Use Windows side by side with macOS ® (no restarting required) on your MacBook ®, MacBook Pro ®, iMac ®, iMac Pro ®, Mac mini ®, or Mac Pro ®.Share files and folders, copy and paste images and text and drag and drop files between Mac and Windows applications. Parallels Desktop 13 runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine alongside your Mac apps. It's a good option for those who still rely on certain Windows apps for their business, or gamers who can't live without a favorite Windows game. By Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition. Mac Download. $99.99 $ 99 99. Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac No Operating System. By Parallels Software. Mac Key Card. $17.00 $ 17 00 $63.11 Prime. FREE Shipping on eligible orders. No Operating System. $42.88 $ 42 88. FREE Shipping on eligible orders. Only 5 left in stock - order soon. Parallels PD14-RL1-1Y-OEM-OWC-NA Desktop 14 for Mac - The #1 choice of Mac users to run Windows on Mac! Run Windows and Mac apps side-by-side with no rebooting. Optimized for Windows 10 & macOS Mojave. 1 Year License, Digital Download. Parallels Desktop for Mac Feature Suggestions Share your suggested feature requests for Parallels Desktop for Mac in this forum. Vote for the ideas you love and share the new ones!
Effectiveness
5 out of 5 Responsive integrated Windows experience
ease of use
5 out of 5 Runs like a Mac app (absolutely intuitive)
support
4.5 out of 5 Multiple ways to contact support Quick Summary
Parallels Desktop lets you run Windows apps on your Mac. That can be very handy if you rely on certain Windows apps for your business, or have switched to Mac and can’t find alternatives for everything you need.
Is it worth it? If you have Mac apps for everything you need you won’t need Parallels, and if you need just a few non-critical Windows apps a free alternative may meet your needs. But if you rely on Windows apps to get your work done, you’ll need the premium Windows performance that Parallels Desktop provides.
What I Like
Parallels Desktop for Mac
macOS, $79.99+
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// Why Should You Trust Me?
// What Is Parallels Desktop for Mac? // Parallels Desktop for Mac: What's in it For You? // Reasons Behind My Reviews and Ratings // Alternatives to Parallels Desktop // Conclusion Why Should You Trust Me?My name is Adrian Try. After using Microsoft Windows for over a decade, I made a deliberate move away from the operating system in 2003. I enjoyed the change, but still needed certain Windows apps on a regular basis. So I found myself using a combination of dual boot, virtualization (using VMware and VirtualBox) and Wine. See the Alternatives section of this review.
I hadn’t tried Parallels Desktop before. I was provided a review license, and installed version 12 on my macOS Sierra-based iMac. For the last week I’ve been putting it through its paces, installing Windows 10 (purchased just for this review) and several other operating systems, and trying just about every feature in the program.
Version 13 was released last night, so I immediately upgraded. This review reflects my use of both Parallels Desktop 12 and 13, and all of the screenshots are from version 13. Third-party reviews that I reference are all of version 12.
In this review I’ll share what I like and dislike about Parallels Desktop. The content in the quick summary box above serves as a short version of my findings and conclusions. Read on for the details!
What Is Parallels Desktop for Mac?
Parallels Desktop allows you to run Windows apps on your Mac. It does this by allowing you to install Windows on a virtual machine — a computer emulated in software. Your virtual computer is assigned a portion of the RAM, processor and disk space of your real computer, so it will be slower and have less resources.
Other operating systems will also run on Parallels Desktop, including Linux, Android and macOS — even older versions of macOS and OS X (El Capitan or earlier).
What’s New in Parallels Desktop 13?
Parallels has added a number of new features to version 13. According to the release notes from Parallels, those include speed improvements, making GIFs, presentation mode, Picture-in-Picture, Retina display enhancements, etc. Watch this 3-minute video for more.
Is Parallels Desktop Safe?
Yes, it is. I ran and installed the app on my macOS Sierra based iMac and scanned it for viruses. Parallels Desktop 13 doesn’t contain any virus or malicious processes.
Be aware that when you install Windows in Parallels, you become vulnerable to Windows viruses (on the virtual machine and the files it can access), so make sure you protect yourself. A trial version of Kaspersky Internet Security is included, or install your security software of choice.
During my use of the app, my mouse froze once when switching between Windows and Mac. This required a reboot to fix. Your mileage may vary.
Is Parallels Desktop Free?
