Parallels For Mac Review

Effectiveness
5 out of 5
Responsive integrated Windows experience
  1. Parallels 14 For Mac Review
  2. Parallels For Mac Reviews Reddit
  3. Parallels 12 For Mac Review
  4. Parallels For Mac Review 2017
ease of use
5 out of 5
Runs like a Mac app (absolutely intuitive)
support
4.5 out of 5
Multiple ways to contact support

Quick Summary

Parallels Desktop lets you run Windows apps on your Mac. That can be very handy if you rely on certain Windows apps for your business, or have switched to Mac and can’t find alternatives for everything you need.

Is it worth it? If you have Mac apps for everything you need you won’t need Parallels, and if you need just a few non-critical Windows apps a free alternative may meet your needs. But if you rely on Windows apps to get your work done, you’ll need the premium Windows performance that Parallels Desktop provides.

Parallels Desktop 13 allows you to run Windows apps on your Mac. It does this by allowing you to install Windows on a virtual machine — a computer emulated in software. Your virtual computer is assigned a portion of the RAM, processor and disk space of your real computer, so it will be slower and have less resources.


What I Like
  • Windows is very responsive
  • Pauses when not in use to save resources
  • Coherence mode lets you run Windows apps like Mac apps
  • Also run Linux, Android and more
What I Don't Like
  • My mouse became unresponsive once
  • macOS and Linux are less responsive than Windows

Parallels Desktop for Mac

macOS, $79.99+

Quick Navigation

// Why Should You Trust Me?
// What Is Parallels Desktop for Mac?
// Parallels Desktop for Mac: What's in it For You?
// ​Reasons Behind My Reviews and Ratings
// ​Alternatives to Parallels Desktop
// Conclusion

Why Should You Trust Me?


My name is Adrian Try. After using Microsoft Windows for over a decade, I made a deliberate move away from the operating system in 2003. I enjoyed the change, but still needed certain Windows apps on a regular basis. So I found myself using a combination of dual boot, virtualization (using VMware and VirtualBox) and Wine. See the Alternatives section of this review.

I hadn’t tried Parallels Desktop before. I was provided a review license, and installed version 12 on my macOS Sierra-based iMac. For the last week I’ve been putting it through its paces, installing Windows 10 (purchased just for this review) and several other operating systems, and trying just about every feature in the program.

Version 13 was released last night, so I immediately upgraded. This review reflects my use of both Parallels Desktop 12 and 13, and all of the screenshots are from version 13. Third-party reviews that I reference are all of version 12.

In this review I’ll share what I like and dislike about Parallels Desktop. The content in the quick summary box above serves as a short version of my findings and conclusions. Read on for the details!

What Is Parallels Desktop for Mac?

Parallels Desktop allows you to run Windows apps on your Mac. It does this by allowing you to install Windows on a virtual machine — a computer emulated in software. Your virtual computer is assigned a portion of the RAM, processor and disk space of your real computer, so it will be slower and have less resources.

Other operating systems will also run on Parallels Desktop, including Linux, Android and macOS — even older versions of macOS and OS X (El Capitan or earlier).

What’s New in Parallels Desktop 13?

Parallels has added a number of new features to version 13. According to the release notes from Parallels, those include speed improvements, making GIFs, presentation mode, Picture-in-Picture, Retina display enhancements, etc. Watch this 3-minute video for more.

Is Parallels Desktop Safe?

Yes, it is. I ran and installed the app on my macOS Sierra based iMac and scanned it for viruses. Parallels Desktop 13 doesn’t contain any virus or malicious processes.

Be aware that when you install Windows in Parallels, you become vulnerable to Windows viruses (on the virtual machine and the files it can access), so make sure you protect yourself. A trial version of Kaspersky Internet Security is included, or install your security software of choice.

During my use of the app, my mouse froze once when switching between Windows and Mac. This required a reboot to fix. Your mileage may vary.

Is Parallels Desktop Free?

No, it isn’t freeware though a full-featured 14-day trial is available. There are three versions of the app to consider:

Parallels
  1. Parallels Desktop for Mac ($79.99 for students): Designed for home or student use.
  2. Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition ($99.99/year): Designed for developers and power users who need the best performance.
  3. Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition ($99.99/year): Designed for IT departments, it includes centralized administration and volume licensing.
  4. You’ll also have to pay for Microsoft Windows and your Windows applications if you don’t already own them.

