Running Visual Studio on Mac after Visual Studio for Mac retirement

Visual Studio for Mac was retired on August 31, 2024. Developers who relied on it for .NET, Xamarin, or other Microsoft development workflows now need a different setup if they want to continue using Visual Studio on a Mac.

The most direct option is to run the Windows version of Visual Studio in a virtual machine. Parallels Desktop runs Windows alongside macOS, so Visual Studio can stay on the same Mac as your usual Mac development tools without requiring a restart or a second computer. This article covers the available paths after Visual Studio for Mac retirement, how to run Visual Studio through Parallels Desktop, and how the main virtual machines on Mac compare for development work.

Key takeaways:

• Visual Studio for Mac was retired on August 31, 2024. Microsoft no longer provides servicing updates, security fixes, or support for the product.
• Developers who need the Windows version of Visual Studio can run it in a Parallels Desktop virtual machine on their Mac without rebooting into a separate operating system.
• Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Rider are native Mac alternatives for many development workflows. Microsoft Dev Box is another option when a cloud-hosted Windows development environment makes more sense than a local VM.
• Parallels Desktop's Coherence mode lets Windows apps appear on the Mac desktop alongside macOS apps. Visual Studio can stay open next to tools such as Terminal, Finder, or Xcode without keeping the full Windows desktop in view.
• Parallels Desktop supports Windows 11 on Apple silicon Macs, giving developers a way to keep a Windows development environment on the same Mac they use for macOS work.

The Visual Studio for Mac retirement announcement

Microsoft retired Visual Studio for Mac on August 31, 2024, under its Modern Lifecycle Policy. The product is no longer supported, and Microsoft does not provide further servicing updates for security issues or changes to Apple’s platforms. Visual Studio for Mac 17.6 was maintained through the retirement date. No new feature releases or servicing updates followed.

After that, Microsoft suggests that Mac users can either migrate to Visual Studio Code and the new C# DevKit or use a Virtual Machine.

Microsoft recommends moving to Visual Studio for Windows or Visual Studio Code on macOS for a currently supported development environment. Visual Studio for Mac is still available as a legacy installation through my.visualstudio.com for users with an eligible Visual Studio subscription, but Microsoft no longer supports it as an active development product.

Parts of the technology associated with Visual Studio for Mac and its surrounding tooling remain available through Microsoft and community repositories on GitHub. Developers maintaining older projects can refer to those repositories when they need information about legacy tooling.

Transitioning to alternatives to Visual Studio

Alternative development environments can present advantages, including improved performance and more customization options.

Navigating through this transition may require the installation, configuration, and transfer of existing projects and files, and it will require changes in your routine.

Popular alternative options to Visual Studio for Mac include:

• VSCodium (multi-language support)
• Visual Studio Code (multi-language support)
• IntelliJ IDEA (multi-language support and excels on Java)
• PyCharm (for Python)
• Android Studio (for Android/Kotlin)
• CodeRunner (multi-language support)

You can find more information about these alternatives, including those where extensions operate natively, on their official websites as well as in online forums and tutorials.

While each of these options has their own upsides, Parallels Desktop for Mac stands out as the superior choice for developers due to its ability to seamlessly run a complete Windows environment alongside macOS.

While alternative development tools may cater to specific languages or purposes, Parallels' versatility and Windows compatibility make it the ultimate solution for maximizing productivity and flexibility on a Mac.

Advantages of Parallels Desktop for Mac

Parallels Desktop for Mac empowers users to operate Windows, Linux, or other operating systems on their Mac by creating a virtual machine (VM). It allows Mac developers to access and run Windows applications, including Visual Studio, on their local machine, providing a seamless development experience.

The advantages of utilizing Parallels Desktop for Mac include:

• Rapid and effortless switching between operating systems.
• Ability to run Windows applications.
• Access to virtual desktop infrastructure, including cloud hosted VMs.

These unique features grant developers access to Windows-specific development tools, technologies, and applications, making it indispensable for tasks such as .NET development, cross-platform testing, and multi-language development.

Visual Studio runs brilliantly in a virtual machine, and you can still do all the amazing things you can do with Visual Studio on your Mac. You can even set it up in a way that you almost forget that it is running in a virtual machine by using Coherence mode and running the virtual machine in the background.

How to activate the Coherence mode:

• Go to settings.
• Set the “Always ready in background”.
• Go to “Applications” and enable the share of windows applications.
• After this we can share our repository code folder.

Once this is complete, you can then start your VM and set it to use the Coherence mode. Then you can go and open up Visual Studio and pin the icon to your dock.

Once this is done you will now always have Visual Studio ready to use — just like a Mac application with all the advantages of Visual Studio for Windows, including the memory profiler.

Visual Studio Code

Developed by Microsoft, Visual Studio Code is an open-source code editor fine-tuned for constructing and debugging web and cloud applications.

It supports multiple programming languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic, and offers features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging, and integrated source control.

Visual Studio Code and the new C# extension have their merits, but they still lag behind Visual Studio in terms of features.

