All posts by Beatrice Vogel

Apple, Feature How To’s, macOS Big Sur, Microsoft, News, Parallels Business Solutions, Parallels Desktop 16, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition, Windows on mac

Just Released! Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac

It’s finally here! We’re so excited to introduce a new version of Parallels® Desktop: Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac.  

With Parallels Desktop, you can run Windows, Linux and other popular operating systems on your Mac without rebooting. For 14 years, we’ve been the #1 solution for over 7 million users worldwide. 

Learn more about the hottest new features in Parallels Desktop 16—and stay tuned for more blog posts coming this week detailing everything you need to know about Parallels Desktop 16. 

What are the top new features in Parallels Desktop 16? 

Incredibly fast  

This version of Parallels Desktop is THE fastest version ever released. It starts up twice as fast as previous versions. Plus, Windows resumes and quits up to 20% faster.  

Improved graphics 

Parallels Desktop 16 users can now run even more graphic-heavy, resource-hungry Windows apps with ease. Version 16 delivers up to 20% faster DirectX 11 and improved OpenGL graphics support for both Windows and Linux so you can run more Windows applications and games, including DIALux evo 9, ProPresenter 6, Samson Connect and more. Plus, the new version includes the world’s first support for applications with 3D capabilities running in a macOS Big Sur VM. 

Parallels Desktop users collectively run more than 200,000 Windows applications and with Parallels Desktop 16 can run even more applications.  

Ready for macOS Big Sur and other OSes 

Parallels invested more than 25-person-years of engineer programming to take full advantage of the new architecture in macOS Big Sur. We also revamped kernel extensions to deliver our best Windows-on-Mac performance ever. That’s why we’re proud to say that version 16 is optimized for macOS Big Sur 11.0 (when released) with a refreshed design, easier setup, and much more. Plus, our developers continue to update Parallels Desktop for future releases of Windows, macOS and Linux. 

Better productivity 

  • Wouldn’t it be nice to get extra screen time while traveling? Windows in Travel Mode now uses less energy and extends battery life by up to 15%. 
  • 10% of Parallels Desktop users are short on available disk space. We’ve included a feature that will help you better manage disk space, with the option to reclaim available disk space to Mac automatically. 
Reclaim space Parallels Desktop
  • Set “Do Not Disturb” on your Mac and Parallels Desktop will make sure that Windows 10 doesn’t disturb you either. This is especially useful when you’re in an important presentation. 
  • Do you usually work with a Trackpad instead of a mouse? Now you can zoom and rotate objects smoothly in Windows applications with Trackpad gesture support.  

Enhanced integration 

Every year we develop new features to perfectly integrate Mac and Windows with each other. In Parallels Desktop 16, we’ve added some powerful new features that make it even smoother to run Windows apps as if they were native on the Mac. 

  • Do you want to use duplex printing from Windows applications, with paper sizes ranging from A0 to envelope? Good news—you now can with new print options. 
Printing Parallels Desktop
  • Now you can confidently work on Mac files in Windows by engaging the “safe removal check” to ensure files in shared folders aren’t accidentally deleted.  

Linux and Mac VMs 

Everyone who is passionate about using Linux virtual machines (VMs) has reason to cheer. With version 16, you can be more productive when working with Git repositories in Linux Shared Folders with up to 75% faster “git status” execution. In just one click, you can use and download the latest Linux distributions including Ubuntu 20.04, CentOS 8, Fedora 32 and Debian 10. Plus, Linux OpenGL improvements now let you run Steam.  

Do you want to achieve picture-perfect quality and performance using macOS Big Sur in a VM? You can now, thanks to the first-in-the-world Metal graphics acceleration in a VM with macOS Big Sur. 

Parallels Desktop and Apple Silicon 

We’re all very excited about this demo shown at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which depicts a prototype of a forthcoming version of Parallels Desktop running on Mac with Apple Silicon. Parallels and Apple work closely to bring virtualization capabilities to Mac with Apple Silicon. Learn more.

