virtualbox.org

When I type what should be the pipe symbol | within the virtual box it is a ~ instead. The keys work just fine outside of the virtual box if I am just typing in a word document. How do I change the keyboard in virtual box so that I can type the pipe symbol?

Your issue is not so much with VirtualBox as it is with the guest translation. Try selecting one that matches you keyboard. Usual suspects are different nationality OS releases or improper selection on install.