Parallels Desktop
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Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac

Run Windows on Mac

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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
  • 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.

Standard Edition

Installation

  • Use Sign in with Apple for Parallels account registration and sign-in.
  • Download and install Windows 10 automatically in one click.
  • Activate Windows automatically by specifying a license key before installation.
  • Use Express Installation to fully automate Windows installation and user account setup.
  • Install virtual machines from an ISO image, app, USB, CD, or DVD.
  • Select automatically detected operating system installers from Downloads and Desktop folders.
  • Use automatic Parallels Tools installation for many operating systems.
  • Easily configure Windows for Productivity or Gaming.
  • Use Windows from Boot Camp in a virtual machine.
  • Import Boot Camp into a standalone virtual machine.
  • Migrate Windows from PC to a virtual machine.
  • Download Ubuntu Linux, Fedora Linux, CentOS Linux, Debian GNU/Linux, Mint Linux, and Android virtual machines.
  • Download a ready-to-go Windows 10 virtual machine with Legacy Edge app.
  • Install macOS into a virtual machine from Recovery Partition.
  • Import VMware, VirtualBox, and Hyper-V (VHD only) virtual machines.

Onboarding

  • Download a full-featured free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop Pro Edition
  • Purchase Windows 10 directly from Parallels Desktop.
  • Learn about basic Parallels Desktop features upon completing Windows installation.
  • Learn about Coherence view mode upon first entering.
  • Learn about working with Shared Profile folders when deleting Mac files from Windows.
  • Use Parallels Desktop Help to learn more about application features.

General

  • Run Windows and other virtual machines using native macOS virtualization on macOS Big Sur and later (with no additional kernel extensions).
  • Use up to 4 CPUs and 8GB of RAM for a virtual machine.
  • Boot a virtual machine from USB, network, or external disk.
  • Manage virtual machine's boot order and devices.
  • Suspend and resume virtual machines for better productivity.
  • Create snapshots to save OS and disk states and revert to it later.
  • Save the current virtual machine state before reverting to a snapshot.
  • Automatically pause a virtual machine when it's idle to save Mac resources.
  • Configure the time when a virtual machine gets paused.
  • Configure a virtual machine to always run in the background.
  • Configure a virtual machine to start when Parallels Desktop starts.

Appearance

  • Use a virtual machine in a window, full screen, or picture-in-picture modes.
  • Use all Mac displays when in full screen.
  • Show and hide Windows spaces on all displays simultaneously.
  • Optimize full screen for games.
  • Use Windows gamma settings when in full screen.
  • Configure opacity and always-on-top for the picture-in-picture mode.
  • Use Windows applications in Coherence view mode side-by-side with macOS apps.
  • Use Parallels Desktop in a dark theme.
  • Configure the virtual machine's startup and shutdown behavior.
  • Monitor CPU, network, and disk activity on the virtual machine status bar.
  • Use Resource Monitor to track CPU and RAM usage for several virtual machines.
  • Use Free Up Disk Space wizard to manage disk space.
  • See what Mac folders are shared with Windows in File Explorer.
  • Show Windows applications in the Dock.
  • Show Dock icons in Coherence only.
  • Make Dock icons bounce to alert.

Graphics

  • Use a virtual machine with Retina-optimized high-DPI resolution.
  • Run DirectX 11 applications in Windows (powered by Apple Metal).
  • Run OpenGL 3 applications in Windows and Linux.
  • Run macOS Big Sur virtual machine with Apple Metal support (on macOS Big Sur host).
  • Use up to half of Windows RAM for video memory (hardware dependent).
  • Toggle high-performance graphics usage (discrete graphics card).

