How to Install Windows 10 in Parallels Desktop for Mac

Windows 10 is the most popular version of Windows. Installing it on Parallels Desktop® for Mac is easy to do—and does not require you to purchase Windows 10 beforehand.

There are four different scenarios you might find yourself in, with slightly different steps:

Scenario 1: You have just installed Parallels Desktop on your Mac.

Scenario 2: You have Parallels Desktop on your Mac, and you want to add a Windows 10 virtual machine (VM).

Scenario 3: You want to move Windows 10 from a physical PC into a Parallels Desktop VM.

Here are the individual steps for each:

Scenario 1: You have just installed Parallels Desktop on your Mac.

When you first launch Parallels Desktop on a Mac, it will detect that you have no virtual machines and will automatically offer to download and install Windows 10 for you. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1_Download and install Windows 10

Once you click “Install Windows,” there is basically nothing else for you to do. The Windows 10 installation files will begin downloading (Figure 2).

Note: If you click on “Skip” instead, you will be directed to the Installation Assitant where you can purchase Windows 10 (see Figure 8).

Figure 2_Downloading Windows 10

Once the download finishes, the installation of Windows 10 into a new VM in Parallels Desktop will begin (Figure 3).

Figure 3_Installing Windows

You will be notified when it completes (Figure 4).

Figure 4_Windows 10 installation complete

How long this process takes depends on the speed of your Internet connection and Mac. For me, at home and on a new MacBook Air, this took about one hour and 40 minutes.

While Windows 10 is installing, you’ll see dialogs about the installation of Parallels® Toolbox, a separate Parallels product that’s bundled with Parallels Desktop (Figure 5).

Figure 5_Parallels Toolbox, a product that is bundled with Parallels Desktop

Parallels Toolbox gives you 30+ single-purpose tools for common tasks. I encourage you to install Parallels Toolbox—I think you’ll find the tools very useful.

After Windows 10 is installed, you should get all of the available updates, and probably there will be several of them (Figure 6).

Figure 6_Get all of the available Windows updates

This may take a while but is very important.

At this point, you have a working installation of Windows 10 in a Parallels Desktop VM. You have not yet purchased Windows from Microsoft. A few features will be disabled until you do so. You can purchase and activate Windows from within your Windows VM, and the entire process takes only a few minutes (Figure 7).

Figure 7_Purchasing and activating Windows 10

Scenario 2: You have Parallels Desktop on your Mac, and you want to add a Windows 10 VM.

Adding Windows 10 as an additional VM in Parallels Desktop is also easy.

To start the process, either choose “New…” in the File menu of Parallels Desktop, or click on the “+” sign in the top right corner of the Control Center window.

Assuming that you don’t have a Windows 10 installation DVD laying around, click on the “Get Windows 10 from Microsoft” button (Figure 8).

Figure 8_Get Windows 10 button in the Installation Assistant

Then choose to purchase Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro in the next screen. If you want to install Windows 10 without making a purchase yet, choose to download it (Figure 9).

Figure 9_Choose which way to get Windows 10

Whichever path you choose, you will end up with a Windows 10 installation ISO file and a Windows 10 product key. After that, everything proceeds in the same manner as scenario 1. (See the previous Figure 2 as an example.) Don’t forget to install Parallels Toolbox and all the available Windows 10 updates!

Scenario 3: You want to move Windows 10 from a physical PC into a Parallels Desktop VM.

In this last scenario, you start out with the Installation Assistant dialog (see previous Figure 8) but choose “Transfer Windows from a PC.” You will then see the Transfer Windows dialog shown in Figure 14.

Figure 14_Transfer Your PC

This process will copy everything from a physical PC to a Parallels Desktop VM: apps, data files, and Windows itself. The physical PC will not be modified.

The most common way to transfer is via the network. The amount of time this will take depends on how much information is on the PC and how fast your network is.

There may be several Windows PCs on your network, so you need to indicate which PC you want to migrate into a VM. Do this by installing the Parallels Transfer Agent on the PC to be migrated.