How to Install Parallels Desktop for Mac

Here is an overview of the full process of getting the app up and running:

  1. Download and install Parallels Desktop for Mac.
  2. You’ll be asked to choose an operating for your new virtual machine. To install Windows, you have three choices: purchase it online, install it from a US stick, or transfer it from a PC. Enter the Windows product key when prompted.
  3. Windows will be installed along with some Parallels tools. This will take some time.
  4. Your new Windows desktop will be displayed. Install any Windows application software you need.

Parallels Desktop for Mac: What’s in it For You?


Since Parallels Desktop is all about running Windows apps (and more) on your Mac, I’m going to list all its features by putting them into the following five sections. In each subsection, I’ll first explore what the app offers and then share my personal take.

1. Turn Your Mac Into Several Computers with Virtualization

Parallels Desktop is virtualization software — it emulates a new computer in software. On that virtual computer you can run any operating system you like, including Windows, and any software that runs on that operating system. That’s very convenient if you need non-Mac software.

A virtual machine will run slower than your real computer, but Parallels has worked hard to optimize performance. Trusted Reviews ran some benchmark tests and were impressed: “Performance is excellent, with Windows feeling responsive and snappy. I ran GeekBench 3 on both Mac and the Windows virtual machine and got similar scores: Mac OS scored 5,833 in the multi-core test, and the Windows virtual machine scored 5,057.”

But why run a slower virtual machine when you can install Windows on your actual computer using Bootcamp? Because having to restart your machine to change operating systems is slow, inconvenient, and incredibly frustrating. Virtualization is an excellent alternative.

GeekWire’s Daniel Rasmus agrees. “Parallels virtual machines can run almost any operating system, even those that are no longer supported (as long as you have a CD and license key)… Parallels works closely with Apple, Microsoft and the open source community to ensure that Parallels Desktop will not only run their operating systems, but that they run relatively fast in a very stable environment.”

My personal take: Virtualization technology provides a convenient way of accessing non-Mac software while using macOS. If you need regular access to Windows apps, Parallel’s implementation is superb.

2. Run Windows on Your Mac Without Rebooting

You may need to run Windows on your Mac for a variety of reasons. Here are some examples:

  • Developers can test their software on Windows and other operating systems
  • Web developers can test their websites on a variety of Windows browsers
  • Writers can create documentation and reviews about Windows software.

Parallels provides the virtual machine, you need to supply Microsoft Windows. There are three options:

  1. Purchase it directly from Microsoft and download it.
  2. Purchase it from a store and install from a USB stick.
  3. Transfer Windows from your PC or Bootcamp.

Transferring a previously-installed version of Windows is the least-recommended option, as it can lead to

licensing issues or driver problems. David Ludlow from Trusted Reviews explains:

“But there are caveats. Foremost, is that Windows’ licensing prevents you from moving an OEM version of an OS to a new computer, even to a virtual machine. In other words, you can only transfer an old PC if you bought a retail version of Windows.”

“Secondly, Windows 10 doesn’t particularly like being moved, and Windows apps won’t necessarily run. I got a warning when trying to run some apps, such as Edge, telling me that they ‘can’t be opened using the Built-in Administrator account’.”

In my case, I purchased a shrink-wrapped version of Windows 10 Home (with USB an enclosed USB stick) from a store. The price was the same as downloading from Microsoft: $179 Aussie dollars.

I started up Parallels Desktop 13, inserted my USB stick, and Windows was installed without fuss.

Once installed, Windows feels snappy and responsive. Moving from Windows to Mac and back again is fast and seamless. I’ll explain how that’s done in the next section.

My personal take: For those needing access to Windows while using macOS, Parallels Desktop is a godsend. They have obviously worked hard to optimize their software for Windows, as it is incredibly responsive.

3. Switch Conveniently between Mac and Windows

How easy is switching between Mac and Windows using Parallels Desktop? You don’t even notice it. By default it runs inside a window like this.

When my mouse is outside of that window, it is the black Mac mouse cursor. Once it moves inside the window, it becomes the white Windows mouse cursor automatically and instantly.

For some uses that can feel a little cramped. Pressing the green Maximize button will make Windows run full screen. The screen resolution adjusts automatically. You can switch to and from Windows using a four-finger swipe.

Very fast, very easy, very intuitive. Switching between Mac and Windows couldn’t be easier. Here’s another bonus. For convenience, I found myself leaving Windows open even when I wasn’t using it. When not in use, Parallels pauses the virtual machine to reduce the load on your computer.

