Parallels Server for Mac is a server-side desktop virtualization product built for the Mac OS X Server platform and is developed by Parallels, Inc., a developer of desktop virtualization and virtual. Virtual machine performance is directly related to computer’s hardware resources. It is also very important to allocate even shares of hardware resources between host operating system (macOS) and guest (VM) according to the recommended system requirements of both systems.
Parallels Desktop is virtualization software for macOS. It lets you run multiple operating systems like Windows 10, Linux, and macOS inside virtual installations on your Mac.
While it might not be as fast as a local installation, using a VM is the convenient way to run Windows and its software on a Mac. There’s no need for a dedicated Boot Camp partitionHow to Create a Bootable Windows 10 Installer USB on a MacHow to Create a Bootable Windows 10 Installer USB on a MacMicrosoft offers a simple tool to create a bootable USB on Windows, but there is no such tool for Mac users. Fortunately the process is pretty easy, if you know how.Read More and you don’t need to restart your Mac every time you want to switch.
Parallels Desktop can have your Windows 10 installation up and running in under 10 seconds.
Download:Parallels Desktop 13
Ideal for Beginners and Power Users
The best thing about Parallels is that its seamless user experience scales from beginner all the way to a professional level. When you first install it, Parallels doesn’t ask you to configure the VM environment at all. There’s no need to decide what resources to dedicate to the VM, or how much hard drive space to block off for the new Windows installation.
You just have to hit “Next” a couple of times. The installation assistant will even download and install Windows 10 for you (the feature also works with Linux distrosTop 5 Linux Operating Systems You Should Try in a Virtual MachineTop 5 Linux Operating Systems You Should Try in a Virtual MachineFive Linux operating system distributions are particularly suitable for running virtual machines, so let’s take a look at them.Read More, like Ubuntu and Elementary OS10 Elementary OS AppCenter Apps That’ll Make You More Productive10 Elementary OS AppCenter Apps That’ll Make You More ProductiveHaving an app store of its own has really brought Elementary OS to life with a great choice of apps. I use these AppCenter tools to improve my productivity — perhaps you will too.Read More).
If you’ve ever used a VM app on Mac, you know that this is not a trivial thing.
In under an hour, I went from downloading the Parallels app from their website to booting into a fresh Windows 10 installation. And all the while, I just hit “Next” a couple of times and I was able to continue my work in other apps.
Once the Windows 10 install is up and running, you’re free to go in and mess about. Click on Settings, go to Hardware, and you can change the amount of RAM and GPU Parallels Desktop can use.
Parallels Desktop Features You Should Know About
The app is filled with features that will make your VM experience pain-free.
Copy and Paste or Drag and Drop
Because Windows is virtualized on your Mac, you can just copy and paste content between macOS apps and Windows apps. You can even drag and drop files between the two. And your macOS DesktopHow to Clean Up Your Mac Desktop and Increase ProductivityHow to Clean Up Your Mac Desktop and Increase ProductivityA cluttered desktop can not only decrease productivity but can also cause cognitive stress. Here’s how to clean up your Mac desktop for a better work environment.Read More will show up as the Windows Desktop as well.
Run Windows Apps Alongside Mac Apps
Parallels has a special Coherence mode. In which, the Windows environment disappears and the Windows app shows up as an independent app. This means you can put a Mac app next to a Windows app and work in both environments seamlessly.
If you only need to use a couple of Windows apps for work, put Parallels in this mode and you won’t have to interact with Windows OS at all.
Full Screen and Keyboard Shortcuts
Click on the Parallels menu bar icon, go to View and select Enter Full Screen. Windows 10 will take up a whole new Space in macOS and you’re now basically running a Windows OS inside a Mac.
From Preferences, you can change keyboard shortcuts for common Windows actions. You can change the preset to macOS or Linux shortcuts.
Hardware For Virtual Dj
Pin Windows Apps in the Dock
Active Windows apps will show up in the DockMake Your Mac Dock Great Again With These 5 ShortcutsMake Your Mac Dock Great Again With These 5 ShortcutsWhy stick with the jumble of icons that came with your Mac’s dock when you can swap them for a bunch of super useful shortcuts?Read More and the App Switcher. This makes it really easy to jump between apps across both OS.