There are two computers involved in this transfer: the Windows PC you are transferring from, and the Mac running Parallels Desktop which you are transferring to. Some of the actions you’ll take to set up this transfer occur on the PC and others on the Mac, so you will need to go back and forth between the two computers to set everything up. These tasks are not complicated, as shown in this video:

I hope you’ve seen how easy it is to install Windows 10 on Parallels Desktop. Feel free to download a free full-featured trial of Parallels Desktop and install Windows 10 like explained in scenario 1 right away at no extra cost.

Feel free to also check out our detailed video about How to install Windows on your Mac with Parallels Desktop – at no cost to you:

Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or Facebook which way of installing Windows 10 on your Mac worked best for you.

Parallels Desktop 16 для Mac

Запуск Windows на Mac

• Доступ к Microsoft Office для Windows и браузеру Internet Explorer.
• Быстрый запуск приложений Windows без снижения быстродействия Mac.
• Разработка и тестирование в нескольких операционных системах на виртуальной машине для Mac.
• Простой перенос файлов, приложений и других данных с ПК под управлением Windows на Mac.*

У вас уже есть более ранняя версия Parallels Desktop?
Что нового

Быстро, эффективно и легко

Если нужно запустить программы Windows, которые недоступны в версии для Mac, или перенести данные при переходе с ПК под управлением Windows на Mac, Parallels Desktop поможет справиться с этими задачами.

В этом видео скорость воспроизведения увеличена. Здесь представлен рабочий процесс на компьютере Mac с процессором Intel. Информацию о возможностях процессоров M1 см. в этой статье.

Более 7 миллионов пользователей и высокие оценки экспертов

“Меня всегда удивляло, что запустить Windows с помощью Parallels быстрее, чем на реальном ПК. На своем MacBook Air мне достаточно дважды щелкнуть значок Parallels, чтобы всего через шесть секунд приступить к работе в Windows».Дэвид Пог (David Pogue), The New York Times

“Для меня Parallels Desktop — самое лучшее решение для запуска Windows на Mac. Оно работает быстро и надежно, а еще его не нужно долго настраивать”.Эдриан Кингсли-Хьюс (Adrian Kingsley-Hughes), ZDNet

“Если сравнивать с Boot Camp от Apple, важно, что Parallels позволяет запускать обе операционные системы одновременно”.Ларри Магид (Larry Magid), Forbes

“Parallels Desktop — это самое простое, быстрое, полностью интегрированное приложение для запуска приложений или рабочего стола Windows в Apple OS X”.Эдвард Мендельсон (Edward Mendelson), PCMag.com

“Кажется, последняя версия Parallels, популярного инструмента для виртуализации Windows на Mac OS X, создана, чтобы потроллить Apple”.Engadget

«Разработчики совершенствовали это программное обеспечение на протяжении целого десятилетия, и теперь благодаря ему кажется, что Windows — это неотъемлемая часть MacOS. Также можно виртуализировать Linux, Android и практически любую операционную систему, которая работает с использованием микросхем Intel, в том числе и другой экземпляр MacOS. А это отличный вариант для тестирования бета-версий macOS!”.9to5Mac

Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac

Run Windows on Mac

• Access Microsoft Office for Windows and Internet Explorer
• Fast—run Windows apps without slowing down your Mac
• Develop & test across multiple OSes in a virtual machine for Mac
• Quickly move files, apps and more from a PC to a Mac*

Already have a subscription? Download free upgrade

Already have an older version of Parallels Desktop?
See What’s New

Fast, Powerful and Easy

Whether you need to run Windows programs that don’t have Mac versions, or you are making the switch from PC to Mac and need to transfer your data, Parallels Desktop has you covered.

In this video, you’ll find the playback speed has increased. The video shows a typical experience on a Mac powered by the Intel processor. Information on the M1 experience may be found in this article.

