Parallels Desktop for Mac vs Boot Camp
With Parallels Desktop for Mac, easily switch between the most popular OSes and never worry about rebooting.
Mac and Windows together.
No rebooting necessary.
Ready to increase your productivity and save time? Parallels Desktop lets you easily switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot—unlike Boot Camp.
Over 35% of Parallels Desktop users have made the switch from Boot Camp. Join millions of users and experience what has made us the #1 choice for running Windows on Mac for over 11 years!
With Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac, we’ve got you covered—enjoy the beauty of Mac with the Windows apps you need.
Discover the top reasons why previous Boot Camp users made the switch:
- No rebooting—swipe between Mac and Windows in the blink of an eye
- Already using Boot Camp? Use that same Windows partition to take your Windows + Mac environment further, by utilizing the integration features in Parallels Desktop.
- Much more than Windows—besides all of the most common Windows OSes (e.g. XP, Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 10), Parallels Desktop lets you run Linux, ChromeOS, and other UNIX-based OSes.
- Work like a Pro—get built-in support for the most popular developer tools like Visual Studio, Docker, Chef, Jenkins, and more.
- Move your complete PC—avoid the headache of not being able to transfer Boot Camp from disk to disk and easily move your virtual machines using our Installation Assistant.
- Seamless integration—sync up and share files between Mac and Windows with cloud storage services like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive without duplicating your data, saving time and precious disk space.
Pro Edition’s Extra Features
Designed with developers, power users, and other demanding professionals in mind. The Pro edition gives you more processing power, up to 64 GB vRAM and 16 vCPUs per virtual machine. Includes built-in debugging tools, headless mode for virtual machines, nested virtualization, roll back mode, and support for popular development tools like Visual Studio, Vagrant, Chef, Jenkins, and more. Complimentary 24/7 phone and email support included.
Compare Editions
Business Edition’s Extra Features
Designed for use in work settings, the Business edition of Parallels Desktop includes all the Pro features plus 24/7 premium email and phone support.
It enables easy centralized administration, mass deployment capabilities, a license management portal, and advanced security controls.
Compare EditionsOne-touch Tools for Mac
Imagine having a set of tools, with no complicated settings, to simplify everyday tasks. Take a screenshot with a simple click, secure private files with a password, download a favorite video from YouTube or Facebook with little fuss, easily record a screencast, or keep your Mac from sleeping with the push of a button. Now, with Parallels Desktop 13 including Parallels Toolbox, you can do all of that and more, with one click!
- Always available in your Windows task bar
- Access with one click
- Easy to use, no hassle, and no complex keyboard shortc
- Pin a tool to the task bar for even easier access
- Frequently updated with new tools (subscription only)
One-touch Tools for Windows
Imagine having a set of tools, with no complicated settings, to simplify everyday tasks. Take a screenshot with a simple click, secure private files with a password, download a favorite video from YouTube or Facebook with little fuss, easily record a screencast, or keep your Windows from sleeping with the push of a button. Now, with Parallels Desktop 13 including Parallels Toolbox, you can do all of that and more, with one click!
- Always available in your Windows task bar
- Access with one click
- Easy to use, no hassle, and no complex keyboard shortc
- Pin a tool to the task bar for even easier access
- Frequently updated with new tools (subscription only)
Your Windows on Mac Experience Gets Better
Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac is fully optimized for macOS High Sierra—as a host or guest OS. With new retina display support, enjoy smart resizing and independent screen resolutions for separate displays.
Seamless Office 365 Integration now allows Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Safari to open in their native Windows Office app.
Distraction free presentation mode for both Mac and Windows, including Keep Mac Awake, Hide Desktop Files, Do Not Disturb, and Start in Full Screen quick modes.
See Parallels Desktop in Action
Click each button below to see some of the most popular features in Parallels Desktop 13
Compare Editions |
Parallels Desktop For Home and Student Use |
Pro Edition For Professionals, Developers, and Small Teams |
Business Edition For Business and IT |
|---|---|---|---|
Are you a student? |
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| Optimized for macOS High Sierra | |||
| Download and install Windows 10 in one click | |||
| Retina support for Windows applications | |||
| Includes over 30 one-touch tools, including top-rated Presentation Mode and Download Video | |||
| Customize Touch Bar for Windows applications | |||
| Microsoft Visual Studio Plug-in | |||
| Additional features for software developers, web developers, and testers | |||
| Advanced networking tools | |||
| Support for business cloud services | |||
| Centralized administration and management | |||
| Unified Volume License Key for mass deployment | |||
| Advanced Security features for IT | |||
| Virtual RAM/Virtual CPUs for each VM | 8 GB vRAM 4 vCPUs for each VM |
128 GB vRAM 32 vCPUs for each VM |
128 GB vRAM 32 vCPUs for each VM |
| Premium 24/7 phone and email support | For up to 30 days after activation |
Frequently Asked Questions
To add Windows or another operating system to your Mac, Parallels Desktop creates a “virtual machine,” or a virtual copy of a computer, inside you Mac. You can then install Windows in the virtual machine, just as you would install any operating system on a regular computer.
A full list of system and hardware requirements can be found here »
If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can easily set Parallels Desktop to work with Boot Camp using either of these two options:
1. Set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition
2. Import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into Parallels Desktop
Parallels supports a wide array of operating systems, including: macOS, OS X, Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, Linux, and Google Chrome™. You can run just about anything on your Mac!
Migrate your existing Windows OS from a PC, download a trial, or purchase a new license during your installation of Parallels Desktop.
Parallels offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchases made on parallels.com. If you purchased this from another retailer, please check their return policy.
Already have an active subscription or key? Download Now »
