Bonus with Subscription!
Parallels Toolbox
More than 40 one-touch tools—clean your drive, take screenshots, download a video, and more—all with one click.
VirtualBox vs.
Parallels Desktop for Mac
Why Parallels® Desktop is the best VM for M1 and M2?
- Install Windows and Linux on your Intel or Apple M-series Mac
- Optimized for Windows 11 and macOS Ventura
- 24/7 support with easy Installation Assistance
- Over 20% faster virtual machine (VM) startup performance
- DirectX 11 Support
| Features | VirtualBox | Parallels Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Run multiple operating systems (OSes) | Intel only | Intel and Apple M-series chips |
| Test software in an isolated environment | ||
| Create a VM that will run Windows | ||
| Set up and configure a VM | ||
| Save the state of the VM | ||
| Install guest OS drivers automatically | ||
| Shared profile and applications | ||
| Installation Assistant | ||
| Download and install Windows 11 in one click | ||
| Out-of-the box support for Retina displays | ||
| Use a virtual TPM chip | ||
| Technical support |
Trusted by More Than 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
Fast, Powerful and Easy
Run thousands of Windows apps like Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Access, Quicken, QuickBooks, Visual Studio, even graphic intensive games and CAD programs without compromising on performance or rebooting.
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.
BONUS!
Included with your Parallels Desktop subscription:
Parallels® Toolbox + Parallels® Access
Bonus with Subscription!
Parallels Access
Remote access to your Mac from any iOS device, Android device, or browser with Parallels Access.
Compare Parallels Desktop Editions
| Standard Edition | |
| Optimized for macOS Ventura | |
| Download and Install Windows 11* in one click | |
| Seamless Mac integration | |
| New! Use game controller in Windows with no setup | |
| Disk Space Optimization | |
| Free upgrade to the latest version | Subscription only |
| Virtual RAM for each VM | 8GB vRAM |
| Virtual CPUs for each VM** | 4 vCPUs |
| Premium 24/7 phone and email support | Subscription only |
| Buy From £89.99 Upgrade £54.99 | |
| Most Popular | |
| Pro Edition All the Standard Edition features PLUS: |
|
| New! Manage macOS VM via CLI (on Apple M-series Mac) | |
| Visual Studio plug-In for remote debugging and profiling | |
| Advanced virtual networking tools | |
| Free upgrades to newer versions | |
| Automate with CLI tools | |
| New! Automate with CLI tools + CLI for macOS VM on Apple M-series Mac | |
| Integrations With Vagrant/Docker/Packer/Minikube | |
| Debug, dump VM or start an SSH session from menu | |
| Manage more VMs: templates, colors, sorting | |
| Virtual RAM for each VM | 128GB vRAM |
| Virtual CPUs for each VM** | 32 vCPUs |
| Premium 24/7 phone and email support | |
| Buy £99.99 /yrUpgrade £54.99 | |
| Business Edition All the Standard and Pro Edition features PLUS: |
|
| Enable employees to download a preconfigured Windows to their Mac | |
| New! Per user licensing option for companies that are ready to use SSO/SAML/SCIM integration | |
| Centralized administration and management | |
| Unified Volume License Key for mass deployment | |
| Buy £119.99 /yr | |
* Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise
** Up to 18 CPU on Apple with M-series chips
Are you a student? Save with Student Edition (Valid student verification required)
Frequently Asked Questions
New users will download and install Parallels Desktop 18.2 which simplifies the out-of-the-box experience to install compatible versions of Windows 11.
Existing Parallels Desktop users can continue to use Windows without making changes to their current setup on these devices. However, Parallels recommends updating your Windows 11 version to the officially compatible Pro or Enterprise editions.
If Windows is not activated, users will be prompted to do so via a Windows dialog. For new users of Parallels Desktop who want to install Windows, the latest Parallels Desktop build will install Windows Pro Edition, excluding the ability to select other editions such as Home or Enterprise.
If a user runs Parallels Desktop 17 or a later version, they can continue to use Parallels Desktop with Apple M-series Mac.
Microsoft has confirmed that Parallels Desktop for Mac used with Arm versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions is an officially compatible solution for customers on Apple M-series based Mac computers.
All Parallels Desktop SKUs (Standard, Pro, Business) is supported for users to run compatible Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise with Apple M-series Mac.
Users will be able to bring their own Windows 11 license keys if they have a key that can be used to activate Windows.
Existing Parallels Desktop users can continue to use Windows without making changes to their current setup on these devices. However, Parallels recommends updating your Windows 11 version to the officially compatible Pro or Enterprise editions.
To learn more about any limitations running Windows 11 on Parallels Desktop, please visit https://kb.parallels.com/129497
Unlike VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop is easy to use and seamlessly lets you run Windows and Linux. There’s no experience required. It's much easier to install and configure Windows—plus, Parallels Desktop supports Retina displays. You don’t need to know what settings are required. Beginners can run Windows applications side by side without rebooting and quickly move files between operating systems. Graphic and resource-hungry Windows applications run effortlessly without slowing down your Mac.
System Requirements
Operating System
macOS Ventura 13.2 or newer
macOS Monterey 12.6 or newer
macOS Big Sur 11.7 or newer
macOS Catalina 10.15.7 or newer
macOS Mojave 10.14.6 or newer
Processor
Apple M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2, M1 Ultra, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 chips
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 M2, M1 Ultra, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 chips
Intel, AMD Radeon, or NVIDIA graphics cards
Memory
4GB of RAM