No, it isn’t freeware though a full-featured 14-day trial is available. There are three versions of the app to consider:
How to Install Parallels Desktop for Mac
Here is an overview of the full process of getting the app up and running:
Parallels Desktop for Mac: What’s in it For You?Since Parallels Desktop is all about running Windows apps (and more) on your Mac, I’m going to list all its features by putting them into the following five sections. In each subsection, I’ll first explore what the app offers and then share my personal take. 1. Turn Your Mac Into Several Computers with Virtualization
Parallels Desktop is virtualization software — it emulates a new computer in software. On that virtual computer you can run any operating system you like, including Windows, and any software that runs on that operating system. That’s very convenient if you need non-Mac software.
A virtual machine will run slower than your real computer, but Parallels has worked hard to optimize performance. Trusted Reviews ran some benchmark tests and were impressed: “Performance is excellent, with Windows feeling responsive and snappy. I ran GeekBench 3 on both Mac and the Windows virtual machine and got similar scores: Mac OS scored 5,833 in the multi-core test, and the Windows virtual machine scored 5,057.”
But why run a slower virtual machine when you can install Windows on your actual computer using Bootcamp? Because having to restart your machine to change operating systems is slow, inconvenient, and incredibly frustrating. Virtualization is an excellent alternative.
GeekWire’s Daniel Rasmus agrees. “Parallels virtual machines can run almost any operating system, even those that are no longer supported (as long as you have a CD and license key)… Parallels works closely with Apple, Microsoft and the open source community to ensure that Parallels Desktop will not only run their operating systems, but that they run relatively fast in a very stable environment.”
My personal take: Virtualization technology provides a convenient way of accessing non-Mac software while using macOS. If you need regular access to Windows apps, Parallel’s implementation is superb.
2. Run Windows on Your Mac Without Rebooting
You may need to run Windows on your Mac for a variety of reasons. Here are some examples:
Parallels provides the virtual machine, you need to supply Microsoft Windows. There are three options:
Transferring a previously-installed version of Windows is the least-recommended option, as it can lead to
licensing issues or driver problems. David Ludlow from Trusted Reviews explains:
“But there are caveats. Foremost, is that Windows’ licensing prevents you from moving an OEM version of an OS to a new computer, even to a virtual machine. In other words, you can only transfer an old PC if you bought a retail version of Windows.”
“Secondly, Windows 10 doesn’t particularly like being moved, and Windows apps won’t necessarily run. I got a warning when trying to run some apps, such as Edge, telling me that they ‘can’t be opened using the Built-in Administrator account’.”
In my case, I purchased a shrink-wrapped version of Windows 10 Home (with USB an enclosed USB stick) from a store. The price was the same as downloading from Microsoft: $179 Aussie dollars.
I started up Parallels Desktop 13, inserted my USB stick, and Windows was installed without fuss.
Once installed, Windows feels snappy and responsive. Moving from Windows to Mac and back again is fast and seamless. I’ll explain how that’s done in the next section.
My personal take: For those needing access to Windows while using macOS, Parallels Desktop is a godsend. They have obviously worked hard to optimize their software for Windows, as it is incredibly responsive.
3. Switch Conveniently between Mac and Windows
How easy is switching between Mac and Windows using Parallels Desktop? You don’t even notice it. By default it runs inside a window like this.
When my mouse is outside of that window, it is the black Mac mouse cursor. Once it moves inside the window, it becomes the white Windows mouse cursor automatically and instantly.
For some uses that can feel a little cramped. Pressing the green Maximize button will make Windows run full screen. The screen resolution adjusts automatically. You can switch to and from Windows using a four-finger swipe.
Very fast, very easy, very intuitive. Switching between Mac and Windows couldn’t be easier. Here’s another bonus. For convenience, I found myself leaving Windows open even when I wasn’t using it. When not in use, Parallels pauses the virtual machine to reduce the load on your computer.
Once your mouse enters the Windows environment again, Windows is up and running again within about three seconds.
My personal take: Whether running Windows full-screen or in a window, switching to it is simple and seamless. It’s no harder than switching to a native Mac app.
