What's New in Parallels Desktop 17

What's new in

Parallels® Desktop 18

Packed with over 20 powerful must-have features (optimized for macOS Ventura, Intel and Apple M series chips) and has everything you need to boost performance.

  • Easy to Set Up – Download, install, and configure Windows 11 in one click.
  • Optimized for the latest Apple Hardware - Improved compatibility with Apple’s ProMotion technology delivers optimized synchronization between Mac and Windows.
  • Enhanced Gaming Experience - Automatically use your Xbox or DualShock Bluetooth controller for the ultimate gaming experience.

Next Generation

Optimized for Windows 11 and macOS Ventura, Parallels Desktop continues to stay up to date so you can keep working without interruption—even when a new macOS, Windows, or Linux release pops up.

Work Smarter

Work Smarter

Run classic Intel-based (x86) Windows apps on your M series Mac. With more than 200,000 Windows-only apps supported, we have you covered.

Support for macOS Ventura

Support for macOS Ventura

Parallels Desktop supports mac OS Ventura (when released), macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur 11, macOS Catalina 10.15, and macOS Mojave 10.14.

Enhanced Gaming Experience

Parallels Desktop 18 automatically connects your Xbox or PlayStation DualShock Bluetooth game controllers to Windows and Linux. Simply connect a controller to your Mac, switch to Windows, and start playing.

Simplified Sharing Options

Customize file sharing between Mac and Windows. Easily select the local or cloud folders you wish to share from MacOS and Windows and vice-versa.

Better Disk Space Control

Remain better informed of your Mac resources and memory. Disk space used by Snapshots is now calculated in the updated Free Up Disk Space assistant.

Boot macOS Ventura VM to Recovery

macOS Ventura VM on M-based Mac can now boot into Recovery Mode for disabling System Integrity Protection.

Optimized for the latest Apple computers

The newest version improves compatibility with Apple's ProMotion display and unleashes the performance of the Apple M Series chips.

  • Windows will now adopt display refresh rate changes automatically if it has been changed in macOS Preferences.
  • On Mac Studio with Apple M1 Ultra chip, assign more RAM and CPU cores to Windows and get up to 96% faster Windows 11 performance on your Mac.*

Enhanced USB 3.0 Support

Improved support for USB 3.1 is designed to work with live data streaming devices, such as webcams, game capture devices, and a range of other video and audio streaming devices, including Elgato HD60 S, SOCT Copernicus REVO, and more.

Network Configuration Protection

The new version adds basic network connectivity protection, so that users don’t break it unintentionally.

New Pro and Business Edition Features

Network Conditioner on Apple M series Mac Computers

We're bringing the capability that enables users to configure various network conditions for the virtual machine (bandwidth, packet loss, delay) to Mac computers with the Apple M Series chip!

The feature is available for both Windows and Linux virtual machines.

Remote profiling using Visual Studio

Easily analyze your application performance in a separate VM using Visual Studio. Extend the Visual Studio (VS) plugin VMDebugHelper with functionality that enables C++ developers to profile their applications on side VMs by selecting respective VMs in the VS UI menu.

Single Sign-on/SAML authentication for employees to use Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop uses an activation key and the license is managed by devices. It doesn't work for companies that enable applications for users using SAML and SCIM. Activation with a license key or invitation email is not convenient for these companies.

Standard Edition

Installation

  • Use Sign in with Apple for Parallels account registration and sign-in.
  • Download and install Windows 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 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 8 GB of RAM for a virtual machine and even more in Pro and Business Edition.
  • 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 (or newer) virtual machine with Apple Metal support (on macOS Big Sur or newer host).*
  • Use up to half of Windows RAM for video memory.
  • Toggle high-performance graphics usage (discrete graphics card) on Intel-based Mac.

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 a game controller connected to your Mac via Bluetooth in Windows.
  • 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 high-precision 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.
  • Use Safari autofill for Parallels account credentials saved to Mac Keychain.

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 assistive 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 40 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 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.
  • Isolate your virtual machine network from Mac.

Develop

  • Use Microsoft Visual Studio plugin to debug and measure performance 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.
  • Run Docker VMs using Docker Machine Provider for Parallels Desktop.
  • 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 assistive support.

Business Edition

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

Licensing and Support

  • Use Parallels My Account web portal 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 or enable employees to sign in and activate Parallels Desktop with a corporate account via SSO/SAML authentication.
  • 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 Jamf, InTune, Kandji, Mosyle, Munki, and other Mac Management tools.
  • Send invitation emails to users, with a build, a license key, and other instructions using Parallels My Account portal.
  • Prepare, upload, and enable Business users to download the VM on their Mac computers in one click.
  • Select Windows applications to automatically add to the Mac Dock after deployment using Parallels mass deployment package.
  • Enable Single Application Mode to hide Parallels Desktop UI and notifications and to show specified Windows applications 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 portal.
  • Control Parallels Customer Experience program participation using the Parallels My Account web portal.

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, email, and chat assistive support.
  • Share support tickets with other Business account members.
  • Escalate tickets to the Parallels Support Management team.

Compare Editions

Standard Edition
Optimized for macOS Ventura (when released)
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
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
Upgrade £54.99/yr
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

* Up to 62GB of RAM and 18 CPU on Apple with M series chips

Are you a student? Save with Student Edition (Valid student verification required)
1 When upgrading from PD16 or earlier version.
2 Requires a Mac running macOS 12 Monterey or newer.
Features that are only available on Mac computers with Intel processors are marked with an asterisk (*).

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