Over 7 Million Users and Praised by Experts

“It’s always been astonishing that it’s faster to start up a Parallels PC than a real one. On my MacBook Air, I’m up and running in Windows six seconds after I double-click the Parallels icon.”David Pogue, The New York Times

“Of all the ways to run Windows on a Mac, Parallels Desktop is my favorite because it just works. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and there’s no need to futz about with confusing setting or convoluted setup processes.”Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet

“Unlike Apple’s Boot Camp, Parallels lets you run both operating systems at the same time.”Larry Magid, Forbes

”Parallels Desktop is the easiest, fastest, and most tightly integrated app for running Windows apps or the Windows desktop in Apple OS X.”Edward Mendelson, PCMag.com

“The latest version of Parallels, the popular Windows virtualization tool for Mac OS X, almost feels like its trolling Apple.”Engadget

“The software has been iterating over a decade and now makes Windows feel like part of the macOS. You can also virtualize Linux, Android, and just about anything that runs on Intel chips including another instance of macOS—great for testing macOS Betas!”9to5Mac

Parallels Desktop for Mac Features

Ultimate Flexibility

Touch Bar

Works with Boot Camp

One-Click Tuning

• Office 365 Integration
  Allows Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Safari to open in their native Windows Office app.
• Works with Boot Camp
  Reuse your existing Boot Camp installation. Converting a virtual machine from Boot Camp is easy, just follow our installation assistant at startup.
• Retina Display Support
  Smart resizing and independent screen resolutions for separate displays.
• One-Click Tuning
  Select productivity, games, design, software testing, or development and Parallels Desktop will optimize your VM settings and performance for you.
• Instant Access
  Launch and access Windows applications right from the Mac Dock.

• Save Disk Space
  Get the most out of your Mac with automatic Disk Space optimization.
• Volume License Key
  Unified volume license key, centralized license management and advanced security features are available in Parallels Desktop Business Edition.
• Travel Mode
  Extend battery life while away from a power source.
• Parallels ToolboxBonus with Subscription!
  Over 30 one-touch tools—clean your drive, take screenshots, download a video and more—all with just a single click.
• Remote AccessBonus with Subscription!
  Remote access to your Mac from any iOS device, Android device or browser with Parallels Access ® .
• 24/7 Support
  Premium 24/7 phone, email and social support after activation.

Standard Edition

Installation

• Use Sign in with Apple for Parallels account registration and sign-in.
• Download and install Windows 10 automatically in one click.*
• Activate Windows automatically by specifying a license key before installation.
• Use Express Installation to fully automate Windows installation and user account setup.
• Install virtual machines from an ISO image, app, USB, CD, or DVD.
• Select automatically detected operating system installers from Downloads and Desktop folders.
• Use automatic Parallels Tools installation for many operating systems.
• Easily configure Windows for Productivity or Gaming.
• Use Windows from Boot Camp in a virtual machine.
• Import Boot Camp into a standalone virtual machine.
• Migrate Windows from PC to a virtual machine.*
• Download Ubuntu Linux, Fedora Linux, CentOS* Linux, Debian GNU/Linux, Mint Linux*, and Android* virtual machines.
• Download a ready-to-go Windows 10 virtual machine with Legacy Edge app.*
• Install macOS into a virtual machine from Recovery Partition.*
• Import VMware, VirtualBox, and Hyper-V virtual machines.

Onboarding

• Download a full-featured free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop Pro Edition
• Purchase Windows 10 directly from Parallels Desktop.
• Learn about basic Parallels Desktop features upon completing Windows installation.
• Learn about Coherence view mode upon first entering.
• Learn about working with Shared Profile folders when deleting Mac files from Windows.
• Use Parallels Desktop Help to learn more about application features.

General

• Run Windows and other virtual machines using native macOS virtualization on macOS Big Sur and later (with no additional kernel extensions).
• Use up to 4 CPUs and 8 GB of RAM for a virtual machine and even more in Pro and Business Edition.
• Boot a virtual machine from USB, network, or external disk.
• Manage virtual machine’s boot order and devices.
• Suspend and resume virtual machines for better productivity.
• Create snapshots to save OS and disk states and revert to it later.
• Save the current virtual machine state before reverting to a snapshot.
• Automatically pause a virtual machine when it’s idle to save Mac resources.
• Configure the time when a virtual machine gets paused.
• Configure a virtual machine to always run in the background.
• Configure a virtual machine to start when Parallels Desktop starts.

