Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels Desktop facilitates the simultaneous execution of Windows and Mac applications. Users can select a view that renders Windows applications invisible while retaining their functionality or maintain the familiar Windows interface and controls on their Mac. Whether you require the execution of Windows programs without Mac counterparts or are transitioning from a PC to a Mac and necessitating data transfer, Parallels Desktop provides comprehensive support.
Parallels Desktop is one of the oldest and most popular applications for virtualization on macOS. There are quite a few options out there for Mac users who want to run other operating systems on their Apple devices, but none are quite as intuitive and novice-friendly as Parallels. This app allows you to Run Windows, various flavors of Linux, ChromeOS, Android, and many other operating systems in virtual machines, and it makes setting up and configuring these VMs incredibly straightforward. Much of the process is automated, and the virtualized OSes integrate well with macOS.
Key Features:
- Powerful Performance: Run business-critical applications without compromise—Microsoft Office, Visual Studio®, Quicken®, and QuickBooks™ for Windows, Access, Project, Autodesk Revit® and Inventor, CorelDRAW, ArcGIS, Visio, QuickBooks™, Internet Explorer, Adobe Photoshop®, and Parallels Desktop Business Edition!
- Lightning Fast: Graphics and resource-hungry Windows applications run effortlessly without slowing down employee’s MacBook®, iMac®, Mac mini®, or Mac Pro®.
- Fits Into Security Standards: Join Windows to Active Directory and enforce corporate policies and guidelines like virtual machines are physical PCs. New smart card reader support expands smart card authentication to Windows and macOS Parallels Desktop Business Edition.
- Protect Data in Windows: Add an additional layer of security by encrypting virtual machines and keeping their configuration password protected.
- Create Expiring Virtual Machines: Create time-bound, encrypted virtual machines that will automatically expire and lock at a defined time. Ensures additional security when corporate data is shared externally.
- Ready for macOS Sonoma 14: Parallels Desktop 19 fully supports macOS Sonoma 14 both as a primary OS on Mac as well as running in a virtual machine, so you can upgrade your Mac computers when the new operating system is available. You will see more details about specific improvements for macOS Sonoma below.
- Integration with Mac: Enables using your Mac’s Touch ID to log into your Windows 10 or Windows 11 virtual machine. Your Windows account credentials are securely stored in macOS Keychain, protected with Touch ID, and available only on this Mac.
- Graphics: Adds support for OpenGL up to version 4.1 in Windows, enabling you to run ArcGIS CityEngine 2023, Vectorworks Vision 2023, VariCAD, and more. This version also improves the performance of ArcGIS Pro software.
- Printing: On macOS Sonoma, Parallels Desktop 19 now uses an Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) for printing from Windows that provides better compatibility with hardware-supported features.
What’s New:
Version 26.0
The new major Parallels Desktop version 26.0.0 (build 57238) includes many under-the-hood upgrades aimed at better supporting the latest version of macOS. Parallels Desktop 26 follows Parallels Desktop 20 to bring the version number in line with Apple’s new macOS versioning.
The release delivers the following improvements:
All editions of Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac
- Ready for macOS Tahoe 26.
Parallels Desktop 26 supports the upcoming macOS Tahoe 26 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 updated icons across the board on Macs running macOS Tahoe 26.
Windows on Mac
- Enables Windows to accurately assess the available disk space on your Mac, helping you avoid harming your Mac’s responsiveness by installing overly large Windows software.
- Improves the behavior of full-screen Windows apps in Coherence mode, enabling your Mac to go to sleep mode normally.
- Fixes the issue that caused Persona 5 Royal to crash on launch in Windows 11 virtual machines.
Linux on Mac
- Apple silicon Macs: Adds out-of-the-box support for new Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 24.04.2, Fedora 42, Debian 12.6, and Kali 2024.2.
- Intel Macs: Adds out-of-the-box support for new Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Debian 12.6, and Mint 21.3.
- Fixes the issue that prevented Parallels Tools for Linux from installing correctly on CentOS 10 running on Intel Macs.
Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac Business & Enterprise Edition
- Adds the ability for system administrators to manage and monitor virtual machine software updates using Jamf scripts.
- Regenerates unique identifiers for virtual machines deployed from Golden Images to ensure smooth Intune enrollment.
What was deprecated or removed from Parallels Desktop 26
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 have been removed in Parallels Desktop for Mac 26:
- Installing Parallels Desktop on Macs running macOS Monterey 12.
- Shared Bluetooth functionality. Bluetooth devices (e.g., keyboards, mice, or game controllers) connected to your Mac will continue to work normally in virtual machines.
Note: To connect a Bluetooth device directly to a virtual machine, consider using a USB Bluetooth dongle. - USB and network kexts (kernel extensions). This deprecation affects virtual machines that run on Intel Macs using Parallels hypervisor; such machines will continue supporting USB and network adapters in kextless mode.
- Deferred activation.
- Designating a custom update server in the deployment package settings.
- Synchronization of virtual machine color tags between the Parallels Desktop Control Center and macOS Finder.
- The option to install Parallels Toolbox for Windows in a Windows virtual machine using the Parallels Desktop menu.
Compatibility: macOS 12 or later
Homepage https://www.parallels.com/