External Hard Drives and Simple Backups
If all your friends and coworkers use Windows, sometimes it can be hard to exchange data. They’ll give you an external hard drive that’s formatted in NTFS. macOS just won’t let you copy files to it. And in some situations, you can’t format the drive to macOS friendly formats like FATWrite To Your NTFS Drives Again in OS X El Capitan (For Free)Write To Your NTFS Drives Again in OS X El Capitan (For Free)Some of the most common methods of adding NTFS support broke with the recent release of El Capitan, but you can still write to your Windows drives with a bit of tinkering.Read More.
In times like these, Parallels Desktop can help. Boot up Windows 10 and open the hard drive from Windows 10’s File ExplorerHow to Get the Most Out of the Windows 10 File ExplorerHow to Get the Most Out of the Windows 10 File ExplorerWindows File Explorer is one of the most underrated features of Windows 10. Here we demonstrate how to manage and control the Windows 10 File Explorer from the bottom up and reveal features you never..Read More.
Snapshots in Parallels are a virtual machine equivalent of Time MachineHow to Restore Data From Time Machine BackupsHow to Restore Data From Time Machine BackupsIt’s really easy to set up Time Machine, the backup software that comes with every Mac — but how do you get your files back when things go wrong?Read More, but they happen on the device. You’ll see the option in the Parallels dropdown in the menu bar. When you click on it, Parallels will save your virtual machine in the state it was in. You can choose to revert back to a snapshot at a later point.
What’s New in Parallels Desktop 13?
macOS High SierraHow to Try macOS High Sierra Right Now Before Everyone ElseHow to Try macOS High Sierra Right Now Before Everyone ElsemacOS High Sierra is now available for beta testing. If you’d like to give it a try before the general release, here’s how to get your hands on it now.Read More introduces a new file format: APFSNew macOS, New Filesystem: What Is APFS and How Does It Work?New macOS, New Filesystem: What Is APFS and How Does It Work?iOS already has APFS. Now it’s the Mac’s turn. But what exactly are we getting into this Fall?Read More. As Parallels Desktop 13 comes with High Sierra support out of the box, you won’t have to worry about your VM’s compatibility. Similarly, when Windows 10’s Fall Creators UpdateWindows 10 Fall Creators Update Release Date ConfirmedWindows 10 Fall Creators Update Release Date ConfirmedThe Windows 10 Fall Creators Update finally has a release date, but what will be included in the next big update? Let’s take a look.Read More ships, it will be supported by Parallels Desktop 13.
Version 13 also brings Windows 10’s People Bar to the Mac. You can now interact with the People Bar right from macOS’s Spotlight search and the Dock. The other major new feature in Parallels Desktop 13 is Touch Bar supportHow Useful Is the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro?How Useful Is the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro?Does Apple’s thin context-dependent OLED strip improve productivity or is it just a gimmick as some users are making it out to be?Read More. And it’s not just for Windows 10, but also for Microsoft Office apps like Windows, Excel, and more.
Finally, Picture in Picture mode puts your Windows 10 VM into a floating window on top of everything in macOS. This way, you can monitor what’s happening in the Windows 10 installation, while continuing your work in macOS. When you focus on any other application in macOS, the floating window becomes translucent.
Is Parallels Desktop for You?
I’ve been using Parallels Desktop 13 on my MacBook Pro with the default configuration which is 2GB of RAM and 256MB shared graphics. I haven’t faced any issues jumping between macOS and Windows 10. Interacting with Windows apps and browsing the web in Microsoft Edge have all been smooth.
That said if you’re going to be running professional apps, you might want to increase the RAM limit to 4GB.
Parallels Desktop’s chief competitor is VMware Fusion. Both apps have a healthy competition and it leads to better updates every year. For the past couple of years, Parallels Desktop has taken the clear lead when it comes to user experience and ease of use.