Appearance

• Use a virtual machine in a window, full screen, or picture-in-picture modes.
• Use all Mac displays when in full screen.
• Show and hide Windows spaces on all displays simultaneously.
• Optimize full screen for games.
• Use Windows gamma settings when in full screen.
• Configure opacity and always-on-top for the picture-in-picture mode.
• Use Windows applications in Coherence view mode side-by-side with macOS apps.
• Use Parallels Desktop in a dark theme.
• Configure the virtual machine’s startup and shutdown behavior.
• Monitor CPU, network, and disk activity on the virtual machine status bar.
• Use Resource Monitor to track CPU and RAM usage for several virtual machines.
• Use Free Up Disk Space wizard to manage disk space.
• See what Mac folders are shared with Windows in File Explorer.
• Show Windows applications in the Dock.
• Show Dock icons in Coherence only.
• Make Dock icons bounce to alert.

Graphics

• Use a virtual machine with Retina-optimized high-DPI resolution.
• Run DirectX 11 applications in Windows (powered by Apple Metal).
• Run OpenGL 3 applications in Windows and Linux.
• Run macOS Big Sur virtual machine with Apple Metal support (on macOS Big Sur host).*
• Use up to half of Windows RAM for video memory.
• Toggle high-performance graphics usage (discrete graphics card).

Integration

• Use Windows in Travel Mode to extend MacBook battery life.
• Schedule Windows maintenance for installing Windows updates.
• Control Windows applications with special Touch Bar options.
• Open Mac files using Windows applications.
• Make Windows applications default for opening macOS files.
• Use native Windows icons in macOS for executable files.
• Open Windows applications from macOS.
• Open macOS applications from Windows.
• Drag and drop files and images between macOS and a virtual machine (Windows, Linux, macOS).
• Drag and drop macOS screenshot preview to Windows apps.
• Copy and Paste formatted text and files between macOS and a virtual machine (Windows, Linux, macOS).
• Open web links from Windows in macOS browsers.
• Use Windows email client as default on Mac.
• Share macOS folders and disks with Windows.
• Share Windows folders and disks with macOS.
• Use macOS user profile folders as Windows user profile folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.).
• Share macOS network locations and volumes with Windows.
• Use Windows apps on iPad with Sidecar using Apple Pencil.
• Use synchronized time and time zones between Mac and Windows.
• Use synchronized macOS location with Windows.
• Use notification badge for the Outlook Dock icon to track unread emails.
• Use Outlook notifications in macOS.
• Attach recently- created Mac files to Outlook emails.
• Open Microsoft Office files from the macOS browser in Windows Desktop apps.
• Show Windows notification area on the Mac menu bar.
• Allow Windows applications to enter the full screen automatically when running in the Coherence mode.
• Share iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive macOS folders with Windows.
• Use macOS Dictionary in Windows.
• Use macOS Dictation in Windows.
• Use macOS Quick Look in Windows.
• Use macOS Special Characters in Windows.
• Pin your contacts from Windows People Bar to macOS Dock.
• Share Windows files using the macOS Share menu embedded in the Windows context menu.
• Insert photos and documents from iPhone to Windows.
• Send files from Finder to Windows email client.
• Use synchronized macOS Do Not Disturb with Windows 10 Focus Assist.

Devices

• Use all your Mac keyboard layouts in Windows automatically.
• Use synchronized keyboard layout selection between macOS and Windows.
• Customize keyboard shortcuts for virtual machines.
• Use the mouse with seamless switching between macOS and Windows.
• Optimize mouse and keyboard for games.
• Use the smooth scrolling with Trackpad.
• Use the smooth zoom and rotate gestures with TrackPad.
• Use Trackpad with Force Touch and Pressure Sensitivity in Windows.
• Use drawing tablets in Windows with full pen support (pressure, tilt, twist, erase).
• Print from Windows using Mac printers with duplex printing and up to A0 paper size.
• Synchronize the default printer between Mac and Windows.
• Show macOS printing settings before printing from Windows.
• Connect USB devices directly to a virtual machine.
• Manage USB devices’ automatic connection to a running virtual machine.
• Use a Mac web camera in Windows up to 4K resolution.
• Use VoIP phones in Windows.
• Use high-definition audio input/output in virtual machines.
• Synchronize sound volume between macOS and Windows.
• Share Bluetooth devices with Windows.
• Connect Bluetooth devices to Windows using Simple Pairing.
• Use expanding virtual disks to occupy as much disk space as the virtual machine uses.
• Use real-time disk space optimization for Windows to optimize Mac disk space usage.
• Automatically reclaim disk space on a virtual machine shutdown.
• Resize virtual hard disks up to 2TB.
• Add a virtual floppy device to a virtual machine.
• Add a serial port device to a virtual machine.