For instance, Visual Studio has a memory profiler that allows developers to monitor memory consumption and memory leaks, which is not available in Visual Studio Code.

Also, while the C# DevKit extension is open source, the underlying technology is not, and it may require a paid license in some cases. While Visual Studio Code is a fantastic IDE, it lacks some features that are essential for professional developers.

For instance, it has poor support for Microsoft's C# language, cannot open or edit Visual Studio projects, and performs poorly when handling large projects. As a result, most professional developers still prefer to use the big brother, Visual Studio.

Parallels Desktop for Mac transcends these capabilities by seamlessly integrating the complete Windows ecosystem. It ensures uninterrupted access to Visual Studio for Windows and preserving familiarity for .NET developers all within the Mac environment.

Knowing this, it's easy to see why Parallels Desktop for Mac is the ultimate choice for a unified and optimized development experience.

Parallels Desktop for Mac vs. Microsoft Dev Box

Microsoft Dev Box is a cloud service that offers developers a cloud-based workstation experience with preconfigured development environments.

In comparison to Microsoft Dev Box, Parallels Desktop for Mac sets itself apart by providing an on-device solution that seamlessly combines macOS and Windows.

It eliminates the need for cloud dependencies, therefore ensuring rapid and familiar access to Visual Studio with Coherence mode.

Moreover, it delivers an unmatched level of integration and performance for developers who prioritize a comprehensive and efficient .NET development environment on their Mac.

Parallels Desktop vs. other virtual machine solutions for Mac developers

Several tools can run virtual machines on Mac. They do not all offer the same experience, particularly on Apple silicon.

For developers moving from Visual Studio for Mac, the useful questions are fairly practical. Can the VM run the Windows environment your project needs? How much configuration does it require? Can Windows and Mac files move between environments without getting in the way of daily work?

Here is how four common options differ.

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop supports Windows 11 on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. On Apple silicon, it runs the Arm version of Windows 11 using hardware-assisted virtualization. Microsoft authorizes supported versions of Parallels Desktop as a solution for running Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise on Apple silicon Macs. A valid Windows license is still required. For developers, one of the more noticeable differences is how closely the Windows VM can sit alongside macOS. Coherence mode hides the Windows desktop and leaves individual Windows application windows on the Mac desktop. Visual Studio can therefore stay open beside Finder, Terminal, Xcode, a Mac browser, or another native application. Files and clipboard content can also be shared between the two operating systems. That matters when source code, documentation, test assets, or build output need to move between Mac and Windows tools during the day. Developers should still check Windows 11 on Arm compatibility for any specialist application, driver, emulator, or dependency their project requires. Some Windows technologies have limitations when Windows 11 on Arm is running in a VM.

UTM

UTM is free and open source. It supports virtualization on Apple silicon and can also use QEMU for emulation and other configurations. On Apple silicon, ARM64 operating systems can run through hardware virtualization. UTM can also emulate other CPU architectures, although emulation is slower than running a guest built for the Mac's processor architecture. UTM is useful when you want a flexible open-source VM tool, need to experiment with different operating systems, or only use a Windows VM occasionally. Its interface keeps the guest operating system in a more traditional virtual machine environment. There is no direct equivalent to Parallels Coherence mode for placing individual Windows application windows into the normal macOS desktop. That distinction may not matter for testing. It becomes more noticeable if Visual Studio is open for most of the working day, and you regularly move between Windows and Mac applications.

VirtualBox

Oracle VirtualBox is free and cross-platform. Current releases support Apple silicon hosts. There are still limitations on Arm-based Macs. VirtualBox supports Arm guests rather than x86 guest operating systems on Apple silicon, and Oracle documents limitations affecting areas including graphics, Guest Additions, storage, sound, and unattended installation. For Intel Mac users, VirtualBox remains a familiar general-purpose virtualization tool. On Apple silicon, check the requirements of the Windows development environment before choosing it for a daily Visual Studio setup. In particular, features that depend on deeper guest integration may work differently from VirtualBox on Intel. VirtualBox does not provide a Coherence-style mode that places Windows applications directly into the normal Mac desktop.

VMware Fusion Pro

VMware Fusion runs virtual machines on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. Apple silicon versions support Arm guest operating systems, including Windows 11 on Arm. They cannot run x86 operating systems directly as guest VMs. Fusion is now available free for commercial, educational, and personal use. Broadcom moved VMware's desktop hypervisors away from the previous paid product model in November 2024. For developers, Fusion includes features such as snapshots, networking controls, copy and paste, and drag-and-drop support in current configurations. One difference for Mac users is Unity mode. Older Fusion versions used Unity to display Windows applications without the full Windows desktop, but Unity is no longer available in current Fusion releases and was not supported on Apple silicon. The free desktop hypervisor also uses Broadcom's community and documentation resources rather than the standard enterprise support available with a paid commercial support agreement.

Virtual machine comparison for Mac developers

Which virtual machine makes sense for Visual Studio?

If Visual Studio is something you open occasionally to check a project, a free VM may cover what you need.