If you’re in a corporate or IT environment where you need to roll out virtual machines by the hundreds, VMware Fusion has a clear advantage. But for everyone from beginners to independent professionals, Parallels will offer a better, faster experience (especially for Windows 10).
Parallels Desktop 13 costs $80. If you’ve used Parallels 11 or 12, you can upgrade for $50. If you’re a professional or a business user, you should look into their Parallels Desktop Business plan that starts at $100/year. If you’re okay with configuring and managing your own VM, VirtualBox is a good free alternative to Parallels Desktop.
Try Parallels for Free
You can try Parallels Desktop for 14 days before deciding if you want to jump in. That’s enough time to setup your Windows environment and test it in a work environment, before deciding whether or not to take the plunge.
Will you be buying Parallels Desktop for Mac? What is your Windows 10 VM setup like? Share with us in the comments below.
Explore more about: macOS High Sierra, Virtual Machine, Windows 10.
Rating: 5/5 Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac — Ready for Mavericks Release October 7, 2013 Parallels 9 installed without incident. The installation process offered additional software that allows remote control of my iMac using an iPad. Parallels desktop for mac (parppdfmsub1y).
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For many Mac users, running Windows applications is a necessity. Perhaps your employer uses software that’s available only for Windows, or requires use of a Web site that relies on some Windows-only technology. For years, these users haven’t had many options. Microsoft’s Virtual PC was the best choice, but even on the fastest Macs, it provided a less-than-speedy Windows experience.
Apple’s switch to Intel CPUs, however, means that running Windows on a Mac is suddenly much easier — there is no longer a need to emulate an entire CPU, as new Macs now use the same CPU as their Windows counterparts. This means that, in theory, running Windows on OS X should be both simpler and much faster than it was with Virtual PC.
Apple’s Boot Camp program allows new Intel Macs to boot directly into Windows XP (Pro or Home versions) and run it natively, with full support for accelerated graphics and hardware devices (other than the built-in iSight camera, that is). But rebooting is time consuming, and Mac users would much rather stay in OS X and just run Windows when needed. Plus, Boot Camp only supports Windows XP.
Enter Parallels Desktop for Mac, an OS X solution for running “guest” operating systems within OS X. Parallels utilizes the Intel chip’s hardware virtualization technology (VT). Although that’s a mouthful of buzzwords, what it means is simple: VT lets an Intel CPU act as if it were several distinct CPUs, which in turn enables guest operating systems to run much faster.
What it really means to you, the user, is that you can run a wide variety of operating systems, including multiple versions of Windows — from 3.1 to 2000 to XP — as well as multiple versions of Linux, at very good speeds, and without ever rebooting your machine.
Installation
Installing Parallels is no different than installing any other OS X program that uses an installer. Double-click the installer, follow the prompts, and wait for it to finish. After installation, you’ll find the program in the Parallels folder in the Applications folder. Behind the scenes, Parallels has installed quite a few things on your machine, including a kernel extension (a low-level tool that modifies the core of OS X) to enable its magic. An included uninstaller worked well when I tested it, removing the program and its associated parts.
Setting up
As noted, Parallels can run many different operating systems. After launching the application, the first thing you must do is create a virtual machine (VM), specifying which OS you’re planning to install. You do this by answering a few questions in an easy-to-use setup wizard. Based on the OS you choose, Parallels appoints values for the hard drive size, CD-ROM, video, RAM, etc. (You can customize these settings, if you wish.)
Once everything’s set up, the next step is to install your chosen operating system. Parallels doesn’t include any operating systems, so it’s up to you to supply them. In the case of Windows, you’ll need the actual installation CDs. For Linux distributions, you may have image files (.iso) or burned CDs, depending on the source of the Linux distribution you’re using. (Parallels can handle both formats, though you’ll need to specify that you are using an image file during the setup process.) You simply insert your installation CD, press the Play button in the Parallels interface (see screen shot), and the virtual machine will “boot,” which begins the actual OS installation process.
