Parallels Desktop for Mac

Date:February 14, 2017 9:09 am

ParallelsRun Windows Apps on Your Mac without Reboot

Hands down, Parallels Desktop is a leading solution in the segment of virtual machines. And version 12 simply makes this official. If you love Mac, but have to run Windows apps too – your only viable option is Parallels Desktop for Mac. Now let’s see why.

100% Windows-Mac transparency

Parallels Desktop for Mac delivers the deepest level of integration. Put simply, this means you can seamlessly run Windows applications on Mac, copy and paste information to and from the guest OS, transfer files back and forth, share devices and other resources between Mac and Windows, use multiple instances of other operating systems and many more.

Even simpler, it looks like your Mac OS X can now do everything Windows can. And unlike other virtual Windows solutions for Mac, Parallels does not force you to reboot first.

Faster boot, excellent performance

Even though the entire Windows system is being virtualized on Mac, the performance of the guest OS is nearly the same you would get on standalone hardware. In fact, launching an arbitrary Windows application including running Parallels Desktop and booting the guest OS takes about 6-8 seconds at max.

Of course, the guest Windows OS can utilize the power of all CPU cores, video acceleration and make use of any other hardware your Mac computer has. This means Parallels Desktop is equally good for office work, web surfing, design and gaming.

Optimized for macOS Sierra

The latest Parallels Desktop for Mac version 12 is optimized for macOS Sierra. This means you can natively view and optimize your virtual machine storage without the need to explicitly run Parallels Desktop. And the full support for Retina displays allows for easier placement of VM windows and flexible adjustment of screen resolution of the guest OS.

Easily run Windows apps like Mac apps

In Parallels Desktop, you have full control over Windows applications and enjoy accustomed Mac OS X features at the same time. Search for Windows apps and documents with the Spotlight, pin frequently used programs to the Dock, run classic or Metro-style Windows applications, 32-bit and 64-bit – Parallels supports everything as long as you install the appropriate guest Windows OS.

Run apps when you need them

The seamless integration with Mac OS X means you can run Windows apps transparently. But in addition to this you can also pause execution of Windows programs and schedule Windows updates so that no unexpected restarts and notifications occur. And of course, EXE files icons are visible in the Finder just like native apps.

Easily migrate from Boot Camp and older Parallels Desktop

ParallelsWhen you have a working virtual machine already set up via Boot Camp it feels like pain to re-install the entire system to another virtual machine. With Parallels, you don’t have to! Easily convert your Boot Camp images to those compatible with Parallels Desktop. Migrating from Parallels 11 or 10 is also a joy ride.

And Windows is in fact not the only OS Parallels Desktop for Mac supports. You can install a bunch of operating systems including OS X, Linux or Chrome OS. As easily as you do with Windows 10, 8.1, or 7.

Advanced functions

Here are some more cool features to convince you trying Parallels Desktop for Mac 12.

  • It supports drag&drop from and to the guest OS.
  • It allows up to 16 virtual CPUs and 64 virtual GBs of RAM.
  • The program shares USB, Bluetooth and Firewire.
  • You can feed any URL from Safari directly to Internet Explorer.
  • Seamless integration with Office 365 facilitates easy work with everyday documents.
  • Windows passwords are stored in the secure Mac keychain.

Download Parallels

Surely, there is more to tell, but it is clear that Parallels Desktop is certainly the easiest way to run Windows apps on your Mac machine. Only running them on a native Windows computer could be easier, but you won’t have all those cool Mac features then! Anyway, give it a try, the evaluation version is free for 14 days.


Additional Information

  • System Requirements: OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 or later; OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 or later or OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 or later
  • Trial Limitations: free run for 14 days

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