Parallels Desktop is one of the oldest and most popular applications for virtualization on macOS. There are quite a few options out there for Mac users who want to run other operating systems on their Apple devices, but none are quite as intuitive and novice-friendly as Parallels.

This app allows you to Run Windows, various flavors of Linux, ChromeOS, Android, and many other operating systems in virtual machines, and it makes setting up and configuring these VMs incredibly straightforward. Much of the process is automated, and the virtualized OSes integrate well with macOS.

It really is that simple. Compared to alternatives like VirtualBox or VMware, it is much easier to create a virtual machine and install an OS. For instance, if you want a Windows 11 VM, the startup wizard guides you through the entire process. It only takes a few clicks and absolutely no technical knowledge.

If you skip the initial Win10 wizard, Parallels still has an installation assistant that can help you set up Windows, Linux, and many other operating systems. The Windows 10 Test and Development environments are available for free, as are numerous Linux flavors and Android, and you can even install macOS from the recovery partition or convert a Boot Camp installation to a VM.

Aside from installing Windows via Boot Camp, which isn't likely to be supported on Apple Silicon, Parallels offers possibly the most seamless experience when running another operating system on your Mac.

MacBook Pro users can add Windows apps to the Touch Bar, Office integration lets documents in Safari open in their native Windows apps, and full support is available for Retina displays for the best visual experience.

Sharing files between your Mac and Windows VM could not be easier, as files on the desktop are instantly accessible from either OS, no matter where they were created.

If you want to take things one step further, just enable Coherence Mode. Once it is active, all applications in your Windows VM will appear in separate windows directly on your Mac's desktop, almost as if they were running natively on macOS.

Of course, Parallels Desktop is available in multiple editions, with the Pro and Business variants geared towards professionals and enterprises respectively. While the Standard edition includes most features, it limits the amount of RAM and virtual CPUs you can use for each VM and lacks some advanced deployment and management tools.

These include integration with Docker, Vagrant, and Microsoft Visual Studio, among others, VM transferring and deployment capabilities, debugging tools, and centralized administration and management.

Whether you're just starting out or you have a lot of experience with running VMs, nothing can beat the streamlined experience you get with Parallels, and it doesn't lose out to its competitors when it comes to the number of available features either.

With Boot Camp seemingly doomed on Apple Silicon, Parallels will likely be one of the few virtualization options available for M1 Mac users.

What's New:

Version 20.3.0:

General:

• Fixes the issue that led to the reset of a virtual machine’s suspended state when upgrading to Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.2.0 or newer.
• Fixes the issue that led to an active Parallels Desktop license being shown as expired.
• Fixes the issue that prevented macOS 15 users from authenticating the installation of Parallels Desktop with Touch ID.
• Fixes the issue that required double authentication (TouchID and password) to change the settings of a protected virtual machine.
• Adds support for SSE 4.2 instruction set in x86-64 emulation mode, required by many modern operating systems.
• Adds Event Emitter functionality to the Parallels Desktop command-line utility (prlctl monitor-events) that continues to stream virtual machine events that an external recipient can listen to instead of querying for changes. Available in Pro, Business, and Enterprise editions.

Windows:

• Introduces support for automated pasting of dictated text from Nuance Dragon Medical One into macOS apps, enabling smooth workflow on a Mac for healthcare professionals.
• Fixes the issue that resulted in a “There is no operating system installed in this virtual machine” error message when attempting to install Windows 11 using the Installation Assistant.
• Adds support for using macOS OBS virtual camera as an input inside apps running in your Windows virtual machines.
• Fixes the issue of incorrect anchor link processing when a Windows 11 machine is set to open web links in the host macOS’s browser.
• Fixes the issue that prevented a shared webcam from reconnecting to a Windows 11 virtual machine after unplugging and plugging it back in.
• Fixes various graphic interface glitches manifesting themselves in Coherence mode.
• Fixes the mouse pointer behavior issue in Nedgraphics Easy Coloring Premium running in a Windows machine on an Apple silicon Mac.
• Fixes the issue that forced Windows 11 to suspend when launching Tower! Simulator 3.
• Fixes the issue that prevented dragging files from macOS Finder to Outlook running in a Windows virtual machine.

Linux:

• Fixes Ubuntu 24.04 installation issues.
• Fixes the issue that caused Linux virtual machines to freeze after the installation of Parallels Tools for Linux and the subsequent reboot.
• Fixes the issue that caused the installation of Parallels Tools for Linux to fail on Fedora 40, 41 x64, CentOS 9, and 10x64.
• Fixes various openSUSE Leap 15.6 installation issues.
• Fixes drag’n’drop issues in CentOS 9 and Ubuntu virtual machines.
• Fixes several issues that severely affected the installation and running of Linux virtual machines with modern distros in x86-64 emulation mode.
• Fixes the issue that prevented reverting to a previously created snapshot of an x86-64 Linux virtual machine on an Apple silicon Mac.
  macOS (as a virtual machine):
• Improves the Shared network mode for macOS virtual machines running on Apple silicon Macs, enabling them to remain on the same VPN connection as your Mac’s own macOS system.
• Enables support for USB passthrough on Macs running macOS Sequoia 15 and newer, allowing you to connect USB devices to a macOS virtual machine. Please note that this feature does not support connecting iPhone devices via USB.
• Fixes the issue that made deleting a snapshot of a macOS virtual machine take longer than usual.
• Fixes the issue that caused Figma to show a white or grey screen when launched in a macOS virtual machine.
• Fixes the issue that prevented users from reverting to a snapshot after a change in the virtual machine’s configuration.
• Fixes the issue that prevented the creation of new macOS virtual machines from Apple’s installation images on Intel Macs running macOS Monterey 12.

Parallels Desktop 20.3.0 for Mac Business & Enterprise Edition:

• Enables administrators to use configuration profiles to limit users to an SSO-only activation experience that cannot be bypassed.
• Fixes the issue that prevented direct Sharepoint & OneDrive links from being used for Golden Image files.
• Fixes the issue that prevented macOS virtual machines from correctly installing from Golden Images.
• Adds a Parallels Desktop activation profile (license key or SSO options) to Jamf’s repository of profiles.

Screenshots:

• 
• 
•