At this point, the guest operating system really has no clue that it’s being installed on a machine running a virtual version of a computer under OS X. To the installer, the machine looks like a dedicated, Intel-based computer system, with all of the appropriate hardware and software support. Depending on which OS you’ve chosen to install, you’ll spend anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes completing the installation. Using Windows XP, for instance, I was able to install a fresh copy in about 30 minutes — basically the same amount of time it takes to install XP on a “real” computer.
After installing Windows, you should make sure you boot the new operating system and run through the Parallels Tools installation. This toolkit will make your mouse work seamlessly between OS X and your virtual Windows machines, and it will enable more graphics resolution choices, among other features. This tool is also available for a few of the other supported OSes, such as OS/2.
You can create as many VMs as you wish, assuming you have the drive space available to hold the image files.
Usage
After you have your guest OSes installed, using them in Parallels is essentially the same as using them on a standalone machine — with a couple of key exceptions.
The first, and the biggest letdown for diehard gamers, is that Parallels can’t presently handle accelerated 3-D graphics. So, while you can play Windows Solitaire just fine, you’ll have to use Boot Camp if you want to try out Half Life 2.
The second limitation is that not every hardware device in your collection will work perfectly, if at all. For instance, if you have a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone, you’ll need to install a free, third-party tool to successfully sync the device. You also might have trouble with some phones, media card readers, Webcams, scanners, and so forth. Some devices work perfectly, while others don’t work at all. While this situation will probably improve with future releases, if you need 100-percent hardware compatibility, then a reboot via Boot Camp is your best bet. But, if you don’t require 3-D accelerated graphics or full hardware support, then Parallels delivers solid results.
To test Parallels’ performance, we ran WorldBench 5, the official PC World testing tool, on both a 20-inch 2.0GHz Intel iMac and a 15-inch 2.16GHz MacBook Pro, and we compared those results with the same machines running Windows XP Pro natively via Boot Camp, and with a few actual PCs.
Parallels Desktop Benchmark Results
Test SystemProcessorWorldBench 5 ScoreMulititasking TestWindows Media Encoder 9Roxio VideoWaveAdobe Photoshop 7.0.1Microsoft Office 2002 SP-220-inch Apple iMac Core Duo (Boot Camp)2.0GHz Intel Core Duo9642329426732054120-inch Apple iMac Core Duo (Parallels)2.0GHz Intel Core Duo67114251739641557715-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Boot Camp )2.16GHz Intel Core Duo9841928025930553515-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Parallels)2.16GHz Intel Core Duo67915369392382588HP Compaq nx9420 (laptop)2.16GHz Intel Core Duo101444279259311575Ajump NBP1105 (desktop)2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+97518307286359542Dell Dimension E510 (desktop)2.8GHz Intel Pentium D 82088656353290404560HP Pavilion a1250n Media Center Desktop PC2.0GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+94521321290367563>Better<Better<Better<Better<Better<Better
Hardware For Virtual Machines
Best results in bold. Reference systems in italics . All individual test results in seconds.
All systems had 1GB RAM. Macs used Apple’s Boot Camp beta to install Windows XP. All were tested with Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2 except the HP Pavilion and Dell Dimension, which had Windows Media Center Edition installed. For more information on WorldBench 5, visit PCWorld.com . — MACWORLD LAB TESTING BY JAMES GALBRAITH AND JERRY JUNG
Using Parallels on the Macs, the overall WorldBench test score is about two-thirds of what it is for the same machine booted natively into Windows via Boot Camp. Some portions of our testing, such as multitasking, show a big divide in performance. Other portions show only slight differences. In our Office 2002 test, for example, Parallels was only about 10 percent slower than in native mode. Overall, our results indicate that, using Parallels, you’ll get about two-thirds of the speed you’ll get using Boot Camp.
How do these benchmarks translate to real life? I performed a few additional tests to simulate some common tasks. Running Microsoft Office on a 1.66GHz Core Duo mini with 2GB of RAM, the speed was impressive. I was hard pressed to tell any difference between scrolling through a long Word document in Parallels and scrolling through that same document when booted into Windows via Boot Camp.