Network

• Use Shared network mode to share the Internet with a virtual machine.
• Use Bridged network mode to connect any network adapter to a virtual machine.
• Use Host-Only network mode to interconnect virtual machines in isolated networks.
• Generate MAC address for Windows.

Security

• Use the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 device in Windows 10.*
• Isolate a virtual machine from macOS.
• Encrypt a virtual machine.
• Restrict changing virtual machine state with the macOS admin password.
• Restrict changing virtual machine configuration with the macOS admin password.
• Restrict changing view mode with the macOS admin password.
• Restrict managing snapshots with the macOS admin password.
• Use Touch ID instead of manual passwords.

Support

• Use a large variety of Knowledge Base articles to get quick help.
• Use Facebook Messenger or Twitter to get quick help.
• Use Parallels Forums to connect with other users.
• Get 24/7/365 chat, phone, and email support.
• Authorize in Support Center automatically when using the in-product Help option.

Bonus Software

• Includes a three-month complimentary subscription for Parallels Access ™ , the easiest way to access your computer from anywhere remotely.
• Includes a three-month complimentary subscription for Parallels ® Toolbox with over 30 one-touch tools. Clean your drive, take screenshots, and more.

Pro Edition

Note: Parallels Desktop Pro Edition includes all features of the Standard Edition.

General

• Use up to 32 CPUs and 128GB of RAM for a virtual machine (VM).
• Enable Nested Virtualization to install and work in WSL 2, Docker for Windows, Android emulator for Visual Studio, iPhone emulator for Visual Studio, Xamarin.Android, Android Studio, Embarcadero RAD Studio, and more.*
• Configure a startup delay for a VM.
• Optimize VM settings and performance with Software Development, Software Testing, and Design profiles.
• Download a ready-to-go Windows 10 virtual machine with Visual Studio.*
• Switch a virtual machine to a pre-defined resolution.
• Use Linked Clones for convenient testing and development.
• Start Windows in Rollback Mode if you don’t want Windows to store the changes you made to it during the working session.
• Use NetBoot for macOS VMs.
• Archive/unarchive VMs in Control Center to save disk space.
• Limit VM resource usage.
• Use 8.3 filenames for Shared Folders.
• Support for mmap() in Linux Shared Folders.
• Use EFI Secure Boot.
• Create and use VM templates.
• Share smart card readers with Windows.
• Prepare VM for transfer to another Mac or cloud storage.

Appearance

• Run VMs as background processes without the GUI displayed on the Mac desktop (Headless mode).
• Color code VMs from the Context menu to distinguish them from one another.
• Set a custom icon for every VM.
• Sort VMs in the Control Center.
• Use Linked Clone indication in the Control Center.

Network

• Test different connectivity issues with an enhanced network editor; simulate 3G, Edge, or an unstable network connection or limit network bandwidth in a VM.
• Check and copy the virtual machine’s IP address using the Network icon on the VM status bar.
• Quickly start the SSH session with your VM.
• Open your website hosted in a VM in one click for testing with the «Open in Browser» menu.
• Resolve DNS requests from VM using the info in /etc/resolver from the host macOS.
• Use port forwarding to pass traffic from a Mac port to a VM or IP address and desired port.
• Use VM names as their DNS names.
• Use tcpdump with virtual networks.
• Create custom host-only networks.
• Specify names for custom host-only networks.
• Use DNS requests over TCP in Shared Network.

