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If you’re a Mac user who needs quick and fast access to a Windows installation, then in many cases it’s a good idea to go with a Virtual Machine. Parallels is one of the most popular virtualization options for Mac users wishing to run Windows, and the latest version, Parallels 13, makes it ridiculously easy to get up and running.
Via what essentially amounts to an unattended installation of Windows 10, Parallels 13 can have you up and running, from download to usage, in just a few minutes. Watch our brief video walkthrough for a demonstration.
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When it comes to running Windows on the Mac, there are quite a few options to explore. You can now with a tried an true Windows Boot camp installation, a Windows To Go install, or one of the many virtualization options available.
There are free virtualization options available, but if you’re looking for sheer ease of use and dead-simple installation, Parallels 13 is hard to beat. You can go from not having Windows, to having a Windows 10 installation in just a few clicks. Best of all, the majority of the install process is completely unattended, so you can just set it and forget it.
Video walkthrough
As you might expect from a major new release, Parallels 13 includes several new features that are enhancements over previous versions of the software. Most notably, it also officially supports macOS High Sierra.
One of my favorite new features is the new Picture-in-Picture mode, which allows you to keep a virtual instance on screen at all times. This is handy for being able to monitor one more more virtual machines simultaneously, while still working in macOS.
There is also extensive utilization of the MacBook Pro Touch Bar in Parallels 13. Although I no longer own a machine donning a Touch Bar, users can expect to be able to interface directly with Windows applications using the dynamic input method.
There are other new items in Parallels 13, including People Bar integration directly in the macOS Dock. This features allows users to have one-click access to frequently used contacts, and comes with more overall flexibility in the Parallels environment than it does on Windows itself.
But of all things included with this latest version of Parallels, I most appreciate the sheer ease-of-use provided by the software. Installing Windows, frankly, couldn’t be easier, and being able to run multiple virtualized software instances via Picture-in-Picture is a very nice feature to have.
Some may have rightly questioned my decision to upgrade my 5K iMac with 40 GB of RAM, but such a choice pays off when running more than one virtual machine. In that case, the more RAM the better, since you must individually assign each instance with resources from your overall system pool. It also means that the upcoming iMac Pro’s 8, 10, and 18-core processor options will be well-suited for virtualization. Just be sure to get as much RAM as you can, since it won’t be user-replaceable.
To be sure, Parallels 13 is an investment, especially when you consider that using Boot Camp, or software like Virtual Box is free. However, you’re paying for sheer convenience in the case of Parallels. There’s no need to restart your Mac into Windows, and installation is more or less effortless. Performance won’t be as good as running Windows directly, but virtualization has made significant strides over the past few years. For example, Parallels will even be able to take advantage of external GPU resources once Apple unlocks that ability in macOS High Sierra next spring. If you value convenience, then the $80 price of admission may be worth it to you. Yo ucan buy directly from Parallels here or on Amazon here.
We’re giving away two copies of Parallels 13 for free. Here’s how to win:
Leave a comment on our @9to5Mac Parallels 13 Instagram post telling us how you plan on using the virtualization software. The first two valid replies will receive a free activation code via Instagram DM, so make sure you follow us there.
Update: giveaway winners (@_dlmc88_ and @derexed) have been selected. Thank you to all who entered. Stay tuned for more giveaways.
