Windows on Mac? Yes Please!
If you are an Apple aficionado, you probably know of Parallels Desktop and what it brings to your Mac. This virtualization program has unique capabilities in that it allows you to run both Windows and OS X on your machine, at the same time. Parallels Desktop 11, for example, can combine Windows 10 and OS X v10.11, also known as El Capitan. With this powerful mix of two Goliaths in operating systems, your Mac gets the two-in-one treatment and a vast array of signature Microsoft and Apple features that can be used almost interchangeably.
Parallels Desktop 11 comes to Mac in 3 different variants - Standard, Business and Pro. The Standard edition is perfect for home and personal use. You should opt for Business or Pro if you’ll be running an organization or business that require specific tools. Stick around to find out more about the key features of this essential virtualization program.
Features
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is the latest (and greatest) version of Parallels Desktop for Mac, the #1 choice of customers worldwide for running Windows applications on Mac. To date, over 5 million users trust Parallels Desktop to run Windows apps on their Mac.
In Parallels Desktop 11, you get a bevy of awesome new features:
Improved performance and optimization:
- Launching Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 can be up to 50 percent faster
- Tasks in Windows are up to 20 percent faster
- Virtual machines suspend up to 20 percent faster
Features that deliver the best user experience:
- Always on Cortana enables customers to use Microsoft’s virtual assistant while using Mac applications, even when Windows 10 is not the forefront application
- Travel Mode extends the battery life by as much as 25 percent by temporarily shutting off select resources that drain power while away from power source
- Quick Look for Windows allows users to preview documents and photos more efficiently
- New Force Touch gesture support to quickly preview a file with Quick Look or lookup a definition for an unknown word
- Updated Windows controls including a new Coherence mode button in Windows applications that makes Windows invisible and the file seamlessly appear to run in OS X
- Most recently used files list that can be viewed on the Mac, virtual machine, in the cloud or on a file server
- Easy printing with Mac printer options support to save time with an intuitive page setup dialogue for OS X users
- “New Item” support for creation of a new file in Windows apps like Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word
- Easily cancel a suspend or resume an operation instead of waiting for it to resume and re-suspend
- Mac location services are now available for Windows apps
- Automatically synchronize the volume setting of a virtual machine
- Enhanced file associations with smart notification messaging, which helps to change file association in OS X
- Ability to directly access a Boot Camp Windows partition without rebooting
- Improved Japanese keyboard—specific to the Japanese language edition only
For developers:
- Integration with key developer tools, such as Docker, Visual Studio (plug-in), Chef, and Jenkins
- Support for developer tools including Docker, Visual Studio, Chef, Jenkins, and Vagrant provider
- Cloud storage access through Box.net, Dropbox for Business, and OneDrive Business, for sharing from Mac to Windows
- Headless mode for running virtual machines in the background without user interface
- Ability to create linked clones to conserve disk space and optimize installations
- Enhanced memory (64 GB RAM) and core (16 vCPU) for improved performance
- Additional user profiles for developers, power users, and testers for optimal configuration for testing
- Advanced networking tools and configuration for virtual networks to test complex networking scenarios and instabilities
- Nested virtualization for Linux guests for improved testing
- Virtual machine creation from VHD and VMDK disks for streamlined deployments
- Ability to drag and drop files into OS X guests for enhanced user experience
- Access to Windows Trial virtual machines for testing
The easiest way to merge Mac and Windows at the office:
- Centralized administration and management capabilities to keep IT in control of virtual machines
- License Management Portal: This exclusive feature shows vital information, such as license expirations, usage statistics, and real-time licensing activities to easily manage all deployed licenses
- Ability to password-protect VM settings and restrict employees from breaking VM configurations
- Mass deploy approved corporate images to end user VMs
- Updates to license portal: Reorder and hide/show columns in activated and blacklisted Macs
- Support for business clouds: Box, OneDrive Business, Dropbox for Business
- Business-level support, including 24/7 phone and email support options
- USB devices policy enforcement for additional security
- Customizable Parallels Control Center
System Requirements
- Processor: Apple M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips
- Intel Core: i5, Core i7, Core i9, Intel Core M or Xeon
- Memory 4 GB of RAM 16 GB of RAM or more
- Storage: 600 MB for Parallels Desktop application installation or SSD drive
- Additional disk space for the guest operating system (at least 16 GB is required for Windows 11)
- Graphics: Apple M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips; Intel, AMD Radeon, AMD Radeon Pro graphics card, or NVIDIA graphics cards
- Operating System
- macOS Sonoma 14.0 or newer
- macOS Ventura 13.4 or newer
- macOS Monterey 12.6 or newer
- macOS Big Sur 11.7 or newer
- macOS Catalina 10.15.7 or newer
- macOS Mojave 10.14.6 or newer