Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac System Requirements

Here is a detailed outline of Parallels Desktop 15 system requirements for hardware, supported host and guest operating systems—as well as how to transfer your PC to a virtual machine— provided below.

For well over a decade, millions of global users have used Parallels Desktop® for Mac to run Windows, Linux and other popular operating systems on Mac®—without rebooting. We recommend that curious users read this blog post thoroughly to ensure that you’re set up for success before downloading Parallels Desktop 15.

	Minimum	Best Performance
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processor	Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9 or Xeon processor
Memory	4 GB of RAM	16 GB of RAM or more
Storage	500 MB for Parallels Desktop application installation Additional disk space for the guest operating system (at least 16 GB is required for Windows 10)	SSD drive
Graphics	Intel, AMD Radeon or NVIDIA	AMD Radeon Pro graphics card
Operating System	macOS Catalina 10.15 macOS Mojave 10.14 macOS High Sierra 10.13 macOS Sierra 10.12	macOS Catalina 10.15 Note: DirectX 11 requires at least macOS Mojave 10.14 but works best on macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Hardware

Minimum requirements are dictated to run most applications, such as Microsoft Office and more:

A Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processor
A minimum of 4 GB of RAM
At least 500 MB of space on your local hard drive to download the Parallels Desktop installation. Additional disk space is needed for the guest OS and future saved files.

Note: Microsoft Windows 10 requires at least 16 GB of storage space.

For the best performance with graphics-intensive applications, gaming, high loads and running multiple virtual machines, we recommend:

Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9 or Xeon processor
A suggested memory amount for intensive applications and multitasking is 16 GB of RAM.
SSD hard drives will also optimize the performance of Parallels Desktop.

Guest Operating Systems Supported as a Virtual Machine within Parallels Desktop

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Windows 10 (recommended)
Windows 8.1
Windows 8
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 7 (SP0-SP1)
Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP0-SP2)
Windows Vista Home, Business, Ultimate and Enterprise (SP0-SP2)
Windows Server 2003 R2 (SP0-SP2)
Windows XP (SP0-SP3)
Windows 2000 Professional SP4
Windows 2000 Server SP4
Boot2Docker
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 and 6
CentOS Linux 7 and 6
Fedora Linux 30* and 29
Ubuntu 19.04, 18.04 LTS and 16.04 LTS
Debian GNU/Linux 9 and 8
SUSE Linux Enterprise 15
OpenSUSE Linux 15.1 and 15
Linux Mint 19 and 18
Kali 2019 and 2018
Elementary 5
Manjaro 18
Mageia 7 and 6
Gentoo Linux **
Solaris 11 and 10 **
openBSD 6 **
FreeBSD 12 and 11 **
openVZ 7
eComStation 2 and 1.2 **
ReactOS 0.4 **
Android OS*
macOS Catalina 10.15
macOS Mojave 10.14.x
macOS High Sierra 10.13.x
macOS Sierra 10.12.x
OS X El Capitan 10.11.x
OS X Yosemite 10.10.x
OS X Mavericks 10.9.x
OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.x
OS X Lion 10.7.x
OS X Lion Server 10.7.x
Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x
Mac OS X Leopard Server 10.5.x
and many more…

*Only the version downloaded with help of the Installation Assistant with Parallels Desktop.
**Parallels Tools are not available for this operating system.

Parallels Tools for Linux requires X Window System version 1.15–1.20 and Linux Kernel version 2.6.29–5.1.

Need to migrate your PC to a virtual machine in Parallels Desktop?

PC system requirements to move your PC to your Mac (using Parallels Transporter Agent):

700 MHz (or higher) x86 or x64 processor (Intel or AMD)
256 MB of RAM
50 MB of available hard disk space for installation of Parallels Transporter Agent
Ethernet or WiFi network adapter for migrating over network
External USB drive for migrating via external disk
Supported Windows: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000*

*To migrate Windows Vista or older, Transporter Agent from Parallels Desktop 13 should be used. Download the Parallels Transporter Agent.

Parallels Desktop Trial

Parallels Desktop emulates PC hardware, so operating systems that are not present in this list can work as well. You can download the Parallels Desktop trial and install an operating system of your choice.

If it doesn’t work and you believe it should be supported, let our engineers know in the Parallels Forum.

