Parallels Desktop for Mac – Installation and Setup. This tutorial explains how to install Parallels Desktop for Mac and setup of a Windows XP virtual machine. Getting Started. You will need: 1. A complete, fully licensed copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac. You can either buy a copy directly from Parallels, Inc. Parallels Desktop for Mac is a hardware emulation virtualization software, using hypervisor technology that works by mapping the host computer's hardware resources directly to the virtual machine's resources. Easily install and access complimentary security software subscriptions from one location.
Seamless Use Windows side by side with macOS ® (no restarting required) on your MacBook ®, MacBook Pro ®, iMac ®, iMac Pro ®, Mac mini ®, or Mac Pro ®. Share files and folders, copy and paste images and text and drag and drop files between Mac and Windows applications. Easy Setup Parallels Desktop automatically detects what you need to get started so you're up and going within minutes. If you need Windows, you’ll be prompted to download and install Windows 10 or choose your existing Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, or Boot Camp ® installation. Lightning Fast Graphic and resource-hungry Windows applications run effortlessly without slowing down your Mac. Run the most demanding applications such as Adobe ® Photoshop ®, Visual Studio ®, or SketchUp ®.
Choose Your View Make Windows invisible while still using its applications in Coherence mode. If you’re new to Mac, you can set Windows to occupy your entire screen, so it looks just like it would if you were using a Windows PC. “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 “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, Yahoo Tech “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. 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 trial versions of Windows, Linux, another copy of macOS, and free virtual appliances—and use them together. And much more. 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. If you need Windows on your Mac, Parallels Desktop can help you download and install Windows 10. All you need to do is follow our Installation Assistant and click “Install Windows.” Or 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.
Hardware. A Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon processor. Minimum 4 GB of memory, 8 GB is recommended. 600 MB of disk space on the boot volume (Macintosh HD) for Parallels Desktop application installation. Additional disk space for virtual machines (varies on operating system and applications installed, e.g. Parallels Desktop Pro Edition is packed with extra features, including:.
More Power: Parallels Desktop Pro Edition gives your virtual machines more processing power, up to 128 GB vRAM and 32 vCPUs per virtual machine. Network Conditioner – Simulate various internet connectivity speeds to test your applications. Visual Studio Plug-In – Develop software in one virtual machine and test in others—with just one click. Nested Virtualization Support – Support is available for the following:. VMware ESXi virtual machines. Xen and kernel-based virtual machines in versions of Linux that support Xen and KV.
Android emulator for Visual Studio in Windows. iPhone emulator for Visual Studio in Windows. Xamarin.Android in Windows.
Android Studio in Windows. Embarcadero RAD Studio in Windows. Docker for Windows. (experimental) Microsoft Visual Studio + TwinCat 3.
In the classic 'which is better' argument between s and PC's, PC advocates sometimes bring up features or characteristics of the Windows operating system as an argument for PC's being better than s. These individuals overlook a key feature of the lineup - you can run Windows on them. While you need to purchase a copy of the Windows operating system separately from your, once you do you can install it and enjoy the benefits of both operating systems. This is especially useful for individuals who want to use Macs but may rely on a few programs that are Windows-specific. Options For Installing Windows on a Mac If you are looking to install Windows on your, you have two options. You can either install Windows in Boot Camp, a native feature of the Mac OS X operating system, or you can use a virtualization program. These are third-party applications that run on your just like any other program.
They create a virtualization of another computer, allowing you to install a separate operating system. With virtualization software, it is almost like you are using two computers at the same time on one machine.
There are many virtualization programs available, but Parallels Desktop for is the most popular and will be the one we focus on. If you'd like to check out other virtualization options, and are good alternatives.
Depending on your specific needs, you may want to chose Boot Camp for your Windows install or you may want to buy a virtualization program. They both have their own specific advantages and disadvantages when you compare them. However, before you make the decision to purchase Windows and install it on your Mac, you'll want to double check that your Mac is compatible with the Windows version you are planning to run. Once you have the appropriate version of Windows, you now need to decide whether you would like to install it with Boot Camp or Parallels. Boot Camp How It Works Boot Camp is built into the OS X operating system of the Macs. If you go to your Applications Utilities folder, you will see the Boot Camp Assistant app. Boot Camp makes a separate partition on your computer's hard drive (think of it as splitting your hard drive into two separate parts) specifically for installing and running windows.
