- Parallels For Windows 10
- Parallels Install Windows 10
- Parallel Software For Mac
- Parallels For Mac Window's Versions
Parallels offers the deepest integration between Windows apps and OS X systems, and the latest version, Parallels Desktop 12, offers major advances in the depth of its integration with Windows 10. Like clockwork, Parallels releases a new version of its desktop virtualization software for Mac computers every year. The new versions often coincide with major new Windows and Mac operating.
| Version (as of 8/21/2019) | 15 |
| Platform | |
| License | Commercial |
| Category | System |
| More Info (visit publisher's website) |
Rating: |
Software Overview
Screenshot of Parallels Desktop for Mac 15
Main Features
- Run multiple versions of Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS systems
- Transfer files and copy and paste data between Mac and VM OSes
- Control VM OS programs like native Mac applications
- Connect plug-and-play USB devices, such as flash drives, printers, and digital cameras
- Capture VM snapshots and revert back to saved states
- Manage storage space used by VMs directly from macOS
- Use Toolbox utilities to take screenshots, record video and audio, archive files, and more
Parallels Desktop for Mac is an operating system virtualization program that allows Windows and other operating systems (OSes) to run on an Intel-based Mac. The program supports plug-and-play USB devices, including printers, flash drives, digital cameras, and GPS navigation systems. It also supports data transfer between macOS and the OSes running in Parallels, such as moving files and copying and pasting information.
Parallels Desktop for Mac runs as an application within the macOS desktop environment and allows users to install a version of Windows, macOS, or download a version of Linux or Android. After installation, the macOS and OS on the virtual machine (VM) are seamlessly integrated by Parallels Desktop for Mac. You can choose to run the virtualization software in full-screen mode to immerse yourself in the OS, coherence mode to use the VM OS applications side-by-side with macOS applications, or modality mode to run the VM as a window in macOS. Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to share files and copied text between OSes using drag-and-drop functionality. You can also assign plug-and-play USB devices to a host OS, or switch between OSes.
The virtualization software supports thousands of applications on over 60 OSes, including Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and 2000. Parallels Desktop also supports execution of macOS 10.15 Catalina, 10.14 Mojave, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.12 Sierra, 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10 Yosemite, 10.9 Mavericks, 10.8 Mountain Lion, and 10.7 Lion as guest OSes. Other supported OSes include Ubuntu Linux, Fedora Linux, CentOS Linux SUSE, Red Hat, Debian, Fedora Core, Mandriva, FreeBSD, Debian GNU/Linux, Mint Linux, Solaris, openBSD, FreeBSD, ReactOS, and Android OS. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OSes are supported.
The program gives you complete control of your VMs allowing you to pause, suspend, shut down, or restart the OSes. You can also take snapshots of different states of the VMs, which enables you to revert back to a saved configuration. The virtualization program also offers Parallels Toolbox with Parallels Desktop for Mac, which provides helpful and convenient functionality to simplify common tasks. With just a few clicks you can perform a variety of functions, such as archive files, record your screen, take screenshots, record audio, convert video, turn off wireless communication in Airplane mode, set notification alarms and timers, make GIFs, enter Presentation mode, and switch the resolution of the VM.
Parallels Desktop for Mac is a great solution for home or business users who prefer the macOS environment but may need to still perform tasks in Windows, Linux, and Android environments. In fact, the virtualization software is the most popular choice by macOS users for running Windows and Linux OSes on their Mac machines. If you need to use either of these OSes on your Mac, you should try Parallels Desktop for Mac.
Supported File Types
Primary file extension
Other file extensions used by Parallels Desktop for Mac 15
| Supported File Types | |
|---|---|
| .FDD | Parallels Desktop Floppy Disk Image File |
| .HDD | Parallels Desktop Hard Disk File |
| .HDS | Parallels Desktop Hard Disk File |
| .ISO | Disc Image File |
| .MEM | Parallels Desktop Memory Dump File |
| .PVC | Parallels Desktop Copied Configuration File |
| .PVM | Parallels Virtual Machine |
| .PVMZ | Parallels Compressed Virtual Machine |
| .PVS | Parallels Desktop Configuration File |
| .SAV | Parallels Desktop Saved State Image File |
| Additional Related File Formats | |
|---|---|
| .BAT | DOS Batch File |
| .CMD | Windows Command File |
| .COM | DOS Command File |
| .DEV | Windows Device Driver File |
| .EXE | Windows Executable File |
| .INI | Windows Initialization File |
| .LNK | Windows File Shortcut |
| .MSSTYLES | Windows XP Style |
| .SYS | Windows System File |
| .WPX | Printer Description File |
Parallels For Windows 10
Updated: August 21, 2019
- Pros
Fast performance in testing. Tight integration with guest OSes. Effortless installation. Flexible file and folder tools. Options for opening Mac files in Windows apps. Can install macOS virtual machines directly from the Mac recovery partition.
- Cons
Some Mac-integration features can be confusing or impractical until you turn them off. Only runs on a Mac, so you can't share guest machines with Windows or Linux users.
- Bottom Line
Parallels Desktop is an excellent way to run Windows apps on MacOS, especially for ordinary users. It's fast in testing, offers tight integration between Macs and guest systems, and supports many other OSes, too.