Once your mouse enters the Windows environment again, Windows is up and running again within about three seconds.

My personal take: Whether running Windows full-screen or in a window, switching to it is simple and seamless. It’s no harder than switching to a native Mac app.

4. Use Windows Apps alongside Mac Apps

When I first moved away from Windows, I found myself still relying on a few key apps. You might be the same:

  • You switched to Mac, but still have a number of Windows apps you rely on — perhaps the Windows versions of Word and Excel, the Xbox Streaming app, or a Windows-only game.
  • You may still absolutely depend on a legacy app that no longer works on modern operating systems.

It’s surprising how reliant businesses can become on out-of-date software that is no longer updated or supported. Daniel Rasmus from GeekWire explains:

“People working outside of large corporations may be surprised by how much of the world continues to run on old software — some supported, some not. If a financial application relies on an old Windows NT or other legacy framework that doesn’t run on Windows 10, let alone on macOS, the choice comes down to investing in new software and the associated implementation costs, or keeping old hardware in play, or using a virtualization solution.”

Parallels Desktop provides a Coherence Mode which lets you work with Windows apps without dealing with the Windows interface. David Ludlow sums it up: “Coherence turns your Windows apps into Mac ones.”

Coherence Mode hides the Windows interface altogether. You launch the Start Menu by clicking the Windows 10 icon on your dock.

You can search for and run the Windows Paint program from Spotlight.

Paint runs right on your Mac desktop, no Windows in sight.

And the Mac’s right-click Open With menu even lists Windows apps.

My personal take: Parallels Desktop allows you to use Windows apps almost as if they were Mac apps. You can start the from your Mac’s Dock, Spotlight, or a context menu.

5. Run Other Operating Systems on Your Mac

The convenience of Parallels Desktop doesn’t stop with Windows. You can run a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Android and macOS. Why would someone want to do that? Here are some examples:

  • A developer working on an app that runs on multiple platforms can use virtual computers to run Windows, Linux and Android to test the software on.
  • Mac developers can run older versions of macOS and OS X to test compatibility.
  • A Linux enthusiast can run and compare multiple distros at once.

You can install macOS from your recovery partition or a disk image. You can also install older versions of OS X if you still have the installation DVDs or disk images. I chose to install macOS from my recovery partition.

I found macOS significantly less responsive than Windows — I assume Parallel’s main priority is Windows performance. It was definitely usable, though.

Installing Linux is similar. You can either choose to have Parallels Desktop download a number of Linux distros (including Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Debian and Linux Mint), or install from a disk image.

Like macOS, Linux seems less responsive than Windows. Once you have a few operating systems installed, the Parallels Desktop Control Panel is a handy way to start and stop them.

My personal take: Parallels Desktop can run macOS or Linux on a virtual machine, though not with the same speed as Windows, or with as many integration features. But the software is stable and usable all the same.

Reasons Behind My Reviews and Ratings


Effectiveness: 5/5

Parallels Desktop does exactly what it promises: it runs Windows apps alongside my Mac apps. Running Windows in a virtual machine was convenient and responsive, and allowed me to access Windows apps that I rely on. Windows paused when not in use, so unnecessary resources were not being wasted.

Price: 4.5/5

Although there are free virtualization options, $79.95 is a reasonable price to pay for the amount of work Parallels have put into optimizing performance and integration. The $39.95 option should be affordable to most students.

Ease of Use: 5/5

I found launching Windows and switching between Mac and Windows absolutely intuitive. The integrated approach of displaying Windows software in Spotlight searches, context menus and the Dock is brilliant.

Support: 4.5/5

Free support is available via Twitter, chat, Skype, phone (Click-to-Call) and email for the first 30 days after registering. Email support is available for up to two years from the product release date, though you can purchase phone support when required for $19.95. A comprehensive knowledge base, FAQ, Getting Started guide and User’s Guide are available.


Alternatives to Parallels Desktop

VMware Fusion 8.5: VMware Fusion ($79.99) is Parallel Desktop’s closest competitor, and is a little slower and more technical. A major upgrade is about to be released.

Veertu Desktop: Veertu (free, $39.95 for premium) is a lightweight alternative. It’s almost as quick as Parallels, but has fewer features.

VirtualBox: VirtualBox is Oracle’s free and open source alternative. Not as polished or responsive as Parallels Desktop, it’s a good alternative when performance is not at a premium.

Boot Camp: Boot Camp comes installed with macOS, and allows you to run Windows alongside macOS in a dual-boot setup — to switch you need to restart your computer. That’s less convenient, but has performance benefits.