Develop

• Use Microsoft Visual Studio plugin to debug in a separate virtual machine.
• Use the Parallels Vagrant plugin to work with reproducible and portable work environments.
• Use linked clones in the Vagrant plugin to create new boxes fast and use disk space efficiently.
• Use Jenkins to run a build server on Mac.
• Run Docker VMs using Docker Machine Provider for Parallels Desktop.
• Generate a VM memory dump using Parallels Desktop UI controls.
• Start a debugging session in Terminal using Parallels Desktop UI controls.
• Access Pro tools from the menu: SSH, WEB, DBG, DUMP.
• Use the Parallels SDK with Python 3.0 support.

Command Line Interface

• Use Command Line Interface tools to control Parallels Desktop and manage VMs, including their settings and configuration.
• Use bash (zsh) autocompletion for the Parallels CLI tools.
• Pass arguments to virtual machine applications.

Bonus Software

• Includes a complimentary subscription for Parallels Access ™ , the easiest way to access your computer from anywhere remotely.
• Includes a complimentary subscription for Parallels ® Toolbox with over 30 one-touch tools. Clean your drive, take screenshots, and more.

Support

• Get Premium 24/7/365 phone, email, and chat support.

Business Edition

Note: Parallels Desktop Business Edition includes all features of the Standard and Pro Edition.

Licensing and Support

• Use Parallels My Account web app for administration and support.
• Manage corporate users: download a CSV list of users, promote admins, block users.
• Use a single license key on a selected number of computers.
• Monitor license usage (seats left, how many in use).
• Find information about Macs where Parallels Desktop was installed, generate reports, and manage information columns.
• Deactivate a license on selected Macs remotely to free seats for being used on other computers.
• Blacklist selected computers, so a user won’t be able to activate Parallels Desktop on it again.
• Send a custom message to users who will be deactivated/blacklisted.
• Create sub-licenses from the master license to protect master license, limit usage between several offices or departments, easily control license deactivation for classes and graduates.
• Assign administrators to one license or sub-license.
• Get extended 30-day grace period to have more time for license renewal.
• Rename computers and leave notes in their description.

Deployment

• Use deployment package to configure and deploy Parallels Desktop and virtual machines to Macs using ARD, Jamf, Parallels Mac Management, Munki, and other Mac Management tools.
• Send invitation emails to users, with a build, a license key, and other instructions.
• Prepare, upload, and enable Business users to download the VM on their Macs in one click.
• Select Windows applications to automatically add to the Mac Dock after deployment.
• Enable Single Application Mode to hide Parallels Desktop UI and notifications and to show specified Windows application only.
• Deploy archived VMs.

Administration

• Use the Business Edition Administrator’s Guide with instructions describing how to use product functionalities.
• Use advanced options in Command Line Tools to manage Parallels Desktop installations after deployment.
• Customize Control Center appearance to include Business logo and Helpdesk references.
• Customize the in-product «Request Support» option to route users to Helpdesk.
• Use a local update server to manage Parallels Desktop updates and upgrades.
• Change Windows user account password using Command Line Tools (if a user lost a password).
• Set custom Asset ID for Windows virtual machines to mark virtual machines in management tools or to pass some information from Mac to Windows.
• Control Parallels Desktop upgrades using the Parallels My Account web app.

Security

• Set a custom (non-Mac-admin) password to protect VM settings.
• Restrict Parallels Desktop users from changing VM settings, and view modes.
• Restrict Parallels Desktop users from creating, removing, cloning, and other operations over virtual machines.
• Create expiring virtual machines with a specified lifetime.
• Enforce USB device policies, so the users won’t be able to connect specific types of devices to Windows or another VM.
• Lock Windows before suspending a virtual machine to protect information.

Support

• Get Premium 24/7/365 phone and email support.
• Share support tickets with other Business account members.
• Escalate tickets to the Parallels Support Management team.