Integration

  • Use Windows in Travel Mode to extend MacBook battery life.
  • Schedule Windows maintenance for installing Windows updates.
  • Control Windows applications with special Touch Bar options.
  • Open Mac files using Windows applications.
  • Make Windows applications default for opening macOS files.
  • Use native Windows icons in macOS for executable files.
  • Open Windows applications from macOS.
  • Open macOS applications from Windows.
  • Drag and drop files and images between macOS and a virtual machine (Windows, Linux, macOS).
  • Drag and drop macOS screenshot preview to Windows apps.
  • Copy and Paste formatted text and files between macOS and a virtual machine (Windows, Linux, macOS).
  • Open web links from Windows in macOS browsers.
  • Use Windows email client as default on Mac.
  • Share macOS folders and disks with Windows.
  • Share Windows folders and disks with macOS.
  • Use macOS user profile folders as Windows user profile folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.).
  • Share macOS network locations and volumes with Windows.
  • Use Windows apps on iPad with Sidecar using Apple Pencil.
  • Use synchronized time and time zones between Mac and Windows.
  • Use synchronized macOS location with Windows.
  • Use notification badge for the Outlook Dock icon to track unread emails.
  • Use Outlook notifications in macOS.
  • Attach recently- created Mac files to Outlook emails.
  • Open Microsoft Office files from the macOS browser in Windows Desktop apps.
  • Show Windows notification area on the Mac menu bar.
  • Allow Windows applications to enter the full screen automatically when running in the Coherence mode.
  • Share iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive macOS folders with Windows.
  • Use macOS Dictionary in Windows.
  • Use macOS Dictation in Windows.
  • Use macOS Quick Look in Windows.
  • Use macOS Special Characters in Windows.
  • Pin your contacts from Windows People Bar to macOS Dock.
  • Share Windows files using the macOS Share menu embedded in the Windows context menu.
  • Insert photos and documents from iPhone to Windows.
  • Send files from Finder to Windows email client.
  • Use synchronized macOS Do Not Disturb with Windows 10 Focus Assist.

Devices

  • Use all your Mac keyboard layouts in Windows automatically.
  • Use synchronized keyboard layout selection between macOS and Windows.
  • Customize keyboard shortcuts for virtual machines.
  • Use the mouse with seamless switching between macOS and Windows.
  • Optimize mouse and keyboard for games.
  • Use the smooth scrolling with Trackpad.
  • Use the smooth zoom and rotate gestures with TrackPad.
  • Use Trackpad with Force Touch and Pressure Sensitivity in Windows.
  • Use drawing tablets in Windows with full pen support (pressure, tilt, twist, erase).
  • Print from Windows using Mac printers with duplex printing and up to A0 paper size.
  • Synchronize the default printer between Mac and Windows.
  • Show macOS printing settings before printing from Windows.
  • Connect USB devices directly to a virtual machine.
  • Manage USB devices' automatic connection to a running virtual machine.
  • Use a Mac web camera in Windows up to 4K resolution.
  • Use VoIP phones in Windows.
  • Use high-definition audio input/output in virtual machines.
  • Synchronize sound volume between macOS and Windows.
  • Share Bluetooth devices with Windows.
  • Connect Bluetooth devices to Windows using Simple Pairing.
  • Use expanding virtual disks to occupy as much disk space as the virtual machine uses.
  • Use real-time disk space optimization for Windows to optimize Mac disk space usage.
  • Automatically reclaim disk space on a virtual machine shutdown.
  • Resize virtual hard disks up to 2TB.
  • Add a virtual floppy device to a virtual machine.
  • Add a serial port device to a virtual machine.

Network

  • Use Shared network mode to share the Internet with a virtual machine.
  • Use Bridged network mode to connect any network adapter to a virtual machine.
  • Use Host-Only network mode to interconnect virtual machines in isolated networks.
  • Generate MAC address for Windows.

Security

  • Use the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 device in Windows 10.
  • Isolate a virtual machine from macOS.
  • Encrypt a virtual machine.
  • Restrict changing virtual machine state with the macOS admin password.
  • Restrict changing virtual machine configuration with the macOS admin password.
  • Restrict changing view mode with the macOS admin password.
  • Restrict managing snapshots with the macOS admin password.
  • Use Touch ID instead of manual passwords.