40 comments on “Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac System Requirements”

billy
September 12, 2019 at 12:24 am

HI I have parallels 11/12 which is end of life. It’s running windows 8. If Install the new parallels 15 with it automatically update the older version so that I don’t have to do any additional steps.
Beatrice Vogel
September 16, 2019 at 5:01 am

Hey Billy, Yes exactly it will automatically upgrade all your VMs. Let us know if you have any further questions. Thanks
LarryG
November 14, 2019 at 11:34 am

I just purchased Parallels 15.1.1 on my MacPro laptop and also upgraded to MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 … I discovered several of my Mac software applications no longer run with the newest MacOS 10.15. My Parallels currently has Windows 7 installed… How do I install an earlier macOS system into Parallels and still have the option of also using windows7?
Carol
November 22, 2019 at 10:31 am

Mac Air (18 months old or so) running Mohave 10.14.6, installed P 15 and Windows 8.1. Windows will not recognize my external hard drive with my data files on it. What box did I miss clicking? AKA, help. TIA
Beatrice Vogel
December 3, 2019 at 6:32 am

Hey Carol, Don’t worry. Our support team is happy to help you with this. Please reach out to them on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Any further questions let us know. Thanks
Beatrice Vogel
December 3, 2019 at 6:53 am

Hey Larry, Thanks for reaching out. You can use several different VMs with Parallels Desktop, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, etc. Please see here how to install an older macOS in a VM: https://www.parallels.com/blogs/catalina-32-bit-apps/. Any further questions let us know. Thanks
Carol
December 4, 2019 at 9:12 am

Thank you for the response, and, please do not take this as snarky, but, time was of the essence for me, and I could not wait. Soooo, I had my Apple wise son fix this on Thanksgiving day. Well, he found the fix and I fixed the following day. I am going to retain this info though, because, well, you just never know what wild and wooly thing I might do next. Onward – – life awaits. And, again, thanks.
MV
December 4, 2019 at 10:53 am

Also, do you have a recommendation for the amount of VRAM (specifically for the Radeon Pro) for best performance of CAD on Windows? Apple offers 4GB and 8GB VRAM for the Radeon Pro on the new MacBooks.
Kayla Myrhow
December 5, 2019 at 10:36 am

Hey! We would suggest 8GB of ram to be dedicated to the virtual machine for CAD performance. We want to be very clear, though. You will still need to leave RAM allocated to your host OS – the macOS – in order for it to continue to run properly. So, if you have a total of 8GB in your Mac – leave 4GB dedicated to the host OS and then 4GB to the virtual machine. Additionally, if you have 16GB – split down the middle with 8GB dedicated to your host OS and 8GB to the guest OS (virtual machine) to see some great performance increases. If you have any other questions, please reach out to our support on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. We’re here to help! Thanks, Kayla
Robert
December 30, 2019 at 8:15 pm

So I am clear: Catalina will run the Parallels Desktop 15 for MAC-and that PDT15 will support an Windows XP SP2 VM. All correct? Thanks. Happy New Year.
Beatrice Vogel
January 3, 2020 at 1:12 am

Hey Robert, That’s correct. Parallels Desktop 15 runs on macOS Catalina and you can install a Windows XP (SP0-SP3) VM in it. Let us know if you have any further questions. Thanks 🙂
Rodrigo Macedo
January 7, 2020 at 7:45 am

When will CentOS / RHEL 8 be supported?
Kayla Myrhow
January 9, 2020 at 3:52 pm

Hey Rodrigo! We’ve supported CentOS as a virtual machine for a few versions of Parallels Desktop. I’ve tried to find the most up to date article from our knowledge base for you: https://kb.parallels.com/124121

However, if you’re already trying to do this, and not having success – you can connect with support directly via Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Thanks, Kayla, Audience Marketing Manager. We’re here to help!
Chris
March 28, 2020 at 4:34 pm

Thank you for this article. Will can i install Windows 10 Pro (virtual w Parallels) or only the Windows Home Edition? Thank you!
Kayla Myrhow
March 30, 2020 at 11:17 am

Hey Chris! You can use either version of Windows 10. Entirely up to you. If you have any more questions, our support team is happy to help you with this in a quicker fashion than we can on the blog. Please reach out to them on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Any further questions let us know, we’re here to help. Kayla, Audience Marketing Manager at Parallels
Peter
March 30, 2020 at 12:20 pm

