Operating System
macOS Big Sur 11, macOS Catalina 10.15, macOS Mojave 10.14, or macOS High Sierra 10.13
Just Released!
Run Windows on Mac
Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac
- Optimized for the latest Windows 10 updates, macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur 11
- Play PC games and run demanding graphics software
- Work with Windows-based accounting and trading software
- Run all your favorite Windows software on your Mac, MacBook, or iMac!
Over 7 Million Users and Praised by Experts
“It’s always been astonishing that it’s faster to start up a Parallels PC than a real one. On my MacBook Air, I’m up and running in Windows six seconds after I double-click the Parallels icon.”David Pogue, The New York Times
“Of all the ways to run Windows on a Mac, Parallels Desktop is my favorite because it just works. It's fast, it's reliable, and there's no need to futz about with confusing setting or convoluted setup processes.”Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet
“Unlike Apple’s Boot Camp, Parallels lets you run both operating systems at the same time.”Larry Magid, Forbes
”Parallels Desktop is the easiest, fastest, and most tightly integrated app for running Windows apps or the Windows desktop in Apple OS X.”Edward Mendelson, PCMag.com
“The latest version of Parallels, the popular Windows virtualization tool for Mac OS X, almost feels like its trolling Apple.”Engadget
“The software has been iterating over a decade and now makes Windows feel like part of the macOS. You can also virtualize Linux, Android, and just about anything that runs on Intel chips including another instance of macOS—great for testing macOS Betas!”9to5Mac
Fast, Powerful and Easy
Whether you need to run Windows programs that don’t have Mac versions, or you are making the switch from PC to Mac and need to transfer your data, Parallels Desktop has you covered.
In this video, you'll find the playback speed has increased. The video shows a typical experience on a Mac powered by the Intel processor. Information on the M1 experience may be found in this article.
Parallels Desktop for Mac Features
- Office 365 Integration
Allows Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Safari to open in their native Windows Office app. - Works with Boot Camp
Reuse your existing Boot Camp installation. Converting a virtual machine from Boot Camp is easy, just follow our installation assistant at startup. - Retina Display Support
Smart resizing and independent screen resolutions for separate displays. - One-Click Tuning
Select productivity, games, design, software testing, or development and Parallels Desktop will optimize your VM settings and performance for you. - Instant Access
Launch and access Windows applications right from the Mac Dock.
- Save Disk Space
Get the most out of your Mac with automatic Disk Space optimization. - Volume License Key
Unified volume license key, centralized license management and advanced security features are available in Parallels Desktop Business Edition. - Travel Mode
Extend battery life while away from a power source. - Parallels ToolboxBonus with Subscription!
Over 30 one-touch tools—clean your drive, take screenshots, download a video and more—all with just a single click. - Remote AccessBonus with Subscription!
Remote access to your Mac from any iOS device, Android device or browser with Parallels Access®. - 24/7 Support
Premium 24/7 phone, email and social support after activation.
Frequently Asked Questions
To add Windows, Linux, or another operating system to your Mac, Parallels Desktop creates a virtual machine (VM)—a virtual PC inside your Mac. You can then install Windows on the virtual machine, just as you would install any operating system on a regular computer. Run multiple OSs at the same time, all on your Mac. It’s like two computers in one!
- Open Windows applications side by side with your macOS applications, without having to restart your Mac
- Copy and paste text or drag and drop objects between Mac and Windows.
- Run Windows games and other 3D applications.
- Transfer all your data from a PC and use it on your Mac.*
- Easily share files, devices, and other resources between Windows and Mac.
- Install other operating systems, such as versions of Windows, Linux, another copy of macOS* and free virtual appliances—and use them together.
- And much more…
There are several ways to install Windows (or any other operating system) in a virtual machine, and Parallels Desktop makes it easy to get started within minutes.
On Intel-powered Mac computers it is simple to install Windows. Just follow our Installation Assistant and click “Install Windows.” On Apple M1 chip-powered Mac computers you can install Windows by following the instructions in this article.