Wine: Wine is a way of running Windows apps on your Mac without needing Windows at all. It can’t run all Windows apps, and many require significant configuration. It’s a free (open source) solution that just might work for you.

CrossOver Mac: CodeWeavers CrossOver ($59.95) is a commercial version of Wine that is easier to use and configure.

Conclusion

Parallels Desktop runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine alongside your Mac apps. It’s a good option for those who still rely on certain Windows apps for their business, or gamers who can’t live without a favorite Windows game. It’s also a great solution for developers who need to test their apps or websites on other platforms.

If you’ve found native Mac apps that meet all of your needs, you don’t need Parallels Desktop. If you need to run just a handful of non-critical Windows apps, one of the free virtualization alternatives may be all you need. But if you’re looking for best performance, Parallels Desktop is your best option. I highly recommend it.

Parallels 10 is packed with virtualization features and full support for Windows 10. High annual upgrade costs hold it back, but it’s still a fantastic piece of software.

Parallels 14 For Mac Review

For many Mac owners, the idea of running Windows (or other operating systems) is appealing. Whether it’s because their job requires the use of Windows-exclusive software, or they want to take advantage of the wider library of games available on Microsoft’s operating system, the reasons to run both are numerous.

One popular way to accomplish installing Windows on a Mac is Apple’s Boot Camp, which lets users install it on a separate partition. If you need to switch back and forth frequently without restarting their computer, though, this is not a great option. That’s where virtualization comes into play, as it lets you create a virtual machine and run an alternate OS from within the main one.

When it comes to this, there’s three big players; Parallels 10, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. Parallels 10 is the most expensive of the bunch, but is it worth it? That’s what we’re here to figure out today.

Set Up Process

The set up process can be extremely easy, or incredibly confusing, depending on how you choose to go about it. Regardless of whether you choose to go the easy way or the hard way, you’re going to need an ISO of the OS you want to install. You cannot use a Windows .exe file, and if you have one of those, you’ll have to begin the install process on a Windows PC and convert everything to an ISO file from there.

Once you have the disc image, the installation of Windows itself is typical, but before you get into the actual installation Parallels will ask you some questions to determine how to optimize it for you. Don’t worry, you can access these settings from the options at any time, you’re not locked into your choice. You’ll have four options for the types of software you’ll be running, and your answer will help it decide how to adjust the settings. You can choose productivity, games, design, or development. Choosing one of these will make the setup process quick and easy.

The set up process can be extremely easy, or incredibly confusing, depending on how you choose to go about it.

More experienced users can visit the setup options and adjust every aspect of your Windows installation, from the amount of RAM used to power Windows to how 3D graphics are handled.

Using the automatic option caused almost all text to be missing from my Windows 10 installation. It defaulted to DirectX 10, and I had to turn it off completely for my older mid 2011 MacBook to handle it. This meant I had to wade through the wide array of options, which is great to have for advanced users, but for someone new to virtualization, these options can be quite complicated. It took some trial and error, but at least there was a solution, frustrating at is was.

It’s definitely nice that Parallels 10 offers different options for setup. Advanced users can tweak every aspect of their installation, and new users can click a few buttons and be ready to go.

Parallels desktop 11 for mac

Key Features

Obviously, the key feature of Parallels 10 is the ability to run Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS alongside your existing Mac installation. But all of the other virtualization programs can do that as well, so it’s the extra features of program that make it stand out.

Parallels 10 plays nice with the new iOS 8 and Yosemite handoff features, so you’ll feel right at home. This means that you can still click a phone number link and make a call from your Mac, as long as your iPhone is nearby. This, along with some of the other features, make Windows not feel like a separate OS, but rather an integrated part of the OS X experience. Messages is still a Mac app, so you’ll need to switch back to OS X to send text messages, but as we’ll get to soon, switching back and forth is so fast that you won’t even notice it’s happening. It will even make the switch automatically if you click “Send with Messages” from the Windows Context menu.

The theme of integration is enhanced by a feature called Coherence. This lets users launch Windows applications from the OS X dock directly. As long as you already have Parralels running, it will pop open just a like a Mac app. If not, it will start the Windows boot process, and then open the app in a window.

Of course, you can also run Windows in full screen mode, which will give you access to both the desktop and Modern interface (as long as you’re using Windows 8), just as if you were using Boot Camp. But Coherence provides a much smoother transition between the two operating systems, as if the two were fused together into one seamless interface.

