I've been having troubles with Parallels running Windows 11 this past week and have done a lot of troubleshooting with no solution available. I believe that this is a problem with Parallels which needs to be fixed in a new software update. The problem: I'm have been running Windows 11 on my M1 MacBook Pro for more than a year now and it has worked smoothly with minimal problems. However I recently tried connecting a PS5 controller to the virtual machine which is detected by the OS itself with no problem. Running Steam I turned on Xbox and PS5 configuration support under controller settings so I could use my controller for playing games. Then after I suspended the virtual machine and turn it on again, the virtual machine doesn't register the input from the wireless mouse and keyboard. The only way to let it recognise a keyboard and mouse is to plug it in with a wired connection and then only allow it to connect to the virtual machine. What I tried to fix the issue: I could not navigate the virtual machine in any way after this unless I plugged in the keyboard with a wired connection. I tried entering coherence but it gave me an error message saying that "mouse synchronisation service has not started" I tried changing all options for the mouse in setting, both on my Mac and the virtual computer and in Parallels configuration but nothing seem to do anything. Then I read that I might need to reinstall Parallels Tools which I did more times than I could count and that did not alleviate the issue. I uninstalled Parallels, restarted my computer and everything but the issue still persisted, and everything is up to date. As I could not access the virtual machine or navigate it, I decided to create a new virtual computer and see if the problem was present there and to my surprise it did not. So the issue is tied to the virtual machine but not Parallels in a whole. After setting up the new virtual machine I started Steam again, plugged in the controller and got it working again... but again after suspending the session the new virtual machine got the same problem! The issue still persists: Knowing this I'm convinced that this is a problem with compatibility with Steam and Parallels and this is an issue that needs to be fixed as soon as possible as it prevents a user from using their virtual machine! I've spent countless hours trying to find out what the issue is and how to fix it, at least I know now what the problem is, but I'm sure that I have no way of fixing it myself and this is in the hands of Parallels to fix with a future software update.
I have the same issue here. Installed Parallels for MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max Good news is that it can play Origin games, like Generals Zero hours. It's great. Since I have issue to play this game using the intel MacBook Pro 16 at bootcamp. Bad news is that when I play Steam games such as the counter strike source, the mouse acting weird. I cannot control the mouse. I tried several methods online like change the hardware settings, "not optimize for games", etc.., but with no success. Anyway that Parallels can install steam and play counterstrike source themself and check this bug. thank you
Have you come across any promising solutions? I'm keen to delve deeper into this. Also tell me if you have any information about difference between structural and construction engineering.
Damn, that's rough. The fact that your controller is seen by Windows in the VM but doesn't actually send input is super frustrating -- and it's not just you, other people are hitting the same wall. Here's what might be going on + some workarounds: According to Parallels' own KB, when you connect a Bluetooth controller, Parallels creates a "Virtual Xbox Controller" in Windows. Parallels Knowledge Base That's expected, but it also means some games / configs might not interpret it properly. If you've got "Xbox Extended Feature Support" enabled in Steam, that might be interfering with your keyboard or mouse input. Parallels even has a KB article warning about that. Make sure your Parallels Desktop is fully up to date. There have been reports that some controller issues were fixed in newer Parallels versions. If Bluetooth is being weird, try using a wired USB connection instead. Lots of users say it's way more stable and reliable for game input. When you're changing settings or troubleshooting, turn on detailed logs in Parallels (Preferences → Advanced → "Use detailed log messages") like Parallels staff recommend. Bottom line: This might be more of a Parallels-level bug (or design limitation) than something you can fully fix on your own -- but with the right setup (USB > Bluetooth, updates, logs), you can make the controller usable.
Ah, yeah, I feel you--that's a nightmare scenario. You've basically narrowed it down perfectly: the virtual machine works fine until you suspend/resume with a controller connected, and then the keyboard/mouse input dies unless you plug them in wired. That screams Parallels/Steam input handling bug, not something you're doing wrong. From what you described: The fact that a fresh VM works until it's suspended points to a state corruption or driver issue that only kicks in after sleep/resume. Reinstalling Parallels Tools, messing with mouse settings, or reinstalling Parallels itself doesn't touch the root cause, because it's tied to how Parallels is handling USB/controller input and device focus after suspension. This is compounded by Steam's controller support trying to "own" input devices, which probably breaks the virtual machine's normal input routing. At this point, the only options for a workaround until Parallels patches it are: Avoid suspending the VM while the controller is connected--shut down fully instead. Painful, I know, but it prevents the input lockout. Use wired controller + keyboard/mouse when resuming from suspension. Again, not ideal, but it keeps the VM usable. Keep a secondary VM for gaming/testing that you only run fully booted from scratch--so you don't lose control after suspending. Otherwise, yeah--you're right: this is something that needs a Parallels update. Definitely submit a detailed bug report with steps to reproduce (controller connected, enable Steam support, suspend/resume) so they can fix it. You've basically done all the troubleshooting already, and it's clearly not a user error. Honestly, this is exactly the kind of edge-case Parallels/Mac M1 gaming setup wasn't fully ready for yet, so patience + bug reporting is the only path.
