Parallels Desktop is known as the most powerful virtual machine software on macOS. You can simulate running Win, Linux, Android and other operating systems and software under the Mac at the same time without having to restart the computer, and can switch between different systems at will.
The latest version of Parallels Desktop 18 (PD18) perfectly supports the latest macOS Ventura, Monterey and Windows 11, Win10, and is fully optimized! You can run Linux and Windows applications, games, and use tools such as Office Office, VisualStudio, AutoCAD, and more directly on your Mac system without restarting. The new PD18 supports DirectX 11, which greatly improves startup speed and 3D game graphics performance!! An essential artifact for Mac users.
Simply put, Parallels Desktop 18 for Mac allows you to run one or more Windows or Linux systems on an Apple Mac (including M1, M2 or Intel) and switch between different platform software at will. It makes your Mac incredibly powerful, because PD lets you run almost all the applications and games on other platforms directly on macOS that can’t be installed and run on a Mac.
Parallels Desktop allows you to share files and folders between macOS and Windows applications, copy and paste text or images directly from one platform to another, or drag and drop files from one system to another with your mouse.
The PD virtual machine also supports the use of various Bluetooth devices or USB hardware devices and supports USB-C/USB 3.0. Once you plug in a device, you can assign it to a Mac or assign it to a virtual machine. So it allows you to use some of the hardware on your Mac that was originally Windows only (like swiping your phone’s ROM, using an old-fashioned printer, using an IRS invoice system, using a USB dongle, a gamepad, or all sorts of other USB devices).
In terms of performance, according to various media tests, PD products have been better and smoother than VMware Fusion, VirtualBox, etc. in 3D game and graphics performance! Today, PD also perfectly supports DX9 and DirectX 11 through Apple Metal’s API, which can run Autodesk 3ds Max, AutoCAD, PhotoShop and many mainstream large-scale 3D games more smoothly and easily. The new version also adds XBox and PS5 console controller support, making the game experience better.
In addition, because everyone needs to use the software environment is not the same, Parallels Desktop also provides a thoughtful “one-click automatic optimization” function, which can be selected according to your use: running ordinary daily applications, design or development, games or large 3D software, etc., it will adjust and optimize the configuration of the PD virtual machine itself. Make it more suitable for your work scenarios.
Apple introduced the Apple M1 and M2 chip processor in the latest Mac models, which has quite powerful performance, but it is not directly compatible with x86/x64 systems and software, and you cannot natively install ordinary Windows systems. Now, Parallels Desktop officially supports M1 / M2 Macs running Windows 11 ARM/Win10 ARM (Currently only supported by PD).
You only need to go here to download the latest Windows 11 ARM version image, or Win10 ARM image to install Windows ARM system on the M series machine, the measured performance is very smooth! Compatibility is no problem, and the native installation is basically no difference, the effect is quite good. Similarly, the new PD can support the installation of Linux ARM systems such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Mint, etc.
Designed specifically for the latest Apple hardware and macOS Ventura systems, the PD18 virtual machine improves compatibility with Windows 11 running on ARM architecture, and features powerful performance and gaming updates that allow users to do more and play more without interruption.
The new version of the PD18 virtual machine optimizes the performance of Apple M1 and M2 processors! Get the most out of Apple ‘s new Mac and get a huge performance boost. so that that application run faster and consume less energy.
Users can allocate more RAM and CPU cores, making Win11 96% faster on Mac Studio. Compared to Intel models, M-series chips consume 40% less power with PD, DirectX 11 performance improves by up to 60%, and virtual machine performance improves by 30%.
When running ARM-based Windows 11 on the PD18, it provides better Intel (x86) application compatibility than in the past, especially when saving and reading files from Mac disks. And the process of installing and configuring Win11 has become simpler and more convenient. It also supports the latest Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 22.04, Fedora 36, Debian 11, CentOS 9 Stream, RHEL9, and more.
The experience of playing Windows games on your Mac has been enhanced. PD18 can automatically connect your Xbox or PS5/PS4 DualShock Bluetooth controller to Windows and Linux. Just connect the controller to your Mac, switch to Windows and start playing.
You can now also run Steam games with Linux OpenGL improvements. And enjoy smooth Windows UI and video playback, higher frame rates, and more.