Compare Editions

Most Popular
Features	Standard Edition	Pro Edition	Business Edition
Download and install Windows 10 in one click*
Optimized for macOS Big Sur 11
Disk Space Optimization
Auto Video Memory
Advanced networking tools
Free upgrade to the latest version	1
Customize Touch Bar for Windows applications
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer or deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer
Rename custom networks
Virtual RAM for each VM	8GB vRAM	128GB vRAM	128GB vRAM
Virtual CPUs for each VM	4 vCPUs	32 vCPUs	32 vCPUs
Integration With Chef/Ohai/Docker/Vagrant
Microsoft Visual Studio plug-In*
Debug, dump VM or start an SSH session from menu
Support for business cloud services
Premium 24/7 phone and email support	30-days
Centralized administration and management
Unified Volume License Key for mass deployment
1 with Subscription

₁ with Subscription

Buy NowUpgrade

Standard Edition
Download and install Windows 10 in one click*
Optimized for macOS Big Sur 11
Disk Space Optimization
Auto Video Memory
Free upgrade to the latest version	1
Customize Touch Bar for Windows applications
Upgrade €49.99

Most Popular
Pro Edition All the Standard Edition features PLUS:
Advanced networking tools
Free upgrades to newer versions
Integration With Chef/Ohai/Docker/Vagrant
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer or deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for deployment
Convert VM bundles to a single file for transfer
Rename custom networks
Microsoft Visual Studio plug-In*
Debug, dump VM or start an SSH session from menu
Support for business cloud services
Premium 24/7 phone and email support
Buy NowUpgrade
Upgrade €49.99 /yr

Business Edition All the Standard and Pro Edition features PLUS:

Centralized administration and management

Unified Volume License Key for mass deployment

Buy Now

#1 choice of Mac Users to Run Windows On Mac

Thanks to @ParallelsMac for making this super Marraige work so easily. simple and effective. #Mac#Windows#parallelsdesktop I Love It. pic.twitter.com/MzdB7NQtuv

Garage Band and Logic Pro didn’t cut it for me. Time to set up a Windows 10 virtual machine so I could use my favorite MIDI sequencer. I’m surprised how well MIDI works with @ParallelsMac. My Mac mini is not missing a beat, literally! pic.twitter.com/Z3VKw0Mjal

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Parallels Desktop work?

To add Windows, Linux, or another operating system to your Mac, Parallels Desktop creates a virtual machine (VM)—a virtual PC inside your Mac. You can then install Windows on the virtual machine, just as you would install any operating system on a regular computer. Run multiple OSs at the same time, all on your Mac. It’s like two computers in one!

What can I do with Parallels Desktop?

• Open Windows applications side by side with your macOS applications, without having to restart your Mac
• Copy and paste text or drag and drop objects between Mac and Windows.
• Run Windows games and other 3D applications.
• Transfer all your data from a PC and use it on your Mac.*
• Easily share files, devices, and other resources between Windows and Mac.
• Install other operating systems, such as versions of Windows, Linux, another copy of macOS* and free virtual appliances—and use them together.
• And much more…

How do I get Windows?

There are several ways to install Windows (or any other operating system) in a virtual machine, and Parallels Desktop makes it easy to get started within minutes.

On Intel-powered Mac computers it is simple to install Windows. Just follow our Installation Assistant and click “Install Windows.” On Apple M1 chip-powered Mac computers you can install Windows by following the instructions in this article.

You can provide your own Microsoft Windows license key, purchase Windows directly from within Parallels Desktop, or transfer an existing Boot Camp partition with Windows already installed.

This screenshot illustrates the installation experience on an Intel-powered Mac and there is a separate article with installation information for the Apple M1 chip-powered Mac.

Transfer is only available for Intel-powered Mac and PC

What if I’m already using Boot Camp?

With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer.

If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into Parallels Desktop as a new virtual machine.

To use Windows from Boot Camp, install Parallels Desktop and follow the Installation Assistant.

How do I play Windows games on Mac?

Play your Windows-only game on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. Parallels Desktop even has a virtual machine setting dedicated to gaming to optimize performance. With ongoing support for DirectX and OpenGL, many popular games and game engines are supported within Parallels Desktop. Download a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop and see if your desired game is supported.

What are the system requirements for Parallels Desktop?

What if I need multiple licenses and license management?

Need Parallels Desktop for your team? Check out Parallels Desktop Business Edition.

Do you have educational pricing for students or faculty?

Parallels offers exclusive discounts for educational students currently enrolled in a qualified educational institution or professional educators who are currently employed. Educational discounts can save users up to 50% off by verifying their eligibility.

What is Parallels Desktop Pro Edition?

Parallels Desktop Pro Edition is packed with extra features, including: