Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac was released a few months ago, and since then I've been using it to run Windows, Linux, Mac and even Android virtual machines on my 27-inch iMac. Parallels has been making great strides in providing a top virtualization tool since the first days of Intel Macs, and this 13th iteration adds a few features and hones performance. Parallels 9 for mac yosemite.
Parallels Desktop 13 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.
New Features
A lot of MacBook Pros with Touch Bar have been sold in the past year or so, and it's not surprising that Parallels decided to add Touch Bar support to Parallels Desktop 13. The Touch Bar support is integrated with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Windows, as well as a handful of browsers including Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Elements that are pinned in the Windows Task Bar show up in the Touch Bar along with buttons for Cortana, Task View and settings. Other Touch Bar actions can be customized for just about any Windows app running in Parallels Desktop 13.
In an upcoming release of Windows 10, Microsoft will launch the 'People Bar' that allows users to pin contacts to the Task Bar. Parallels Desktop will support that by allowing users to add favorite contacts to the Mac Dock.
Parallels Desktop 7 For Mac not only integrates with many of the new features in Lion, such as Launchpad and full-screen apps, the folks at Parallels have also been tweaking the code to provide higher performance, both in the basic virtualization application and in graphics performance.
Parallels Desktop comes in three editions: Desktop 12 for Mac, Pro and Business. Pro increases virtual RAM support up to 64GB, and Business adds on centralized administration and management, along.
Parallels Desktop is an invaluable tool for those who use a Mac at work, but who need to run legacy apps accessible only via Windows. Desktop 9 is the latest annual refresh – packing support for.
We installed Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac on a Macbook Pro Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014 system, running OS X Version 10.9.4, with a 2.6 Ghz Intel Core i5 CPU, 8 GB 1600 Mhz DDR3 ram, and a 251 GB.
Another new feature is Picture-in-Picture view, which makes small windows of active virtual machines that are always visible, even if a Mac app is in Full Screen Mode. This can be very useful if you're using a Windows VM for streaming or running a process that you need to keep an eye on.
A Windows 10 VM along with three other operating systems in PIP mode.
Parallels noted that the Business Edition of Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac now has a Single Application mode in which admins can deliver an 'invisible' Windows VM to a user's Mac Dock that has selected apps pre-installed. The user doesn't even have to know that the Windows app(s) are running in a VM.
As you'd expect, Parallels also improved the performance of Desktop 13. External Thunderbolt SSDs now respond at near native speeds, snapshots of VMs using a lot of memory happen up to 50 percent faster, working with Windows files on a Mac is now up to 47 percent faster, and even USB devices perform up to 40 percent faster. Finally, Parallels Desktop 13 appears to work better with Retina displays in scaled mode, with transitions and the sharpness of text and graphics being much improved over the previous version.
Hands-On With Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac
The process of creating a new VM for just about any operating system is getting easier with each successive version of Parallels Desktop. When setting up a Windows 10 VM, you don't even need to have a license; you can purchase one from Microsoft during setup. Of course, it's possible to install Windows from an image file or DVD, or even transfer it from a PC you're replacing to a Mac VM. Parallels for mac install separate version.
The Parallels Desktop 13 control center shown with a large variety of operating systems.
Need to run a specialized app in another OS? Parallels includes a bunch of free systems, including the Windows 10 Development Environment, the Modern.IE Test Environment, your existing macOS installation (which is installed from the Recovery Partition), and Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Mint and Debian GNU Linux. As mentioned earlier, Parallels Desktop 13 can even be used to set up an Android VM.
Since the release of macOS High Sierra, I've been running betas of new versions under Desktop 13, and it's stable and fast. One thing I don't personally use that's part of Parallels Desktop 13 is the Toolbox. That's a collection of over 30 utilities for the Mac, and most of them are redundant so I don't even think about installing it.
On today's higher-powered Macs -- especially those with a lot of RAM -- VMs run very quickly, even when you're running graphics-intensive apps. Parallels Desktop 13 can optimize VM settings automatically for the fastest possible virtual environment by selecting either productivity, games, design or development. It tweaks memory, graphics and other settings to make it run at peak performance.
The update to Parallels Desktop 13 from earlier versions 11 and 12 is just $49.99 regardless if you're a 'student' or a full power user. A new license is $79.99 for students and home use, or $99.99 per year for the power users.
The Bottom Line
If you need to run other operating systems on a Mac, Parallels Desktop is still the way to go. It's reasonably-priced, fast, and includes the wonderful Parallels Access remote access capability for remotely controlling a Mac.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★
Mac windows boot camp. Parallels Desktop for Mac lets you run Windows and Windows apps on your Mac, shoulder to shoulder with OS X.
Pros
VM setup choices: With Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can set up a virtual machine by using a Windows 10 disc image; by migrating Windows from a PC, either over a network or from an external hard drive; or by using the version of Windows you installed with Apple's Boot Camp, if you previously went through that process. Or you can run a second copy of OS X, earlier versions of Windows, or Chrome OS in the Parallels virtual machine.
Choice of views: After setup, select how you want to see and work with Windows. If you choose the Coherence view, Parallels folds Windows into OS X, placing a collection of Windows controls in the OS X menu bar and dock, giving you access to the Start menu, Action Center, and System Tray icons. Exiting the Coherence view presents the traditional Windows desktop and apps gathered in a separate window. Either way, it's easy to move between OS X and Windows environments.
Solid integration: Through Parallels, you have quick access to the Windows 10 Store and the Edge browser and the ability to call on Cortana for help. Copy and paste works seamlessly between environments.
Cons
Almost too well integrated: The Coherence view sweeps away the Windows desktop, but the way it merges the Windows and OS X environments can feel cluttered, with Windows and OS X controls crowded into the menu bar, for example.
Bottom Line
Download Parallels Desktop For Mac
Parallels Desktop for Mac does a good job of letting you work in the OS X and Windows environments simultaneously, switching between Mac and Windows apps. You have several options for how to blend Windows into OS X, although at times the merged OSes can feel a bit crowded.