If my Mac comes with 250 GB SSD,
is that good enough for running Windows 10? Would it make any difference if I have 1 or even 2TB SSD?
Peter
March 30, 2020 at 12:33 pm

Forgot to tell you that I have Apple iMac 21.5-Inch “Core i5” 2.8 (Late 2015) and I solely use windows for a software that recommends a minimum system requirements:

Windows 10
64 bit system bus
2.5 GHZ CPU (dual or quad core)
16 Gigs of RAM

https://www.trade-ideas.com/products/download/
shawn clark
March 31, 2020 at 10:26 am

Newbie Q: I have a legacy PC running Windows 7 and Office 2010. Do I need to rebuild on Parallels, or is the migration some kind of automated replication process? If rebuild, then what requirements will I face with respect to activating the licenses for these products, given both are no longer supported by MSFT.
Kayla Myrhow
April 1, 2020 at 2:28 pm

Hey Shawn! Not a newbie question – we’re here to help. https://kb.parallels.com/en/123929 I believe this knowledge base article will help you accomplish what you’re looking to do. If not, please reach out to support directly so we can assist you directly. Please reach out to them on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Any further questions let us know, we’re here to help. Kayla, Audience Marketing Manager at Parallels
Kayla Myrhow
April 1, 2020 at 2:32 pm

Hey Peter, we suggest trying your specific needs in a Parallels Desktop Trial first. https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/trial/ Due to the fact that what you listed requires 16gbs of RAM but you did not list how much RAM you have on your Mac, we cannot answer your question. Additionally, we do not know the exact size of the application you’re attempting to run or how much your virtual machine size will expand as you work and save files, etc. If you already have Parallels Desktop and you’re trying to get some additional help or clarification, I’d suggest connecting directly to our support team to ensure your virtual machine is set up for your specific needs. We’re always here to help! You can reach them on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. If you already have a Parallels account, you can contact support directly through MyAccount. Any further questions let us know, we’re here to help 24/7. Kayla, Audience Marketing Manager at Parallels
shawn clark
April 2, 2020 at 8:24 am

Kayla – Thank you! Follow-up question: If I have a problem reactivating my OS or Office software, I’ll have to revert to the current machine. In that case, I’d likely want to remove Parallels from my Mac. Can you provide a pointer to any knowledge base article(s) on reverting to Parallels-free environment?
Mark D
April 17, 2020 at 6:24 pm

I have an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) Core i5 3.2GHz intel 8GB memory AMD Radeon R9 M390 2048 MB
Running OS 10.11.6 Don’t want to upgrade OS if not necessary. I want to install and use Tails. I’ve seen people use Parallels to install. can this work? Thank you
Beatrice Vogel
April 21, 2020 at 7:55 am

Hey Mark, Thanks for reaching out. There are around 200,000 apps that run with Parallels Desktop on the Mac. Feel free to install a free trial and test if everything works the way you want to: https://www.parallels.com/try/pd. Any questions let us know 👍
Michael
May 19, 2020 at 3:10 pm

Hi, my son is looking to use SolidWorks for his classes and has permission to install. He has MacBook Air 2017 with 2.2 GHz Dual Core Intel Core i7, 8G of memory, Intel HD Grapics 6000 1536 MB. I understand that Windows 10 needs to be installed and then Solidworks. Seems like Windows 10 needs minimum of 2 cores and Solidworks also need 2 cores and 8 G of RAM. Will Solidworks work? What about the Graphics?
Kayla Myrhow
May 28, 2020 at 12:13 pm

Hey Michael! Solidworks runs wonderfully in Parallels Desktop virtual machines as long as the hardware has the performance to support the needs of the end-user. Some Solidworks and other CAD projects can be massive and put intense performance strain on your machine. We have lots of Parallels Desktop users who run Solidworks on macOS in a Windows virtual machine and they on average utilize an i5 so an i7 should absolutely work. I would also suggest downloading a trial of Parallels Desktop to ensure everything you need works before purchasing. If you run into any issues, please reach out to our support team to get taken care of on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/ Any further questions let us know. We’re here to help, 24/7. Thanks! Kayla, Audience Marketing Manager at Parallels
Joseph Kish
June 5, 2020 at 11:12 pm

