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Latest Version
Parallels Desktop 20.1.0 LATEST
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macOS 10.12 Sierra or later
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Install Parallels Desktop.dmg
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.
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
- 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.
- Not perfectly compatible with all Windows apps.
- No free tier of use.
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.
What's new in this version:
Parallels Desktop 20.1.0
General:
- Fixes the issue that resulted in ISO installation images built for Arm architecture erroneously designated as incompatible during the VM setup process
- Introduces Enterprise Edition and the accompanying Management Portal (available a week after the release of this version)
Parallels Desktop 20.0.1
- Addresses overall stability and performance issues
Parallels Desktop 20.0.0
All editions of Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac:
Ready for macOS Sequoia 15:
- Parallels Desktop 20 supports the upcoming macOS Sequoia 15 as a primary OS on Mac and as a virtual machine, so you can upgrade your Mac computers once the new operating system becomes available
Look and Feel:
Brings significant improvements in the reliability and usability of Parallels Tools, which have been reworked using native UI in all supported operating systems: Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Windows on Mac:
- Adds support for Windows 11 24H2 once it becomes available. Based on our testing, Windows 11 version 24H2 improves the stability and speed of running x86-based apps in Windows on Arm, making many important Windows apps feasible on Apple Silicon Macs;
- Fixes the dynamic resolution issues when running a Windows 11 24H2 virtual machine in a windowed mode;
- Improves the safety of the Windows file deletion process by sending files deleted from shared folders to macOS Trash instead of permanently deleting them;
- Fixes the wireframe rendering issue in the Rhino 8 app on Apple Silicon Macs;
- Fixes the issue of Houdini 20 modeling software displaying graphical glitches and missing parts of modelled objects;
- Improves compatibility with numerous Windows apps, including ArcGIS Pro, LabVIEW, Ninja Trader, and many more;
- Mitigates the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) compatibility issues for Windows 11 machines running on Apple Silicon Macs by defaulting to WSL 1 instead of WSL 2.
Linux on Mac:
- Adds support for newer Linux distributions, such as Fedora 39/40, Kali 2024.2, and Ubuntu 24.04;
- Resolves the issue which prevented Ubuntu 24.04 installation on Intel Macs;
- Adopts the high-level FUSE API for the Parallels Tools to eliminate multiple compatibility issues with newer Linux kernel versions;
- Adds support for IPP printing from Linux virtual machines, enabling you to print from Linux using a printer connected to your Mac;
- Adds updated icons for Ubuntu, Fedora, and Kali Linux distributions;
- Fixes the issue with keyboard and mouse not working during the manual installation of an Ubuntu virtual machine.
macOS (in a virtual machine):
- Allows you to sign into Apple Account from macOS 15+ virtual machines running on Apple Silicon Macs (requires both your Mac and the virtual machine to run macOS Sequoia 15 or newer).
Note: This feature does not yet let you sign into the Mac App Store or Xcode;
- Adds support for creating snapshots of macOS virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs.
Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Pro Edition:
- Introduces Parallels AI Package, a Linux-based virtual machine tailor-made to allow developers and students to quickly learn and begin developing machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and computer vision applications. The package is available via the Visual Studio Code extension catalog. Read more about AI Package here;
- Adds the ability to control virtual machines using natural language with Microsoft Copilot integrated into the Visual Studio Code extension;
- Adds support for using GitHub Actions to automate the deployment and management of virtual machines directly from a GitHub repository, e.g., triggering a virtual machine provisioning, testing, and configuration as part of a specific pipeline;
- Improves the Parallels Packer plugin experience for macOS virtual machines running on Apple Silicon Macs by automating the initial setup process using the Apple Vision framework (OCR).
- Software developers and IT pros using Parallels Desktop are welcome to share their feedback about these improvements, discuss feature suggestions, and have fun with like-minded people at Parallels Desktop Discord channel.
Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Business Edition:
- Adds the ability to control and orchestrate multiple Parallels Desktop hosts and virtual machines using our new Parallels Desktop for DevOps service;
- Improves compatibility with multiple MDM solutions (e.g., Microsoft Intune) thanks to a re-engineered deployment package that supports downloading pre-configured virtual machines from cloud-sourced and network storage destinations.
Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Enterprise Edition (coming later in 2024):
Introducing the new tier: Enterprise Edition, coming later this fall. This edition is designed specifically for organizations that require more control, visibility, and efficiency in managing large-scale virtual environments. Enterprise Edition will:
- Streamline the deployment of virtual machines, saving time and effort;
- Let you assign policies across groups of machines or users;
- Enable improved visibility into your managed virtual machines.
What was deprecated or removed from Parallels Desktop 20:
- 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 in the future builds of Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.
On all Mac computers, the following things are no longer supported:
- Network boot for Windows, macOS, and Linux virtual machines
On Mac computers with Intel processors, the following things are no longer supported:
- Support for network and USB emulation that relies on kernel extensions
- Support for macOS 10.5 to 10.8 and Oracle Solaris virtual machines
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