4. Use Windows Apps alongside Mac Apps
When I first moved away from Windows, I found myself still relying on a few key apps. You might be the same:
It’s surprising how reliant businesses can become on out-of-date software that is no longer updated or supported. Daniel Rasmus from GeekWire explains:
“People working outside of large corporations may be surprised by how much of the world continues to run on old software — some supported, some not. If a financial application relies on an old Windows NT or other legacy framework that doesn’t run on Windows 10, let alone on macOS, the choice comes down to investing in new software and the associated implementation costs, or keeping old hardware in play, or using a virtualization solution.”
Parallels Desktop provides a Coherence Mode which lets you work with Windows apps without dealing with the Windows interface. David Ludlow sums it up: “Coherence turns your Windows apps into Mac ones.”
Coherence Mode hides the Windows interface altogether. You launch the Start Menu by clicking the Windows 10 icon on your dock.
You can search for and run the Windows Paint program from Spotlight.
Paint runs right on your Mac desktop, no Windows in sight.
And the Mac’s right-click Open With menu even lists Windows apps.
My personal take: Parallels Desktop allows you to use Windows apps almost as if they were Mac apps. You can start the from your Mac’s Dock, Spotlight, or a context menu.
5. Run Other Operating Systems on Your Mac
The convenience of Parallels Desktop doesn’t stop with Windows. You can run a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Android and macOS. Why would someone want to do that? Here are some examples:
Parallels Desktop For Mac Student
You can install macOS from your recovery partition or a disk image. You can also install older versions of OS X if you still have the installation DVDs or disk images. I chose to install macOS from my recovery partition.
I found macOS significantly less responsive than Windows — I assume Parallel’s main priority is Windows performance. It was definitely usable, though.
Installing Linux is similar. You can either choose to have Parallels Desktop download a number of Linux distros (including Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Debian and Linux Mint), or install from a disk image.
Like macOS, Linux seems less responsive than Windows. Once you have a few operating systems installed, the Parallels Desktop Control Panel is a handy way to start and stop them.
My personal take: Parallels Desktop can run macOS or Linux on a virtual machine, though not with the same speed as Windows, or with as many integration features. But the software is stable and usable all the same.
Reasons Behind My Reviews and RatingsEffectiveness: 5/5
Parallels Desktop does exactly what it promises: it runs Windows apps alongside my Mac apps. Running Windows in a virtual machine was convenient and responsive, and allowed me to access Windows apps that I rely on. Windows paused when not in use, so unnecessary resources were not being wasted.
Price: 4.5/5
Although there are free virtualization options, $79.95 is a reasonable price to pay for the amount of work Parallels have put into optimizing performance and integration. The $39.95 option should be affordable to most students.
Ease of Use: 5/5
I found launching Windows and switching between Mac and Windows absolutely intuitive. The integrated approach of displaying Windows software in Spotlight searches, context menus and the Dock is brilliant.
Support: 4.5/5
Free support is available via Twitter, chat, Skype, phone (Click-to-Call) and email for the first 30 days after registering. Email support is available for up to two years from the product release date, though you can purchase phone support when required for $19.95. A comprehensive knowledge base, FAQ, Getting Started guide and User’s Guide are available.
Alternatives to Parallels DesktopParallels Desktop For Mac
VMware Fusion 8.5: VMware Fusion ($79.99) is Parallel Desktop’s closest competitor, and is a little slower and more technical. A major upgrade is about to be released.
Veertu Desktop: Veertu (free, $39.95 for premium) is a lightweight alternative. It’s almost as quick as Parallels, but has fewer features.
VirtualBox: VirtualBox is Oracle’s free and open source alternative. Not as polished or responsive as Parallels Desktop, it’s a good alternative when performance is not at a premium.
Parallels Desktop Review
Boot Camp: Boot Camp comes installed with macOS, and allows you to run Windows alongside macOS in a dual-boot setup — to switch you need to restart your computer. That’s less convenient, but has performance benefits.
Wine: Wine is a way of running Windows apps on your Mac without needing Windows at all. It can’t run all Windows apps, and many require significant configuration. It’s a free (open source) solution that just might work for you.
CrossOver Mac: CodeWeavers CrossOver ($59.95) is a commercial version of Wine that is easier to use and configure.
Conclusion
Parallels Desktop runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine alongside your Mac apps. It’s a good option for those who still rely on certain Windows apps for their business, or gamers who can’t live without a favorite Windows game. It’s also a great solution for developers who need to test their apps or websites on other platforms.
