Parallels Desktop 16 System Requirements and Supported Guest Operating Systems


The system requirements and supported guest operation systems (OSes) for Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac are fully detailed below. We encourage every potential or existing user to explore the requirements prior to downloading or purchasing Parallels® Desktop. Users may be pleasantly surprised at the incredible performance of Windows, Linux, and other popular OSes on their Mac with Parallels Desktop. 

Supported Apple Mac hardware configurations:

Check your Mac hardware to ensure you can run Parallels Desktop without experiencing compatibility issues. Our team would love to make sure every user gets the most out of Parallels Desktop and the virtual machines (VMs) they create. 



Minimum Requirements
To run most applications such as Microsoft Office, accounting, trading, SAP, Matlab, and more.
Recommended for Best Performance 
For graphics-intensive applications, high loads, and running multiple virtual machines.
ProcessorApple M1 chip, Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processorApple M1 chip, Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9 or Xeon processor
 
Memory4 GB of RAM16 GB of RAM or more
Storage600 MB for Parallels Desktop application installation Additional disk space for the guest operating system (at least 16 GB is required for Windows 10)Solid-state drive (SSD)
GraphicsApple M1 chip, Intel, AMD Radeon or NVIDIAApple M1 chip,AMD Radeon Pro graphics card
Operating SystemmacOS Big Sur 11.1 or newer
macOS Catalina 10.15.3 or newer
macOS Mojave 10.14.6 or newer
macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 or newer
macOS Big Sur 11.1 or newer
DirectX 11 requires at least macOS Mojave 10.14, but works best on macOS 10.15.3 Catalina or newer

Important Note: Internet connection is required for product activation, updates and select future features.

Supported guest operating systems that can be created as Parallels Desktop virtual machines

Mac with Apple M1 chip
Only ARM versions of operating systems are supported.

Mac with Intel processors

*Only the version downloaded with the Parallels Desktop Installation Assistant

**Parallels Tools are not available for this operating system

Note: Parallels Desktop emulates PC hardware, so operating systems that are not present in this list can work as well. We encourage users to download a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop first to install the OS of your choice. If it doesn’t work and you believe it should be supported, let us know at Parallels Forum.

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


Moving your PC?

Below are the Windows PC system requirements to move a PC to your Mac and use it as a Parallels Desktop VM (using Parallels Transporter Agent):

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


We sincerely hope this resource helps you navigate your experience with Parallels Desktop. Since 2006, Parallels has delivered excellence by being the #1 choice of Mac users to run Windows on Mac without rebooting. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help. The Parallels support team can be contacted on Facebook or Twitter, 24/7. 

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