PD18 new features
* Better Apple hardware support: Improved compatibility of Apple’s ProMotion displays, allowing the display refresh rate between Mac and Windows to automatically sync.
* Improved USB 3.0 support: Supports live streaming devices such as webcams, game capture and recording devices, and a variety of other video and audio streaming devices, including the Elgato HD60 S, SOCT Copernicus REVO, and more.
* Simplified sharing options: You can freely configure file sharing between Mac and Win. Easily choose which local or cloud folders on macOS to share with Windows and vice versa.
* Network Configuration Protection: The new version adds basic network connectivity protection so that users don’t inadvertently break it.
* Better disk space control: You can calculate the disk space used by snapshots in the updated Free Up Disk Space Assistant.
* Boot the macOS virtual machine into recovery mode: The Ventura virtual machine boots into recovery mode to disable SIP system integrity protection.
New features for PD 18 Pro Pro, Enterprise Edition
* Powerful network regulator: On a Mac with an M-chip, users can simulate various network conditions (bandwidth, packet loss, latency, etc.) for virtual machines, both for Win and Linux virtual machines
* Remote analysis using Visual Studio: The VS plug-in allows C++ developers to select the appropriate virtual machine in the VS menu to analyze applications on their secondary virtual machines.
* Virtual machine network isolation from Mac: Improves network security and uses Parallels Desktop as a virtualization provider to launch a Minikube cluster.
* Linux ARM Virtual Machine Uses Network Boot: You can use the Network Boot feature for Linux ARM Virtual Machines on Macs with M-Series chips.
* Convenient SSO/SAML authentication feature (Enterprise Edition): Employees are able to sign in and activate PDs using enterprise accounts.
* Virtual Machine Deployment Management (Enterprise Edition): IT administrators can deploy, provision, or transfer Win11 virtual machines between employees’ Mac computers.
As the most powerful virtual machine software in macOS today, PD has always focused on performance. In addition to faster Windows startup and recovery, recent releases offer hardware acceleration for video decoding, 2D performance, and DirectX 3D performance improvements for Win and Linux, as well as improved OpenGL graphics support, so you can run more 3D applications and games smoothly.
For example, Autodesk 3ds Max, AutoCAD, ArcGIS Pro, SolidWorks and other software, or eat chicken, watch pioneer, battlefield, assassins creed, PUBG, FIFA, Age of Empires, Fallout 4, Tomb Raider and other large-scale games can run smoothly.
Not only that, but the operating system and ordinary applications are also constantly optimized, and the startup speed of new versions such as Microsoft Office Office, the UI response speed of the PD itself, and the network performance on virtual machines are faster than the old version.
If you often need to switch between Windows and macOS software, the “clipboard interoperability” and “cross-platform document drag and drop” features allow you to easily drag and drop images, text, documents and other contents from Mac to Windows applications and vice versa. the operation is very intuitive and convenient, and that file transmission and exchange are more efficient.
This almost completely breaks the barrier between software applications in different systems, and it will be used like software in the same system, which will be a huge improvement in efficiency for office users.
Parallels Desktop provides a convenient “Coherence Mode” that lets you display and run Windows programs (like a Mac.(In this mode, you can (drag and drop “software windows from your Win virtual machine onto your Mac desktop, just like native Mac software! For example, the picture below shows the Windows version of Office in Fusion mode, which is no different from the Mac version.
Of course, you can also run Windows in full-screen mode, so that your MacBook instantly becomes a Windows notebook, everything is very flexible and convenient. With Parallels, you can experience an unprecedented experience with a computer – using software that spans two (more) different operating systems at the same time and very smoothly.
If you are a fan of different dimensions, then you must like to try all kinds of new software, or make various modifications to the system and application software. However, some imperfect beta software and unknown applets may leave garbage or cause unknown effects on the system. At this time, the powerful snapshot function of Parallels Desktop will surely make you addicted.
You can take a snapshot of the current virtual machine system at any time, it will backup and save the entire state of the current system (including the document you wrote to half, open the web page that is not closed, etc.), and then you can mess with the system. When you are tired of/broken, just select “Manage Snapshots” in the menu and find the snapshot you just took to restore it. After a while, your system is back to the time point of taking pictures, just like the magic of the time machine.
