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.

Cloud Services Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac supports iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and SkyDrive optimizations with your Mac and your Windows virtual machine, eliminating duplication of files locally.; Enhanced Windows 8 and 8.1 Support Parallels Desktop brings back the real Start menu, and lets customers use Metro apps in a window instead of full screen. Cloud Services Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac supports iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and SkyDrive optimizations with your Mac and your Windows virtual machine, eliminating duplication of files locally.; Enhanced Windows 8 and 8.1 Support Parallels Desktop brings back the real Start menu, and lets customers use Metro apps in a window instead of full screen. Parallels 9 Download Mac Free. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Microsoft Small Business Server 2011. Cdrbsoftwares Newsletter: Go. Regular price is Parallels Desktop 9 For Mac US$52.99. McAfee LiveSafe Unlimited 1YR. Today's Price: $23.70. Mobile Software Audio Software 2 Business and Productivity 1 Network Parallels Desktop 9 For Mac & Internet 3 Security & Antimalware 1 Utility Software 4 Video Apps 1.

Unlike Apple's Boot Camp, Parallels let you run Windows and its applications side by side with the Mac OS at the same time, without restarting your computer. In this guide, you can learn the steps to install Visual Studio on a Mac using Parallels Desktop.

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.

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.

Parallels Desktop For Mac Pro

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.

Parallels For Windows Free

How To Use Parallel Desktop 9 For Mac Using

Parallels today announced version 14 of its desktop virtualization software for Mac, offering macOS Mojave support out of the box and significantly improved application launch speeds over the previous version.
This update puts a heavy focus on enhanced storage optimization, with Parallels Desktop being around 20-30 percent smaller than earlier releases. The company says virtual machines can also save as much as 20GB of additional disk space depending on how they're configured.

Run Mac On Windows Parallels

Elsewhere, the developers have optimized the compression of memory states saved with the Snapshots tool, which takes on average 15 percent less storage space, while a new disk space wizard provides users with suggestions on how to economize storage, with advice on managing multiple virtual machines and VM snapshots.
In addition, Parallels 14 introduces several Windows features for use in macOS. For example, Microsoft Ink is now available for editing Office documents, and stylus support has been added to CorelDRAW, Fresh Paint, PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Parallels Desktop also now includes Touch Bar features on compatible MacBook Pros for OneNote, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Microsoft Visio, and other apps, while a Touch Bar wizard offers users the ability to customize Windows app shortcuts from Apple's OLED function strip.
Lastly, Parallels Toolbox has received some additional Mac features including new options to screenshot entire web pages, resize images and perform memory consolidation functions.
Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac is available from August 23. Existing Parallels 12 and 13 users can upgrade to the new version for $50. New users can sign up for an $80 a year subscription or make a one-time purchase of Parallels 14 for $100. Parallels Desktop 14 Pro Edition and Business Edition both cost $100 per year. Note that a Windows license is not included in the software and must be bought separately.

As every year goes, Parallels and VMware duke it out to deliver support for the latest OS X and Windows releases, and this time around things aren’t any different.

After VMware updated its Fusion virtualization software with support for OS X Mavericks and Windows 8.1, it was now Parallels’ turn to roll out an updated version of its own program that creates virtual machines for “guest” operating systems.

Powerful and feature-packed solutions both, VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop are constantly trying to steal market share from one another.

Today is the latter’s turn to release Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac, the latest version of its powerful virtualization app which now supports Windows 8.

Unlike VMware Fusion 6, Parallels 9 lets you download and install Windows 8.1 Preview right from its own wizard.

Customers who prefer a classic experience can “set Windows 8 to boot directly to the desktop, set Windows 8 apps to run in resizable windows, and bring back the fully functional Start menu,” according to the company.

Full-screen Windows 8 modern UI apps are compatible, and the new version also runs Windows 8 in Coherence much smoother.

Parallel 9 Mac Free

Windows 8.1 can go full screen when using multiple displays (including Retina and non-Retina monitors), and Shift-clicking the Windows 8 icon in the Dock now opens the Power User menu.

How Much Is Parallels For Mac

Parallels also notes smoother scrolling in Windows 8, support for the upcoming Power Nap feature in OS X Mavericks (to keep Windows up to date even when the Mac is in sleep mode), as well as new security patches, Thunderbolt and external storage support.

Parallel 9 Mac Free Full

Parallels also throws in a fresh virtual network adapter (to provide a faster Internet connection), support for virtual SCSI controllers, and GUI restyling to support the new color scheme in Apple’s up-and-coming OS X 10.9.