The calculation changes when Visual Studio is part of your daily Mac workflow. Coherence mode, shared Mac files, clipboard integration, Windows installation, and vendor support become more useful when the VM is a working environment rather than a test box.

Parallels Desktop is designed around that kind of Mac and Windows workflow. Developers who prefer a free or open-source VM should also look at UTM, VirtualBox, and VMware Fusion and compare their current Apple silicon limitations against the requirements of the project.

Making a seamless transition with Parallels Desktop for Mac

As the retirement date of Visual Studio approaches, developers should strongly consider adopting Parallels Desktop for Mac to ensure a smooth transition and continued support for their .NET development needs on macOS.

This way developers can transition smoothly while continuing a robust, efficient and powerful development experience.

The impact of retiring Visual Studio for Mac on .NET Development

The retirement of Visual Studio for Mac will have a considerable effect on .NET development on macOS, as developers will no longer be able to utilize Visual Studio for Mac to create .NET applications.

Alternative solutions such as Visual Studio Code, virtual machine solutions, and Microsoft Dev Box will continue to provide support for .NET and C# development, keeping the Visual Studio IDE running.

With Parallels Desktop you don't have to worry about all this — you can have uninterrupted access to Visual Studio and the complete Windows development system from your Mac.

Adoption of Parallels Desktop for Mac allows developers to continue building and deploying .NET applications on macOS, without any compromise on quality or efficiency.

The retirement of Visual Studio for Mac signifies that it's not the end, but a fresh beginning for .NET development on macOS.

Remote development experiences after the retirement of Visual Studio for Mac

In the increasingly interconnected world of today, the importance of remote development experiences cannot be overstated.

Tools like Visual Studio Code Remote Development enable developers to work on projects from any device, regardless of their physical location.

The adoption of remote development experiences can yield numerous benefits including:

• Enhanced employee retention.
• Increased productivity.
• Access to a broader talent pool.
• Lower infrastructure costs.

These advantages make remote development experiences utilizing a native RDP client an essential aspect of modern development workflows and a valuable consideration for those transitioning from Visual Studio for Mac.

Recap: what the retirement of Visual Studio for Mac means for you (as a Mac developer)

Visual Studio for Mac is no longer supported, but Mac developers still have several ways to work with Microsoft's development tools. Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Rider run natively on macOS and cover many cross-platform development workflows. Developers who need the Windows version of Visual Studio can instead run Windows in a virtual machine on their Mac. Parallels Desktop is built for using Windows and macOS on the same machine throughout the day. Visual Studio can run inside Windows while Coherence mode keeps the full Windows desktop out of the way, and shared Mac resources remain available to the VM. Free virtualization tools such as UTM, VirtualBox, and VMware Fusion are also worth considering. Check their Apple silicon support and guest-integration features against the specific requirements of your project before settling on a development environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best virtual machine for running Windows on Mac?

There is no single best VM for every Mac user. For developers who use Windows applications throughout the working day, Parallels Desktop puts more emphasis on integration with macOS. Coherence mode displays Windows applications on the Mac desktop without keeping the full Windows desktop open, and Parallels supports Windows 11 on Apple silicon as a Microsoft-authorized solution. UTM is a free, open-source option that is useful for testing, experimentation, and users who prefer more control over their VM configuration. VirtualBox is also free and now supports Apple silicon, although Oracle documents several limitations for Arm hosts. VMware Fusion supports Windows 11 on Apple silicon and is free for commercial, educational, and personal use. Current releases no longer include Unity mode, which previously offered an integrated Windows application view. For Visual Studio specifically, check project dependencies before choosing a VM. Windows 11 on Arm compatibility can matter for extensions, drivers, emulators, and other low-level development tools.

Can I still download Visual Studio for Mac?

Yes, but only as legacy software in limited circumstances. Visual Studio for Mac was retired on August 31, 2024, and is no longer supported or receiving servicing updates. Microsoft still makes it available through my.visualstudio.com as a legacy installation for users with an eligible Visual Studio subscription. For an actively supported development environment, Microsoft recommends Visual Studio for Windows or Visual Studio Code on macOS. Mac developers who need the Windows version of Visual Studio can run it in a Windows virtual machine with Parallels Desktop.

What support and updates will be available for Visual Studio for Mac until its retirement?

Microsoft will provide essential updates for Visual Studio for Mac until its retirement, such as security patches, bug fixes, and compatibility updates with Apple's supported platforms.

What security features does Parallels RAS offer for Mac users?

Parallels provides robust security features, including end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and secure tunneling, to safeguard data and applications accessed from Mac devices.

Can Parallels Desktop be used for both individual and enterprise Mac users?

Absolutely, Parallels caters to the needs of both individual Mac users and enterprises. It offers flexible deployment options, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes as well as individuals.

How can I get started with Parallels Desktop for Mac?

Getting started with Parallels Desktop for Mac is easy. Simply visit the Parallels website, download the Mac client, and follow the setup instructions to enjoy its benefits on your Mac device.

Embrace Parallels Desktop and start your full-featured free trial now!