Parallels 10 plays nice with the new iOS 8 and Yosemite handoff features, so you’ll feel right at home.

When running Windows in full screen, switching between it and your OS X environment is the same as switching between desktops on your Mac. Swiping to the side with three fingers moves you over, or you can swipe up with three fingers and access all of your desktops. It creates an incredibly seamless experience that makes Windows feel like part of your normal workflow. Once you get used to It, it’s easy to forger that you’re even working in a different OS.

When you’re running Windows as the primary operating system, you’ll still get to enjoy all of the cool things you love about your Mac. That means the touch pad gestures you’re accustomed to using will still be available while working in Windows or another OS. You can also copy and paste across OS X and Windows. The process feels completely natural, and will come in handy for long-time Mac users (though it will always feel weird to close and minimize programs from the right side of the screen on an Apple computer).

Parallels

Performance/Battery Life

We reviewed Parallels 10 on a 2011 MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i5 2.3GHz processor supported by 8GB of RAM. This isn’t a top-of-the-line laptop by any means, and its best days are definitely behind it. That said, performance wasn’t bad. You choose how much RAM and how many cores you want Windows to be able to use, which lets you adjust the experience based on your needs.

To gauge performance we used GeekBench’s 32-bit benchmark. OS X alone scored 2,326 in single core performance. OS X running alongside Windows in Parallels 10 productivity app mode managed a slightly low score of 2,270. Windows running in the same mode with one gigabyte of RAM allotted just couldn’t do the job, so Geekbench crashed. When the RAM assignment was increased to 4GB the score was the lowest of the bunch, but not by much, with an average of 2,240.

There was some slowdown, and there’s no way I could use it to run any kind of PC game (even Roller Coaster Tycoon, a game released in 1999 was a bit of a struggle), but for Office and other Windows apps, the experience was quite pleasant. Unfortunately, the Mac used for testing struggles to run even basic, native games, so PC games were out of the question.

Newer, more powerful Macs will enjoy an even better experience, as Parallels offers full support for up to 16 vCPUs (virtual CPUs) and 64GB of RAM, which means that you’ll be able to push your device to its limit, running pretty much everything. Of course, many MacBooks don’t come with a dedicated GPU, so you might find that, even with a high-end model, gaming isn’t a perfect experience.

Parallels For Mac Reviews Reddit

I did notice a major increase in heat when running both Windows and OS X, but the issue was only evident at high load. Heat was normal at idle. Again, this is not at all surprising, as the four year old laptop was certainly being pushed to its limit.

Starting up Windows does take a while, and during the Windows boot period, the laptop was nearly unusable. If it was in a shutdown state, it took a little over three minutes for everything to get going. Everything settled into place and worked fine, but it most certainly tested my patience every time I fired it up. Resuming from sleep was almost immediate, just like it would be if you were opening a Windows PC.

As for Battery life, there was a noticeable decrease in lifespan. A MacBook is optimized to work with OS X, and running Windows definitely uses quite a bit more power. Additionally, you’re splitting resources between two operating systems at the same time, so it only stands to reason that more power would drain while in use. With just OS X we hit two hours and 46 minutes running the Peacekeeper battery test. Running the same test through Windows with Parallels 10 netted two hours and four minutes of life, which is definitely a noticeable decrease.

Conclusion

In the end, Parallels 10 is a great piece of software for running Windows, Linux, and other operating systems on a Mac. While it does slightly decrease performance and battery life, it’s worth the tradeoff to be able to run other systems as part of your Mac workflow with minimal effort required.

At $80 for a new license or $50 for an upgrade from a previous version, Parallels 10 is rather expensive. VMWare Fusion is $55 for the full version or $40 for an upgrade and VirtualBox is free. Parallels 10 is arguably the “best” of the three, in terms of ease of use and features, but its advantages aren’t free.

As long as you know that going in, and you’re okay with spending some money to get the latest version, it’s quite easy to recommend Parallels 10, especially if you want to try out the Windows 10 Technical Preview, which works perfectly (and safely) in the latest version.

Highs

  • Easy to install and use
  • Can run Windows programs in a Mac environment
  • Seamlessly blends OS X and Windows features

Parallels 12 For Mac Review

Lows

Parallels For Mac Review 2017

  • Expensive, high upgrade cost
  • Requires a powerful Mac for the best experience
  • Can shorten battery life

Now Available: Try Parallels 11 for FREE

Editors' Recommendations