If you’ve found native Mac apps that meet all of your needs, you don’t need Parallels Desktop. If you need to run just a handful of non-critical Windows apps, one of the free virtualization alternatives may be all you need. But if you’re looking for best performance, Parallels Desktop is your best option. I highly recommend it.
ScreenshotsParallels Desktop Free DownloadDescription
Parallels Desktop Lite allows users to easily run Window, Linux, and popular applications on your Mac.
Avoid rebooting your Mac to switch between operating systems or when switching between Mac, Windows, or Linux applications. Note: Existing Parallels Desktop® for Mac users are not recommended to move to Parallels Desktop Lite. Run Internet Explorer®, Quicken®, QuickBooks, and hundreds of other Windows and Linux applications side by side with macOS apps like Pages® and Keynote®. Brought to you by the world-class developers of the #1-rated Mac virtualization software. ### Pricing: Running virtual machines requires an in-app purchase of an auto-renewable subscription (1 year). You can cancel at any time. There is a fully functional 14-day trial, so you can test Parallels Desktop Lite (including installation and use of Windows) before you commit. Note: Microsoft Windows is not included and must be purchased separately. With Parallels Desktop Lite, you can run the following operating systems in a virtual machine on your Mac: • Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista®, and XP • macOS Mojave 1014, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Sierra 10.12, OS X El Capitan 10.11, OS X Yosemite 10.10, OS X Mavericks 10.9, OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, and OS X Lion 10.7.x • Most Linux distributions System Requirements: • Late 2011 or newer Mac • macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 or later • 4 GB of memory (8 GB recommended) • 450 MB of disk space on the boot volume (Macintosh HD) for Parallels Desktop installation • SSD is recommended for best performance • Additional disk space for virtual machines (varies on operating system installed) Seamless integration features between Mac and Windows, including productivity boosters built in. These features include, but are not limited to, the following: • Copy/paste formatted text between macOS, Windows, and Linux • Drag and drop files between macOS, Windows, and Linux • Share Mac folders with Windows—including Desktop, Documents, and Downloads—without duplication and saving precious disk space on your Mac • Resize window to get desired Windows or Linux resolution • 3D graphics acceleration up to DirectX® 10.1 • Use Mac printers in Windows • Mouse synchronization enables the mouse to move seamlessly between the macOS, Windows, and Linux We want you to be completely satisfied with Parallels Desktop Lite. If you have any feedback, problems or concerns, please contact us at https://www.parallels.com/products/lite/support/ --- LEGAL --- Duration and price of each subscription are displayed in the Parallels’ storefront, updated at the time of purchase. Payment will be charged to iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off no later than 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal can be managed/turned off in the iTunes account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.parallels.com/about/legal/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.parallels.com/about/legal/terms/ What’s New
This update for Parallels Desktop Lite 1.4.0 addresses overall stability and performance issues, and includes the following fixes and improvements:
Performance • Up to 80 percent faster application launch. • Up to 30 percent faster suspend operation on APFS partition. • Up to 130 percent more frames per second in Shared Camera. Linux support • Install Ubuntu 18.04, Fedora 28, and Linux Mint 19 in virtual machines right from Parallels Desktop. • Support for mmap() in Linux Shared Folders. • New pre-configured virtual machines with Debian GNU/Linux 9 and CentOS 7. • Resolves an issue with Parallels Tools not installing in openSUSE Leap 15 and Ubuntu Linux. • Resolves an issue with Parallels Tools not working in Linux virtual machines with X Server 1.20. • Resolves an issue with Ubuntu 18.04 virtual machines periodically crashing or locking up. • Resolves an issue with Ubuntu 18.10 virtual machines not installing. • Resolves an issue with not being able to mount the same shared folder twice in a Linux virtual machine. Graphics • The new “Auto” mode for graphics allows Windows to use more than 2 GB of Mac system memory for graphics, while allowing Windows applications to use it when possible. • Support for OpenGL 3.x in Windows virtual machines. • Improved the way a virtual machine is displayed on 4K+ monitors: • reduced the system and graphics memory consumption; • increased performance when 3D acceleration is turned off. • Improved the way a virtual machine is displayed on multiple monitors when the macOS “Displays have separate Spaces” option is turned off. Ready for macOS 10.14 Mojave • Parallels Desktop Lite supports Dark Mode. • Use the virtual machine’s Edit menu to insert pictures from your iPhone or iPad into Windows applications. • Quick Look in Windows has the same functionality as that in macOS. • Parallels Desktop Lite uses the Mojave technology to take screenshots. Integration