Parallels Desktop is the fastest and friendliest way to run Windows apps on a Mac for the majority of users who are likely to want to do so. IT pros may prefer VMware Fusion; expert users who want no-cost apps will prefer the open-source VirtualBox. Hardcore gamers may prefer Apple's Boot Camp, which lets users boot directly into Windows, with the added bonus of native graphics card support. For most ordinary Mac users who prefer Windows versions of apps like Microsoft Office or AutoCAD, however, or who use Windows-only apps like CorelDraw or WordPerfect Office, Parallels Desktop is the clear first choice for virtualization software.
- $79.99
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Platforms and Pricing
Parallels Desktop supports all Windows versions since Windows 2000, all Intel-based macOS versions (with some exceptions for licensing reasons), many flavors of Linux, BSD, Solaris, and a few other OSes. VMware Fusion and VirtualBox are even more flexible, and can run historical curiosities like OS/2 and NeXTSTEP. Also, unlike Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion and VirtualBox have versions that run on Windows and Linux machines, while Parallels Desktop is Mac-only.
There's one other important difference: Parallels Desktop is a subscription-only product, so you'll have to pay $79.99 per year for the home-and-student version or $99.99 for the Pro Edition. VMware Fusion has a one-time cost (a model some consumers may prefer) of $79.99 for its standard version and $159.99 for its Pro version. VirtualBox is free for personal use and $50 for corporate use, but you get far fewer convenience features out of the box with this open-source product.
Get Started With Parallels
Parallels starts up with a menu for creating a new virtual machine or opening an existing one. This is where Parallels' focus on ordinary end users shines best. Unlike all other virtualization apps, Parallels doesn't expect you to have a Windows or Linux installer disk or disk image ready when you start it up, although it can use that image if you have one. Instead, Parallel's user-helpful menu lets you buy a Windows 10 download directly from Microsoft, or simply download a Windows 10 installer if you already have a license key.
Another set of options lets you install a Parallels system-export utility on your Windows PC, and export it to Parallels via a network (slowly) or an external drive. A scrolling list at the foot of the menu lets you download specific versions of Linux or Android, install a virtual copy of macOS from your Mac's hidden recovery partition, or install Windows from a Boot Camp partition if you have one.
Like VMware and VirtualBox, Parallels supports a Snapshot feature that lets you save a guest system in one or more configurations that you know works well, and then restore a saved configuration after making changes in the system that you don't want to preserve. However, Parallels is unique in supplementing this feature with a Rollback option that automatically discards all changes to a system when you shut it down, so it works like a kiosk system, returning to its pristine condition every time you power it up. This feature can be invaluable in testing, or in environments like schools where users are liable to leave systems a lot messier than they found them. If you used Microsoft's long-abandoned VirtualPC app, you'll remember this feature, and will welcome its return in Parallels.
Parallel's Performance
Compared to VMware, Parallels starts up Windows at top speed in testing. On my vintage 2015 MacBook Pro, Parallels boots Windows 10 to the desktop in 35 seconds, compared to 60 seconds for VMware. VirtualBox matches Parallels' boot speed, but it performs far fewer integration tasks while booting up. For example, VirtualBox doesn't provide printer integration and the ability to open Windows files with Mac apps and vice versa.
One reason for Parallels' bootup speed advantage is that Parallels uses an emulated PC BIOS that supports the Fast Startup option, and the others don't. The speed difference isn't nearly as obvious when running Windows apps after the OS starts up, however. Parallels feels slightly faster than its rivals, but not drastically so. Fast as it is, Parallels won't satisfy hard-core gamers because Parallels, like VMware Fusion, only supports DirectX 10, while VirtualBox only supports DirectX 9. There's nothing that Parallels can do about this limitation, which is the result of the Mac's limited support for OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) features.
By default when Parallels runs a Windows system, any files on your Mac desktop will also appear on your Windows desktop. This may sound convenient, but it's a feature that I always to turn off in Parallels' settings dialog. One reason I turn it off is that it leaves the Windows desktop cluttered. Another is that much of what I keep on my Mac desktop—like folders and apps—simply won't work when I click on them in Parallels' Windows desktop. Parallels tends to go overboard with integration features, turning them on by default whether you want them or not.
Another way Parallels goes overboard with its integration is its tendency to clutter up its dialogs and your Mac system with icons and folders that you probably don't want. For example, by default, it adds a folder full of Windows application to your Mac's dock, and a Parallels menu to Mac's menu bar—though you can turn these off by poking around the options and preferences windows. Some of Parallels' menus include links to a set of Mac-related utilities called the Parallels Toolbox; some of these utilities, like a quick disk-cleaning menu, are convenient, but you probably don't want all of them, and they have nothing to do with virtualization. Another link on Parallels' menus invites you to buy Acronis True Image backup software, which you probably don't need if you use your Mac's built-in backup features.
Parallels Install Windows 10
Parallel Computing
Anyone who wants to run a Windows app on the Mac should choose between our two Editors' Choice apps, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. For IT managers, developers, and for many tech-savvy users, VMware is the best choice. For most home, school, and SOHO users who don't need VMware's unique cross-platform support and legacy features, Parallels Desktop is the fastest, most hassle-free way to run Windows apps on a Mac.
Parallels Desktop (for Mac)
Bottom Line: Parallels Desktop is an excellent way to run Windows apps on MacOS, especially for ordinary users. It's fast in testing, offers tight integration between Macs and guest systems, and supports many other OSes, too.
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