing ⊞ Win+D does on a regular Windows PC.

However, keep in mind that, as mentioned above, Command has a preference for being the ⊞ Win key.

Here is an example of where that may come into play:
On a regular Windows PC, Ctrl+F can be used to search in a program, while ⊞ Win+F is the shortcut key to find in files.Therefore, in Parallels, Ctrl+F can be used to search in a program, and Command+F is the shortcut key to find in files.

Chris MukherjeeChris Mukherjee

Actually with the new Karabiner Elements version (Sierra upwards) it would be easiest to temporarily 'Quit K E' via its menu bar icon or to create a second 'Profile' (K-E tab) which contains only rules/modifications you need in Parallels.Can be toggled in menu bar.

Parallels For Mac Ctrl Alt Del

No tweaking, twitching or honky-tonky … ;-)

clemsam langclemsam lang

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I’ve been running with Parallels for a while on my new Mac Intel system, and am really happy with it. But I really wish I could cut and paste between the Windows apps and the Mac apps, wish it would sync to the correct time, and so on. Is there some sort of Parallels equivalent to the old VMware “helper apps” that you’d install within the guest operating system? I’m running Windows XP.

There is indeed a helper application that you really do need to install if you’re running Parallels Desktop on your Intel Mac system, called, ingeniously enough, Parallels Tools.
To install it, start up Parallels Desktop on your Mac OS X system (if you don’t yet have this Intel Mac only tool, you can get a working demo copy of Parallels online: download the Parallels demo). You’ll need to have configured your virtual OS to include support for a CD/DVD drive, then log in to Windows XP as an administrator. If you don’t know what I mean, you probably are the admin for the WinXP system!
Now you’ll want to select “Install Parallels Tools…” from the VM toolbar that’s part of the Mac side of Parallels Desktop (that is, it’s not part of your guest OS):


As I indicated, you definitely need to be logged in to your guest OS. Parallels reaffirms that with its warning message:

Just “OK” past that — since you are already logged in to WinXP, aren’t you? — and the next thing you’ll see is the Installer running within Windows for this particular application:

At this point you’ll be clicking
Next a few times to let it tell you about the installation options, etc. The first time you click it’ll warn you that they haven’t gone through the Microsoft verification process for the extensions so you’ll possibly see some warnings, but they’re safely ignored:

I didn’t find that anything needed to be changed along the way. You’ll be asked if you want to install “complete” or “custom”: I recommend you install the complete Parallels Tools package.
Finally, installation complete, you’ll want to restart your guest operating system (e.g., Windows XP, not your Mac):

Once it starts up again, you’ll have a new icon in the clock tray, right next to the time display itself:

That’s the shortcut for Parallels Tools. Click on it and you’ll be able to configure and modify all of the many utilities included in this useful package:

Ctrl Alt Delete Mac


Without a doubt, if you’re running Parallels Desktop you want to also install Parallels Tools too!
Note: If you haven’t yet delved into the world of virtualization on Intel-based Macs, please read
How to install Parallels Desktop and Windows XP on your Intel Mac OS X System.

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Ctrl Alt Delete Vpn Mac

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!