Most powerful solution for running Windows on Mac without rebooting

Parallels Desktop for Mac

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Download Parallels Desktop 19.3.0

Parallels Desktop for Mac

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Parallels Desktop for Mac is a powerful system utility that allows Mac users to run Windows apps and games directly and without the need to reboot. It provides a seamless user experience for running Windows applications of all types, including games and CAD programs alongside Mac applications, with streamlined procedures for accessing file systems of both OS environments.

Power up your Mac to run Windows on a virtual desktop, plus get access to more than 200,000 of its apps to work, develop, study, test, and play. Authorized by Microsoft. BUY NOW!

This approach enables users of all technical levels to enhance their productivity and flexibility in various daily use case scenarios, including operations at school, team, and business environments.



This popular and award-winning app is known across the world for its fast and easy installation process, as well as its powerful performance, excellent compatibility with Windows software, and flexibility with all modern Mac hardware, making it a popular choice for all users who require access to Windows-specific software on their Mac. One of its best features is its ability to automatically handle the emulation of the Windows environment in the background, enabling Mac users to seamlessly access Windows apps in a totally seamless way like they are running natively on Mac hardware.

In addition to the straight emulation of the Windows environment, this tool also provides access to specific monitoring and operation management micro-utilities that Mac users to track memory usage, app storage usage, and even access useful time-tracking services easily.



Features
  • Fast and Easy Installation – Get Windows OS up and running on a Mac in mere minutes!
  • Powerful App Optimization – Run any Windows app, including games and CAD programs!
  • Coherence mode – Seamless integration with Mac applications
  • Drag and Drop Functionality – Boost daily workflow between Windows and Mac applications with seamless UI solutions.
  • Unified File Systems – Access the Mac file system directly from inside the Windows environment.
  • Compatibility with Windows Games – Dramatically expands gaming capabilities of Macs.
  • Premium Virtualization Tools – Virtualize multiple Windows OS systems, access up to 32 CPU cores, and more.
  • Compatibility with all modern Apple hardware – Optimized emulation for Apple silicon, Intel processors, and even ARM!
  • Flexible Pricing – Available in three premium subscription tiers.
Installation and Setup

To get Windows OS and app emulation on any modern Mac computer, users simply must download the automated installer, double-click it, and follow a few simple on-screen instructions.



It is important to note that finalizing installation will require users to enter their local Mac user password. After this, users can get Windows up and running using a built-in assistant utility, or even manually provide an installation ISO file and install Windows either on their local storage or a portable drive.

How to Use

Once the Windows OS is up and running, users can access its working environment easily at any time via the dock icon. The Windows apps are fully integrated into the Mac experience, with users being able to mix and match apps from both OS and transfer files from both file systems via integrated drag-and-drop service.



The app also provides full optimizations for all apps present in the Microsoft Office 365 suite, enabling all users to boost their daily productivity.

User Interface

The user interface of Parallels Desktop is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing for seamless interaction between Mac and Windows applications.



FAQ

What is Parallels Desktop for macOS?
It is an application that allows Mac users to run Windows and other operating systems on their Mac computers.

Is it safe?
Yes. This is a trusted application that provides a secure environment for running Windows and other operating systems on a Mac.

What operating systems can be accessed on Macs with Apple M-series chips?
Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions, macOS 12-14, and several distributions of Linux (Red Hat, Kali, Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu).

What operating systems can be accessed on Macs with Intel processor chips?
Windows 10 and 11, OS X Lion 10.7 and newer, various Linux, Unix, BSD, and other OS releases. A full list is available on the official website of the app.



Alternatives

VMware Fusion for Mac – A powerful virtualization software that allows users to run Windows and other operating systems on their Mac.

VirtualBox for Mac – An alternative open-source virtualization tool that provides similar functionality to Parallels Desktop.

CrossOver – A powerful compatibility tool, allowing users to run Windows applications seamlessly on macOS without the need for a Windows license or virtual machine.

Pricing

This premium app is offered in four separate categories of use (subscriptions or lifetime license purchase), with Standard and Pro editions being available in most of them.

New users can test the capabilities of this powerful Windows app emulator during a complimentary free Trial period.

System Requirements
  • Minimum system requirements for emulating Windows software on Macs are as follows:
  • CPU: Quadcore Intel processor (M-series CPU is recommended)
  • Memory: 4GB of RAM (16GB is recommended)
  • Storage: 600MB for the app and 16GB for Windows 11 installation (SSD is recommended)
  • OS: macOS 10.14.6 Mojave or newer
PROS
  • Lightweight and reliable Windows app emulation.
  • Seamless integration with Mac applications.
  • Fast and easy installation process.
  • Powerful performance for running Windows apps.
  • Optimized for DirectX 11 games and CAD programs.
  • Compatibility with both Apple silicon and Intel processors.
CONS
  • Not perfectly compatible with all Windows apps.
  • No free tier of use.
Conclusion

Parallels Desktop for Mac is a reliable tool for users who need to run Windows, Linux, older macOS releases, and other operating systems alongside their Mac applications. With its seamless integration, powerful performance, and compatibility with both Apple silicon and Intel processors, this emulation utility provides a convenient and flexible solution for accessing Windows apps for home use, education, collaborative teams, and business environments.