You can provide your own Microsoft Windows license key, purchase Windows directly from within Parallels Desktop, or transfer an existing Boot Camp partition with Windows already installed.
This screenshot illustrates the installation experience on an Intel-powered Mac and there is a separate article with installation information for the Apple M1 chip-powered Mac.
Transfer is only available for Intel-powered Mac and PC
With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer.
If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into Parallels Desktop as a new virtual machine.
To use Windows from Boot Camp, install Parallels Desktop and follow the Installation Assistant.
Play your Windows-only game on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. Parallels Desktop even has a virtual machine setting dedicated to gaming to optimize performance. With ongoing support for DirectX and OpenGL, many popular games and game engines are supported within Parallels Desktop. Download a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop and see if your desired game is supported.
System Requirements are available at https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/resources/
Need Parallels Desktop for your team? Check out Parallels Desktop Business Edition.
Parallels offers exclusive discounts for educational students currently enrolled in a qualified educational institution or professional educators who are currently employed. Educational discounts can save users up to 50% off by verifying their eligibility.
Parallels Desktop Pro Edition is packed with extra features, including:
- More Power: Parallels Desktop Pro Edition gives your virtual machines more processing power, up to 128 GB vRAM and 32 vCPUs per virtual machine.
- VM Upload and Deployment - upload and deploy large VM files by converting a VM bundle into a single file.
- Command Line Interface – Use Command Line Interface tools to control Parallels Desktop and manage VMs, including their settings and configuration. Command Line interface also enables additional integrations like Vagrant.
- Visual Studio Plug-In – Develop software in one virtual machine and test in others—with just one click.
- Nested Virtualization Support* – Support is available for the following:
- VMware ESXi virtual machines
- Xen and kernel-based virtual machines in versions of Linux that support Xen and KV
- Android emulator for Visual Studio in Windows
- iPhone emulator for Visual Studio in Windows
- Xamarin.Android in Windows
- Android Studio in Windows
- Embarcadero RAD Studio in Windows
- Docker for Windows
- (experimental) Microsoft Visual Studio + TwinCat 3
- Download Parallels Desktop.
- Open Parallels Desktop.app from the Applications folder and choose File » New.
- Now you can create a new virtual machine for Mac, including a Windows VM on Mac.
- Get Windows from Microsoft or install freely available operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora, or other Linux systems supported by Parallels Desktop. See all Guest Operating Systems »
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.
User guides and resources can be found on our Technical Documentation and Resources page. Or go to Support.
#1 choice of Mac Users to Run Windows On Mac
Thanks to @ParallelsMac for making this super Marraige work so easily.... simple and effective.... #Mac#Windows#parallelsdesktop I Love It.... pic.twitter.com/MzdB7NQtuv
— Samir Virani (@samirvirani) April 23, 2020
@ParallelsMac Coherence mode: engage!
— Jessica Mulein (@JessicaMulein) June 18, 2020
Ubuntu and VStudio on Windows on Mac pic.twitter.com/Vn3yDyUMUc
Garage Band and Logic Pro didn’t cut it for me. Time to set up a Windows 10 virtual machine so I could use my favorite MIDI sequencer. I’m surprised how well MIDI works with @ParallelsMac. My Mac mini is not missing a beat, literally! pic.twitter.com/Z3VKw0Mjal
— Roberto Cordero (@RobertoC_73) March 13, 2020
System Requirements
Processor
Apple M1 chip, Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processor
Storage
600 MB for Parallels Desktop application installation
Graphics
Apple M1 chip, Intel, AMD Radeon, or NVIDIA
Memory
4GB of RAM
Run Windows On Mac
Fast, powerful, and easy. The most trusted desktop virtualization software for over 14 years!
The Parallels Desktop 30-day money-back guarantee ensures your satisfaction.
*Features that are only available on Mac computers with Intel processors are marked with an asterisk (*).