with Mac • Use your Mac’s camera that supports up to 4K resolutions in a virtual machine • Use the Touch Bar to work with more Windows applications. • The size of the virtual machine hard disk (.hdd file) is optimized by means of native Windows defragmentation. Security • Backing up a virtual machine with Time Machine has been simplified. Now if you want to add a virtual machine to the backup list or exclude it from this list, just do what you need in the Time Machine preferences. • Backing up a virtual machine with Acronis True Image has been improved. Usability • Easier way to get help from Parallels - click Help > Support Center to access the webpage where you can find the most popular knowledgeable articles, links to the Parallels forums, social media and technical documentation, get personalized support and much more. • The “Free Up Disk Space” dialog has been redesigned and simplified. Now you can use it to reduce the amount of disk space occupied by all your virtual machines. • A paused virtual machine resumes automatically when you drag a file to its window. • As most of Windows customers have switched from Windows 8 to Windows 10, the “Enable swipe from edges” option is disabled by default in order not to confuse users. • Windows Maintenance feature has been improved. • For new virtual machines, the SmartGuard backup functionality now keeps 3 snapshots by default (not to occupy additional disk space). • The Resource Monitor has been redesigned. Use it to check how much CPU and memory is consumed by your Mac and all virtual machines. • Monitor the virtual machine CPU usage in the virtual machine status bar. • When you click a macOS notification that a technical data report has been sent, the report ID is automatically copied to the clipboard. Support for keyboard layouts • Improved support for the German keyboard layout. • Improved support for the Japanese keyboard layout. • Added support for the Brazilian Portuguese keyboard layout.
633 Ratings
Why is windows vm usage a paid service ?
Why should I choose to pay for Parallels Desktop Lite to use Windows VMs when I can do it for free using VirtualBox developed by Oracle ? Before downloading your app from App Store, I missed the line in the description which said Windows VMs need a paid subscription. If I didn't, I would never download it. and when I realized the payment requirement after the trial period, I quit your app immediately without trying. I had checked the differences between Lite and Standart Version before downloading the Lite from App Store. And it had made sense why Lite is free and Standart is not. Standart has great features that I might consider paying for but Lite has no advantage over VirtualBox. If I remember correctly, you didn't have a Lite version at the beginning. and seeing this Lite version made me think that you wanted to gain popularity among the users who choose to use free Virtualbox and don't try the Standart version. I am a developer and I can use Vagrant free version with VirtualBox but Vagrant is not free for Parallels. This also adds to the cost of Parallels Lite. As a summary, I may consider paying for Parallels Standart because of great features but will never pay for the Lite when its equivalent software is free.
Support Fantastic! Works wonderfully now in High Sierra 13.4!
I am now at peace with Parallels! Michael the Support person from Parallels fixed my Windows 10 and Parallels so that all of my RAM problems have been solved. Now with Parallels, Windows 10 Pro and High Sierra 13.4 running at the same tme I have over 8 GIGs available out of the 16GIGs installed. When Windows is suspended with Parallels still open I have nearly 11 GIGs free. Boot Camp no longer necessary.
The drive problems were solved after the drive was reformatted. Please ignore my previous carping about Parallels, the app works great now and I will say it one last time I fouind the support team to excellent! Very savvy, patient, listens attentively, solves problems quickly. 3 Cheers for my Parallels! Developer Response,
Hello TheBear, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Could you please drop us an email at [email protected] so our Tier 2 support could follow up with you directly to look into the issue with 10.13.4? Sincerely, Parallels
Parallels Desktop For Mac FreeUnexpected change in capabilities
The free version used to support Linux. Parallels has opted to change this to a subscription based feature in an update. I would be okay with this if the new version was a separate app (i.e. existing users could keep using the old version, without any new features). Instead, auto-update kicked in, I find myself in front of a screen demanding a login (not previously required) when I'm trying to get unversity work done on a time crunch, and I find out that the software wants to charge me going forward after a trial period. Again, my biggest issue with this is the update to an existing app--most other apps that have gone to a subscription model have a separate app store listing for their new version to avoid this problem, or permanently grandfather in old users to certain feature sets. If parallels communicated this change at some point, they did not do so in the app any time I've been using it the last few months, and I must say I'm very disappointed.
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