Parallels desktop reviews for mac#
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Parallels desktop reviews update#
Parallels desktop reviews software#
Parallels desktop reviews download#

There’s also improved support for USB audio and video capture devices, and even game controllers for Windows games too. Other new features include support for Stage Manager in macOS Ventura, so that your Windows apps will get tucked to the side of the screen alongside all your Mac apps. Unfortunately, Parallels informed us that the multiple GPU cores on the M1 and M2 chips are controlled solely by the macOS itself, so Parallels doesn’t allow you to also specify the number of GPU cores used by your virtual machines.

On high-end Macs, such as the Mac Studio with its M1 Max and Ultra chips, you can now configure your virtual machines to use up to 62GB of memory and 18 CPU cores, in order to provide improved performance.

Parallels desktop reviews software#

Parallels also states that Windows On ARM now allows you to run most older software and apps that were originally written for the Intel version of Windows, so you shouldn’t have any compatibility problems when running virtual machines that use Windows On ARM.

Parallels desktop reviews download#

Thankfully, Parallels Desktop 18 finally seems to have solved these problems, and now includes the ability to download and buy the ARM version of Windows 11 directly within Parallels itself. However, WoA isn’t normally licensed to individual users, which meant that owners of M1 and M2 Macs faced both technical and licensing problems if they wanted to run Windows on their Macs. There is a version of Windows – called WoA, or Windows On ARM – that uses the same ARM technology as Apple’s M1 and M2 chips, and which could run on Macs with those chips. But, of course, there was a problem when Apple began to introduce new Macs based on its own ‘Apple Silicon’ chips, as Parallels running on Macs with M1 or M2 processors was no longer able to run the Intel version of Windows (or to use an existing BootCamp partition to create a Windows virtual machine). So, as expected, the new Parallels Desktop 18 is now compatible with macOS Ventura – both as the main ‘host’ operating system, and as a ‘guest’ virtual machine – as well as the latest version of Windows 11.

What’s new in Parallels Desktop 18?Īs always, Parallels Desktop is updated every year to coincide with the launch of the latest versions of the macOS.

Parallels desktop reviews update#

The latest update to Parallels Desktop is version 18, we’ll discuss what’s new in this version below before running through some of the best features in Parallels Desktop that have been introduced over the years. But luckily there is an ARM version of Windows, although getting hold of that has been a challenge (until now). The move to the ARM-based M-series of chips also means that running a a non-ARM version of Windows is problematic. That’s not to say that it’s completely plain sailing.

Parallels desktop reviews for mac#

Parallels Desktop for Mac is an excellent solution for running guest operating systems within macOS and thanks to a regular cycle of annual updates – that generally coincide with updates to macOS itself – Parallels Desktop has ruled the roost in the Mac virtualisation market in recent years. Luckily there are other options for those wanting to run more than one operating system on a Mac and one of the best is Parallels Desktop. (Macs that still use Intel processors will still be able to use Apple’s Boot Camp to dual-boot, and switch between Windows and the macOS).

But times have changed and Apple has now transitioned from Intel to its own M-series chips and left Boot Camp in the past as it is not an option for M-series Macs. When Apple moved to Intel CPUs back in 2006 running Windows on a Mac became easier thanks to the introduction of Apple’s own Boot Camp, which made it easy for users to run both Windows and macOS natively on their Mac.

Parallels desktop reviews install#

Or maybe you need to test applications and services on alternative operating systems – the only way you can install macOS alongside Windows is on a Mac, because Apple won’t allow macOS to be installed on anything else. Or perhaps you are wanting to play Windows games on your Mac. Perhaps your employer uses software that’s available only for Windows, or requires use of a website that relies on some Windows-only technology. The latest update cements Parallels Desktop status as the best option for Mac users who need to run Windows software on their Mac.įor many Mac users, running Windows applications is a necessity.

The price has increased, but there is good news for M-series Macs thanks to the simplification of the process for running Windows on ARM.

M-series Macs miss out on many of the advantages of virtualisation.