Upon launching the Boot Camp Assistant app, you have the option to change how large this partition is. Once Windows is installed in Boot Camp, every time you turn on your computer, you will be asked to select the operating system you would like to run. This means to switch from OS X to Windows, you need to reboot your.
Advantages. Built into the OS X operating system. Because Boot Camp runs Windows completely isolated from OS X instead of at the same time (like with virtualization), Boot Camp is less of a strain on your Mac's memory and is easier on your Mac to keep up and running. The Boot Camp Assistant app guides you through the install process. Completely free!
All you have to do is buy Windows and not any additional software. Free and easy updates Disadvantages. Once you partition the hard drive, you cannot adjust the partition size. Meaning if you create a 200GB partition for Windows but run out of storage, you would need to completely reset Boot Camp and repartition to the size you desire.
Every time you wish to switch between operating systems, you need to reboot your computer. No easy way of transferring files and data between operating systems.
Either email them to yourself, use a cloud service like Dropbox or iCloud Drive, or use an external device like a USB drive or CD. Because you need to partition the hard drive, you are effectively decreasing the available space on the OS X side of your.
Parallels Desktop for Mac How It Works If you decide to use Parallels Desktop, you first need to purchase both the Parallels program and your Windows operating system. The current version of Parallels Desktop is Parallels 10. Once you purchase, download and install Parallels, you can open the program and install your Windows operating system within it. Much like Boot Camp, you decide how much space you want to allocate toward Windows, but unlike Boot Camp, you can easily change these storage options after installation. Parallels runs like any other app on your Mac.
When it is up and running, you see an entire Windows desktop within a window on your Mac (you can obviously full screen the program as well). This makes switching back and forth between systems incredibly easy. Advantages. More functional than Boot Camp in the sense that you can run both operating systems at one time. Easy file integration between systems.
You can even link desktops between your Parallels program and OS X so that any documents created in one system are automatically copied and saved to the other system. Coherence Mode. This feature of Parallels blends the Windows and OS X environments together, giving you a common interface for both applications. This means that instead of having a whole Windows Desktop open within OS X, you can open Windows apps in Coherence Mode, and they look just as if you opened a program. No need to create a separate partition on your hard drive for Windows that cannot be easily changed as with Boot Camp. Disadvantages. Compared to Boot Camp, Parallels is a greater strain on your Mac's memory and processing power since both operating systems are running at the same time.
I would say that if you want to smoothly run either Windows 7, 8 or 10 on your in Parallels, you should at least have 4GB of RAM on your Mac and if you like using many apps at the same time, I'd recommend having at least 8GB. Parallels is a more expensive option than Boot Camp since you have to buy the Parallels software. Updates are not as easy and affordable as Boot Camp. There is a new version of Parallels released in tandem with OS X updates every year and it usually costs $49.99 to upgrade. If you update the OS X version on your, you will need the new Parallels version in order to be compatible. You do not need to reinstall Windows each time you update Parallels, however.
Some people may find that the Parallels route has a steeper learning curve than Boot Camp as Parallels is a completely separate application with far more preferences and settings to learn (or be confused by), whereas Boot Camp is a more straightforward setup. So, Which Should I Choose? If you have an older computer with less than 4GB of RAM, you probably want to go with Boot Camp as you will notice decreased performance running Parallels. If you're someone who wants to keep their Windows and OS X experiences entirely separate, Boot Camp is also the best option for you.
Those looking to install Windows on their as affordably as possible will also want to go the Boot Camp route. If you want to run Windows and Mac apps together at the same time and be able to quickly switch back and forth between operating systems, you definitely want to go with Parallels or another virtualization software (they all do virtually the same thing, no pun intended). My personal recommendation is that if you have a computer with enough RAM and a processor to handle it, go with Parallels.
I find it easier to use and the ability to run Windows apps in Coherence Mode is awesome - giving you the best of both operating system worlds. Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Boot Camp, Parallels, virtualization or anything else, leave us a comment below or hit us up on our web chat! If you need help installing Windows on your, our Apple Technicians are able to help you out. We charge $95 for the install and can also help you with purchasing and downloading Parallels and the Windows operating system!