Support

  • Use a large variety of Knowledge Base articles to get quick help.
  • Use Facebook Messenger or Twitter to get quick help.
  • Use Parallels Forums to connect with other users.
  • Get 24/7/365 chat, phone, and email support.
  • Authorize in Support Center automatically when using the in-product Help option.

Bonus Software

  • Includes a three-month complimentary subscription for Parallels Access™, the easiest way to access your computer from anywhere remotely.
  • Includes a three-month complimentary subscription for Parallels® Toolbox with over 30 one-touch tools. Clean your drive, take screenshots, and more.

Pro Edition

Note: Parallels Desktop Pro Edition includes all features of the Standard Edition.

General

  • Use up to 32 CPUs and 128GB of RAM for a virtual machine (VM).
  • Enable Nested Virtualization to install and work in WSL 2, Docker for Windows, Android emulator for Visual Studio, iPhone emulator for Visual Studio, Xamarin.Android, Android Studio, Embarcadero RAD Studio, and more.
  • Configure a startup delay for a VM.
  • Optimize VM settings and performance with Software Development, Software Testing, and Design profiles.
  • Download a ready-to-go Windows 10 virtual machine with Visual Studio.
  • Switch a virtual machine to a pre-defined resolution.
  • Use Linked Clones for convenient testing and development.
  • Start Windows in Rollback Mode if you don't want Windows to store the changes you made to it during the working session.
  • Use NetBoot for macOS VMs.
  • Archive/unarchive VMs in Control Center to save disk space.
  • Limit VM resource usage.
  • Use 8.3 filenames for Shared Folders.
  • Support for mmap() in Linux Shared Folders.
  • Use EFI Secure Boot.
  • Create and use VM templates.
  • Share smart card readers with Windows.
  • Prepare VM for transfer to another Mac or cloud storage.

Appearance

  • Run VMs as background processes without the GUI displayed on the Mac desktop (Headless mode).
  • Color code VMs from the Context menu to distinguish them from one another.
  • Set a custom icon for every VM.
  • Sort VMs in the Control Center.
  • Use Linked Clone indication in the Control Center.

Network

  • Test different connectivity issues with an enhanced network editor; simulate 3G, Edge, or an unstable network connection or limit network bandwidth in a VM.
  • Check and copy the virtual machine's IP address using the Network icon on the VM status bar.
  • Quickly start the SSH session with your VM.
  • Open your website hosted in a VM in one click for testing with the "Open in Browser" menu.
  • Resolve DNS requests from VM using the info in /etc/resolver from the host macOS.
  • Use port forwarding to pass traffic from a Mac port to a VM or IP address and desired port.
  • Use VM names as their DNS names.
  • Use tcpdump with virtual networks.
  • Create custom host-only networks.
  • Specify names for custom host-only networks.
  • Use DNS requests over TCP in Shared Network.

Develop

  • Use Microsoft Visual Studio plugin to debug in a separate virtual machine.
  • Use the Parallels Vagrant plugin to work with reproducible and portable work environments.
  • Use linked clones in the Vagrant plugin to create new boxes fast and use disk space efficiently.
  • Use Jenkins to run a build server on Mac.
  • Natively manage your Docker VMs, manipulate your VM with SSH or the command line, and support linked clones and VM templates.
  • Generate a VM memory dump using Parallels Desktop UI controls.
  • Start a debugging session in Terminal using Parallels Desktop UI controls.
  • Access Pro tools from the menu: SSH, WEB, DBG, DUMP.
  • Use the Parallels SDK with Python 3.0 support.

Command Line Interface

  • Use Command Line Interface tools to control Parallels Desktop and manage VMs, including their settings and configuration.
  • Use bash (zsh) autocompletion for the Parallels CLI tools.
  • Pass arguments to virtual machine applications.

Bonus Software

  • Includes a complimentary subscription for Parallels Access™, the easiest way to access your computer from anywhere remotely.
  • Includes a complimentary subscription for Parallels® Toolbox with over 30 one-touch tools. Clean your drive, take screenshots, and more.

Support

  • Get Premium 24/7/365 phone, email, and chat support.