Even using applications that perform very complex computations, like Photoshop CS2, you’ll see good results. I applied a complex mesh image filter to the same image on the Core Duo mini in three different environments: in OS X (running CS2 via Rosetta, since Photoshop is not yet a Universal Binary application ), in Windows XP under Parallels, and in Windows XP running natively via Boot Camp. As you might guess, the Boot Camp XP machine was the fastest, taking 36 seconds to apply the filter. Close behind it, though, was the Parallels XP machine, at 44 seconds — only eight seconds slower. Trailing badly, at 77 seconds, was Photoshop in Rosetta on OS X. So for now, if you are a Photoshop power user with an Intel Mac, you may be better off running it in Windows on your Mac, either via Parallels or Boot Camp. Of course, you’ll need to own a second copy of Photoshop to take advantage of the additional speed.
You can also set up shared folders between OS X and your Windows XP/2003/2000 virtual machine, making it easy to move data back and forth. (Other operating systems don’t support shared folders, but you can still use those systems’ networking capabilities to connect to your Mac via file sharing, for instance.) Outside of shared folders, though, your Mac’s hard drive will be invisible to Windows. This is generally a good thing, for it means that any malware or viruses that may infect your Windows virtual machine won’t be able to damage anything on your Mac’s hard drive.
Since virtual machines are stored on your computer as single files (think of them like a standard OS X disk image), it’s very easy to move them from one Intel Mac to another — just copy the folder to the other machine, and you’re done (keeping in mind licensing restrictions, of course). It’s also easy to back your virtual machine up, to any Mac or to an external hard drive. Just drag and drop, and you’ve backed up your entire Windows system, applications and all.
More than Windows
As noted, you can run more than just Windows using Parallels. There are at least 20 supported operating systems, many of which are free to download and use, such as Fedora Core Linux or BSD Unix. If you’ve ever wondered what Linux is all about, installing and using a version via Parallels is a relatively painless way to try it out. Download a version of Linux, set up a virtual machine, install the OS, and test it out. If you like it, keep it around. If you don’t like it, just throw away that virtual machine’s file from your hard drive, and it’s gone for good.
Since Parallels uses VT to increase performance, you can run more than one guest OS at a time. I’ve run as many as four at once without having the Core Duo grind to a halt in protest. For those who need to test a Web site in many browsers on many platforms, this can be a huge time saver.
Duplicity
If you use Boot Camp, you’re probably wondering if you can use your existing Windows partition for Parallels. Unfortunately, you can’t, due to the way Parallels works. You’ll have to install Windows again (you can install and activate Windows XP on the same machine more than once, though you’ll need to call Microsoft to complete the second activation).
With two Windows installations sitting on your drive, it might get a bit confusing trying to find your Windows data files — you can’t see the Parallels disk image when in Boot Camp, and vice versa. Hard drive space might also become a bit of an issue, since you’ll also wind up installing two copies of all your applications.
Must have RAM!
To get the most out of Parallels, you’ll want to give your Mac as much RAM as you can afford — 1GB is a good starting point, as you’ll then have enough RAM to run Parallels alongside a few other applications. However, 2GB is much better, particularly if you’re going to run multiple OSes at the same time or run a lot of large applications within your virtual machines.
Macworld’s buying advice
Parallels’ ability to run nearly every version of Windows, along with many versions of Unix and Linux, makes it a valuable tool for anyone using an Intel-based Mac who has a need or desire to work with other operating systems. If your job requires Windows, but you love your Mac and OS X, Parallels will truly give you the best of both worlds. If you put your Parallels session in full screen mode, anyone walking by won’t even be able to tell that under the Windows façade, you’re actually running the world’s greatest operating system.
[ Senior Editor Rob Griffiths is the author of Mac OS X Power Hound, Panther Edition (O’Reilly, 2004), and runs Mac OS X Hints. ]
With Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can run many different operating systems at near-native speeds, all without leaving the friendly confines of OS X. Here, two different versions of both Linux and Windows run at the same time.A FreeBSD (a version of Unix) virtual machine is set up and ready for launch. The buttons along the side let you stop, start, and pause the virtual machine, as well as choose between full screen or window-based operation.
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