I read through your splendid tutorial on installing Windows XP with Apple’s Boot Camp product (see boot camp help) but that’s not for me. I don’t want to have to reboot each time I want to try something out with a Windows app on my Mac. I’ve read about something called the Parallels Desktop and am hoping you can explain how to install it and how to use it so I can run Windows in parallel with Mac OS X? Thanks. I have to admit, I’ve been using Macs since the digital stone age and still get frustrated that I have to buy PCs so I can run Windows with any decent results. I’ve run Microsoft’s Virtual PC, for example, but it’s a dog and even when you have lots of patience it’s pretty difficult to work within that environment even if you have the most powerful computer and least demanding application. Don’t just click on the installer, however. Spend a few minutes reading through the User Guide included to double-check that everything’s compatible with your configuration. Then you’ll find that the installer is quite typical of Mac installers, with a license to accept, a hard disk to select for the installation target, and a few buttons to click. It’s so typical I’m not going to even include a screenshot here! Once the installation is finished, it’s time to start the application, which you’ll find in a folder called “Parallels” in your Application directory. Click on the program and you’ll see a rather intimidating first screen: Don’t panic. Instead, click on the “New VM…” button on the bottom left to launch the New VM Wizard. (VM = virtual machine, remember). This will help you through the steps necessary to create a new “virtual” computer that will let you install the operating system of your choice, Microsoft Windows XP. Your first decision will be to determine if you want to create a typical VM, create a custom VM, or create a blank VM: As the wizard recommends, I also encourage you to choose the default configuration. It’s easy to tweak things afterwards, after all. Since we’re doing a default configuration, we need to specify the OS type and version: Poke around here a bit, you’ll be astonished at the number of different operating systems the Parallels Desktop supports!! Oh, and not to state anything too obvious, but remember that these are just default preferences. You still need the OS itself for installation. Almost done with the Wizard. You need to specify the name of your virtual machine, and where it should be stored on your disk: Since this is your first VM, Parallels will need to create some directories too, as you’ll quickly learn: No worries. Click “OK” and the virtual machine for Windows XP will be created and ready to install. Ready to Install Ah, well, we’re almost ready to install, as you can now see when you quit the Wizard and get back to the main Parallels Desktop view: What’s wrong? Too little memory (RAM) allocated for my tastes. Easily fixed, by clicking on the word “Memory”, which takes you to the darn useful Configuration Editor: Slide the control along to the recommended amount (or more, your call), and we’re finally ready to roll! Installing Windows XP, Really The first step to actually installing an OS is to insert the Windows install CD (DVD, actually) into your computer, then push the “play” button (rightward-facing triangle) in Parallels to start up the program with the new VM system. The system will prompt for a Parallels Desktop license code (which you did remember to request, right?). Enter that, and after a minute or two, your screen will look like this as you’re welcomed to the Windows XP Setup program: This should already seem pretty cool if you’re a Mac person, because this is running within Mac OS X, yeah! Now you can step through the standard steps of a Windows XP install in fairly short order: You can work with the one unpartitioned space as-is, and when you get to the next screen I recommend you choose NTFS rather than FAT so that you have a higher performance Windows virtual machine. Note, however, that FAT is the file system that Mac OS X can more easily navigate if you want to actually access files within the Parallels virtual partition. Continuing along… Somehow, “exciting new look” probably isn’t intended to refer to the fact that we’re installing Windows XP within the Mac OS X environment, but it’s amusing nonetheless, isn’t it? At this point you’ll go through some rudimentary Windows XP configuration questions, about language, region, and related. Finally, you’ll hit the second of the legal interludes in this process: If you don’t have a valid product key for Windows XP (or whatever OS you’re installing) you’ll be stuck here, though you can try running for the 30 days allowed before you have to register your OS product. A few more simple configuration options about timezone, current date and time, and you’re finally into the installation phase of Windows XP, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. I don’t have the patience to time it, so I’m not sure. Instead, it’s a great time for a chai break at Starbucks ? When I come back, Windows is mostly installed and it’s just a matter of specifying a few more configuration changes. One thing that happens is that the virtual machine reboots itself and then automatically adjusts the screen resolution to escape the 640×480 hell that we were confined to for the initial installation process. Now we get a glorious Windows logo and boot screen within Parallels Desktop itself: Now you need to do just a wee bit more Windows configuration, including what I consider a critical step: You always want to select “automatic update” unless you’re a complete Windows guru and know exactly what you’re doing. Next you’ll need to indicate if you want to register your version of Windows XP with Microsoft. If you’re going to use this for a long period of time, you might as well do that. Otherwise, select “no” and you’ll be reminded later when you’re perhaps ready to do so. That’s basically all there is to it. We’re done. In just a few seconds Windows XP reboots and you end up with the familiar background screen, task bar, START button, and much more. All within the world of Mac OS X. Sweet indeed: Parallels For Mac Free DownloadIt’s not quite as snappy as Apple’s Boot Camp, as I’d expect, but it’s certainly a big improvement over the old sluggish world of Virtual PC. That should get you going with Parallels Desktop. Questions? You might want to check out the Parallels Blog Does Parallels For Mac Come With Windowsor pop into the Parallels Forum where users and developers compare notes.Hope you’re up and running. I know that I’m delighted to have Parallels Desktop on my computer, finally. Oh, and once you do have it running, don’t forget to also install Parallels Tools, a must-include package of utilities. Learn how here: Install Parallels Tools on Intel Mac. Parallels For Mac ReviewLet’s Stay In Touch!Using Parallels On A Mac
I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2020
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