Business Edition

Note: Parallels Desktop Business Edition includes all features of the Standard and Pro Edition.

Licensing and Support

  • Use Parallels My Account web app for administration and support.
  • Manage corporate users: download a CSV list of users, promote admins, block users.
  • Use a single license key on a selected number of computers.
  • Monitor license usage (seats left, how many in use).
  • Find information about Macs where Parallels Desktop was installed, generate reports, and manage information columns.
  • Deactivate a license on selected Macs remotely to free seats for being used on other computers.
  • Blacklist selected computers, so a user won't be able to activate Parallels Desktop on it again.
  • Send a custom message to users who will be deactivated/blacklisted.
  • Create sub-licenses from the master license to protect master license, limit usage between several offices or departments, easily control license deactivation for classes and graduates.
  • Assign administrators to one license or sub-license.
  • Get extended 30-day grace period to have more time for license renewal.
  • Rename computers and leave notes in their description.

Deployment

  • Use deployment package to configure and deploy Parallels Desktop and virtual machines to Macs using ARD, Jamf, Parallels Mac Management, Munki, and other Mac Management tools.
  • Send invitation emails to users, with a build, a license key, and other instructions.
  • Prepare, upload, and enable Business users to download the VM on their Macs in one click.
  • Select Windows applications to automatically add to the Mac Dock after deployment.
  • Enable Single Application Mode to hide Parallels Desktop UI and notifications and to show specified Windows application only.
  • Deploy archived VMs.

Administration

  • Use the Business Edition Administrator's Guide with instructions describing how to use product functionalities.
  • Use advanced options in Command Line Tools to manage Parallels Desktop installations after deployment.
  • Customize Control Center appearance to include Business logo and Helpdesk references.
  • Customize the in-product "Request Support" option to route users to Helpdesk.
  • Use a local update server to manage Parallels Desktop updates and upgrades.
  • Change Windows user account password using Command Line Tools (if a user lost a password).
  • Set custom Asset ID for Windows virtual machines to mark virtual machines in management tools or to pass some information from Mac to Windows.
  • Control Parallels Desktop upgrades using the Parallels My Account web app.

Security

  • Set a custom (non-Mac-admin) password to protect VM settings.
  • Restrict Parallels Desktop users from changing VM settings, and view modes.
  • Restrict Parallels Desktop users from creating, removing, cloning, and other operations over virtual machines.
  • Create expiring virtual machines with a specified lifetime.
  • Enforce USB device policies, so the users won't be able to connect specific types of devices to Windows or another VM.
  • Lock Windows before suspending a virtual machine to protect information.

Support

  • Get Premium 24/7/365 phone and email support.
  • Share support tickets with other Business account members.
  • Escalate tickets to the Parallels Support Management team.

Compare Editions

Standard Edition
Download and install Windows 10 in one click
Optimized for macOS Big Sur (11.0)
Disk Space Optimization
Auto Video Memory
Free upgrade to the latest version *
Customize Touch Bar for Windows applications

* with Subscription

Buy NowUpgrade
Upgrade $49.99
Most Popular
Pro Edition
All the Standard Edition features PLUS:
Advanced networking tools
Free upgrades to newer versions
Integration With Chef/Ohai/Docker/Vagrant
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer or deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer
Rename custom networks
Microsoft Visual Studio plug-In
Debug, dump VM or start an SSH session from menu
Support for business cloud services
Premium 24/7 phone and email support
Buy NowUpgrade
Upgrade $49.99/yr
Business Edition
All the Standard and Pro Edition features PLUS:
Centralized administration and management
Unified Volume License Key for mass deployment
Buy Now
Are you a student? Save with Student Edition (Valid student verification required)

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Frequently Asked Questions

System Requirements

Operating System

macOS Big Sur 11.0, macOS Catalina 10.15, macOS Mojave 10.14, or macOS High Sierra 10.13

Processor

Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processor

Storage

500 MB for Parallels Desktop application installation

Graphics

Intel, AMD Radeon, or NVIDIA

Memory

4GB of RAM

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