Note: 14 days trial version. SSD (Flash Storage) is recommended for greater performance.

  • Parallels Desktop 19.3.0 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

What's new in this version:

Parallels Desktop 19.3.0
General:
- Fixes the issue with Parallels Desktop failing to launch on Apple Silicon Macs with a Virtual Machine Monitor error
- Enables Parallels Desktop Pro users and Parallels Desktop for Business administrators to control the direction of copy/paste clipboard sharing between macOS and virtual machines, allowing clipboard data to be shared not only in both directions, but also only from the Mac to the virtual machine, or only in reverse.
- Fixes the issue of Parallels Desktop for Business mass deploy package returning an error when installing with specific authentication options.
- Fixes the issue where users could not initiate the Parallels Toolbox installation process from the Settings panel

macOS (virtual machines on Macs with Apple silicon):
- Enables macOS virtual machine parameters (e.g., CPU cores, RAM size, disk size, etc.) to be configured graphically, just like with Windows and Linux virtual machines
- The default virtual disk size is now set to 128GB
- Enables Cmd+Tab, Cmd+Space system shortcuts and Fn button to be sent to a macOS virtual machine
- Fixes the issue where an active OpenVPN connection on your Mac would prevent a macOS virtual machine from maintaining an internet connection while in Shared network mode
- Fixes the issue where a macOS virtual machine could not access the Internet when zScaler VPN software was being run on the Mac
- Fixes the issue where a virtual machine with a public beta version of macOS Sonoma 14.4 (23E5191e) installed from a recovery partition or .app would not respond to the keyboard

What Will Be Deprecated or Removed from Parallels Desktop Soon:
- According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some product features are used very seldom or not at all. We have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove them from Parallels Desktop and focus on frequently used features and further enhancements.
- Below is the list of features that are no longer supported and will be removed – not in version 19.3.0, but in the next major version of Parallels Desktop for Mac. None of the features mentioned below are business-critical, so these changes will have little to no effect on your workflow.

On all Mac computers, the following things are no longer supported:
- Travel Mode
- The option to launch a virtual machine when your Mac starts
- Parallels Virtualization SDK (see details here)
- The 32-bit version of Parallels Tools for Windows and Linux
- The resource usage slider in the virtual machine’s Optimization settings tab
- The option to download Parallels Access from the Parallels Desktop preferences panel

On Mac computers with Intel processors, the following things are no longer supported:
- The "Extended memory limit” option in the virtual machine’s CPU & Memory > Advanced settings tab
- Resource Monitor
- Support for macOS 10.5 to 10.8 virtual machines
- Support for the Visual Studio plugin for remote debugging
- Network boot for macOS virtual machines


Parallels Desktop 19.2.1
- Addresses overall stability and performance issues


Parallels Desktop 19.2
General:
- Introduces a new approach to VM cloning using native APFS mechanisms that drastically improves cloning operation speed
- Introduces a new approach to the “Sign in with Apple” option for signing into a Parallels account that supports Apple IDs with hardware security keys added as a second authentication factor
- Fixes an issue where a VM window becomes half transparent while running on a Mac with multiple displays
- Fixes an issue where Parallels Desktop loses network communication in an IPv6-only network

Windows 11:
- Fixes an issue where the Windows context menu appears behind the application window in Coherence mode
- Fixes an issue where Windows VM fails with BSOD while running on an external drive with macOS Sonoma as a primary OS
- Fixes an issue where a video timeline was not displayed correctly in the VIRBE video editor
- Sets A4 as a default paper size for new shared printers added to Windows machines

macOS (virtual machines on Macs with Apple silicon):
- Closing the virtual machine window automatically suspends the VM (requires macOS Sonoma 14.1 or newer)
- Adds the ability to disable automatic updates for Parallels Tools by executing the Terminal command ($ prlctl set --tools-autoupdate no)
- Adds the “Clone…” option to the VM context menu


Parallels Desktop 19.1
- For virtual machines on Mac computers with Apple silicon
- Adds the ability to suspend and resume a virtual machine (macOS Sonoma 14.1 is required as a primary OS);
- Fixes an issue where keyboard input stops working after upgrading a virtual machine from macOS Monterey to macOS Sonoma 14.


Parallels Desktop 19.0
- Optimized for macOS Sonoma 14
- Touch ID-enabled for Windows sign-in
- OpenGL 4.1 Support in Windows
- Designed to run CentOS 9 Stream on a Mac with Apple silicon
- Designed to run Intel-based software in Arm-based Linux
- Vast improvements for macOS virtual machine on Mac computers with Apple silicon

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