I want to use Parallels on a 1 TB macBook Pro (used, my daughter’s) and install Windows 10 and the minimum Microsoft 365 software of Word 2019, Excel 2019, and Powerpoint 2019. Can you recommend reading material on how to prepare laptop for Parallels instal, looking forward and being sensitive to requirements for Microsoft 365 storage space to run these 3 office products flawlessly and speedily? Appreciatively
Beatrice Vogel
June 8, 2020 at 2:34 am

Hey Joseph, Sounds great, thanks for reaching out. Please find here the complete Parallels Desktop 15 user guide:https://bit.ly/3cCdQly. If you have further questions, please reach out to our support team on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Any further questions let us know. Thanks
Leigh Allison
June 15, 2020 at 4:29 am

Hi am not computer savvy. I have a 2013 MacBook Air running Catalina 10.15.3 a 1.3 dual core Intel i5 4GB Memory 1600Mhz DDR3 and 52GB memory available. I wish to run a window EFIS simulator program on my Macbook with Windows 10. I know I will pay for the parallels 15 one time program, but then do I then have to pay to buy windows 10 to install, and how much would that be? Will this combination run on my machine?
Beatrice Vogel
June 15, 2020 at 5:19 am

Hey Allison, Thanks for reaching out. Windows 10 is not included within Parallels Desktop. You can easily purchase it here: https://www.parallels.com/blogs/buy-windows-10-home-pro/. Thanks and have a nice day.
Stuart D. Gavzy
June 18, 2020 at 2:34 pm

If I want to run Parallels on an iMac and 2 macbooks, how many licenses will I need? (They would not all be running at the same time.)
Naim
June 19, 2020 at 2:46 pm

Hi
Will Parallels run smoothly on 16GB RAM or do I need to upgrade to 32GB RAM?
Beatrice Vogel
June 22, 2020 at 2:09 am

Hey Stuart, Thanks for reaching out. You would need 3 licenses. 1 for every device. Let me know if you have further questions. Thanks
Beatrice Vogel
June 22, 2020 at 2:12 am

Hey Naim, Thanks for reaching out. We recommend a minimum of 16GB RAM. Which apps you want to run with Parallels Desktop? Thanks 🙂
Danielle
June 22, 2020 at 6:12 pm

Apparently my Mac Pro (not a macbook!) won’t run this or bootcamp. It’s a 2010 with the Catalina Patch on it, making the About This Mac display that the computer is a Mid 2012.
That is the single thing my mac doesn’t exceed the requirements on. Is there an older version I can use that will work on my computer? I’ve spent over 80 hours now on research and attempt after failed attempt to get windows 10 to run on my mac so I can run my VR headset.
Beatrice Vogel
June 23, 2020 at 8:41 am

Hey Danielle, Thanks for your comment. Our support team is happy to help you with this. Please reach out to them on Facebook https://www.messenger.com/t/ParallelsInc, Twitter https://twitter.com/ParallelsCares or any other of our support channels: http://www.parallels.com/support/. Any further questions let us know. Thanks
MG
July 7, 2020 at 11:06 pm

Hi for running Parallels 15 for Mac with Windows 10 and Dragon Professional dictation software, how important is the GPU card, if at all?
Beatrice Vogel
July 8, 2020 at 1:09 am

Hey, Thanks for reaching out. Please check out this article for further information regarding GPU: https://kb.parallels.com/en/124266. Let us know if you have further questions. Thanks
MG
July 8, 2020 at 1:20 am

Hi that does not seem relevant to my situation. I don’t have an external eGPU device. I just want to know how powerful the GPU specs on my Mac need to be if I want to Parallels to host Windows 10 running dictation software such as Dragon Dictate. I am thinking of buying a MacBook Pro 2020 model with the 2020 version of the Iris Plus Graphics chip (not the older Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 and 655). Would that be sufficient for my needs on Parallels?
Vasek Kmonicek
August 16, 2020 at 11:36 am

Will I be able to run Parallels Desktop 15 on iMac 27”, mid 2010, with Intel Core i5, 2.8GHz 16GB RAM, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, HDD 2TB (not SSD)? If so, are there still any drawbacks or risk with this HW configuration?
Beatrice Vogel
August 19, 2020 at 6:35 am

Hey Vasek, Great – you should be able to perfectly run Parallels Desktop on your iMac. Feel free to download Parallels Desktop for free for 14 days and test if everything works the way you want to: http://www.parallels.com/try/pd
Any further questions let us know. Thanks 🙂