Parallels Desktop allows you to create multiple snapshots (and delete them at will), such as one when you install a new system, another when you install all the updates, another when you install frequently used software, and another before you test a piece of software, and then you can revert to any point in time. This is definitely a lifesaver for students with systematic cleanliness. It is highly recommended that you take advantage of this feature.
Parallels offers a suite of ancillary applications, the Parallel Toolbox (PD one-click utility set), that helps users easily take screenshots, record screens, make GIFs, and clean up Junk, recording, compressing files, downloading videos, converting videos, muting microphones, displaying desktops, preventing hibernation, stopwatches, timers and other functions, these gadgets can greatly improve the convenience, when using related functions do not have to go everywhere to find, for lazy users is still very practical.
The Parallels Access feature lets you remotely access your computer’s virtual machine desktop from your iOS or Android mobile device at any time, just in case. Simply install the Parallels Access app on your mobile device and gently connect and control it remotely.
Alternatively, you can access it from any other computer through your browser and your Parallels account. Easily navigate and find files on your hard drive, then tap to copy or open them.
The great advantage of PD virtual machines is that in addition to the basic virtualization functions, it also provides a large number of intimate small functions, and as the iteration of the version continues to add new features, it is almost impossible to list them here, such as:
* New TPM virtual chip, perfect support for Win11, installation process without any obstacles;
* Support one-click direct download of various latest Linux distributions;
* Sync your Mac’s printer settings to Windows;
* Automatic reclamation of available disk space;
* Ensure that files in shared folders are not accidentally deleted by using Safe Delete Check;
* On the Finder file sharing menu on your Mac, select Send files using the mail client for your Windows system;
* You can drag and drop Mac files directly onto Windows and vice versa;
* Complete Bluetooth support for connecting low-power devices, controllers, and more devices
* For more small functions, please start your own experience.
Some of the basic features of Parallels Desktop
* Support Windows 11/Win 10/Win 8.1/Win7/XP and other full range of Microsoft operating systems
* Supports various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, etc. and Chrome OS and Android systems
* Supports dragging and dropping files between Mac, Windows, and some Linux, copy-pasting text, or files
* Windows systems installed through BootCamp can be easily converted to virtual machines
* Cloud storage such as OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and more can be shared between Mac and Windows
* Easily move files, applications, browser bookmarks, and more from your PC to your Mac
* Windows is supported using the Retina display
* Sidecar features and Apple Pencil pen support are supported
* You can assign any number of USB devices to your Mac or Windows at will
* Supports the connection of Bluetooth devices, FireWire, and Thunderbolt interface devices
* Supports Windows/Linux shared folders as well as printers
* Supports importing VMware, VirtualBox, and Hyper-V virtual machines
Parallels Desktop Pro Pro is different from Enterprise Edition
In addition to the standard version, Parallels Desktop is also available in Pro Professional Edition and Business Edition (Enterprise Edition) versions. The Professional Edition is primarily for developers and integrates with the Visual Stuido debugging plugin, support for creating and managing Docker virtual machines, and advanced networking tools and debugging capabilities that can simulate various network instability. The Enterprise Edition provides centralized virtual machine management and unified volume license key management on the basis of the Professional Edition, and there is a functional comparison table on the official website.
Note: If you have encountered issues when upgrading to this latest version of Parallels Desktop, you can use AppUninstaller.com’s App Uninstaller to get rid of the previous versions on your Mac.
AppUninstaller.com’s App Uninstaller is our recommended tool for thorough app removal, and it is rated as the best Mac app uninstaller.
Unless you’re a developer who knows you’ll need advanced features like Docker, Vagrant, the command line interface, Jenkins, and Hyper-V nested virtualization support, the Standard Edition is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of ordinary consumers! The standard edition is available with a subscription or a one-time buyout, while the professional and enterprise editions are paid annually.
In short, if you’re using an Apple Mac and want to use software for other platforms, especially Windows software, then using a virtual machine is much more convenient and feature-rich than using BootCamp to install native dual systems. Parallels Desktop gives you an unparalleled “cross-platform” experience on macOS. Personally, I think Parallels is more user-friendly and feature-rich than similar software, and its performance is better. All in all, macOS with PD will make your Mac incredibly powerful and a must-have installation tool.