New features in Pro Edition and Business Edition 

For our professional and business customers, we recommend Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition and Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition. Of course, all new features of Parallels Desktop 16 are included in these editions. Pro Edition and Business Edition now offer improved virtual machine deployment, including export capabilities to reduce the network load when deploying to many Mac devices on a corporate network. For developers, Parallels Desktop 16 enables users to name their custom networks for more organized testing.  

Check out all new features that are exclusive to Pro Edition and Business Edition.  

Special gift for Parallels Desktop users 

In all subscriptions of Parallels Desktop 16, users get more than 30+ single-click utilities from Parallels Toolbox for Windows and Mac, plus Parallels Access to remotely access your PC or Mac from your iOS or Android device or any web browser.  

Check out all the recently released features in Parallels Toolbox and Parallels Access. 

There are lots more new features to discover! Check it out yourself and let us know which feature you like most in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter.  

How to get your copy of Parallels Desktop 16  

 If you… 

…are an existing customer, upgrade now. 
…are a new customer, purchase your copy here—or test it for 14 days for free. 
…have just recently purchased Parallels Desktop 15, check out our Tech Guarantee to see if you get a free upgrade. 

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Apple, business, Feature How To’s, Parallels Business Solutions, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business

How to Create a Parallels Account Using Your Apple ID

Creating a Parallels user account, managing it and logging into applications has never been easier for Apple users. They can now use their Apple ID to create a new Parallels account in a simple, fast and safe way. Using “Sign in with Apple,” you can log into your Parallels account from any device. You don’t even need to memorize a separate password for this procedure. Your Apple password is enough.

Register with your Apple ID and save yourself from a separate password

Since 2019, Apple has allowed users to register with sites and apps using their existing Apple ID. This comes with two benefits:

  • There is no additional password to remember
  • The sign-in procedure is especially safe

What you need is an Apple ID, your Apple password and a two-factor authentication resource, such as a smartphone.

A further benefit for users is that “Sign-in with Apple” helps obscure their email addresses. They are automatically assigned “proxy” addresses, or Relay Addresses as Apple calls them. Announcements and messages coming from Parallels are forwarded to your real inbox automatically. Parallels is only provided with this alias address on your sign-in, so you’ll continue to receive important messages but your real email address remains concealed to us. Basically, this sign-in method is tantamount to an authentication by Apple.

Once you have created your account via your Apple ID, you can sign in to your browser or your Parallels applications using this Apple ID. Just select “Sign in with Apple.” If you have purchased a Parallels license any time earlier, you can easily import it into your (new) user account. You can enter your license key(s) or your previous Parallels address by selecting the “Restore Purchases” option, which will transfer your previous licenses into your new account.

This safe and consistent sign-in experience is another example of the enhanced usability of Parallels Desktop™ 15 for Mac running on macOS Catalina, which also helps users handle Parallels software with simplified security and privacy dialogs and optimized iCloud support.

Why not try and sign in to Parallels with Apple now and download a Parallels Desktop 15 trial version?

Learn more:

The post How to Create a Parallels Account Using Your Apple ID appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Apple, Parallels Business Solutions, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, User experience

Most Businesses Use Desktop Virtualization for Mac – Parallels Survey Part 3

Concerns regarding lack of software compatibility are the main factor preventing businesses from using Mac devices. This was revealed by a recent study conducted by Parallels. (We showcased other results in previous blog posts: Part 1 and Part 2) At the same time, this survey reveals a serious interest of IT departments and users in switching to Mac clients. However, those in charge were said to be concerned about not being able to continue running previously used software on Mac. Nearly 25% of respondents stated lack of software compatibility as the reason for not using a Mac. This concern regarding not being able to continue using essential applications surpasses both the issue of the higher cost of Mac usage and the challenge of being forced to manage multiple platforms.

These reservations are groundless in most cases, however. These days, a great many applications are web-based and platform independent. This means that upgrading existing licenses of the required software to cloud versions or to more current releases could help resolve compatibility issues. A second approach would involve virtualizing systems to run the required software.

Ways businesses run Windows software on Mac

Roughly 33% of businesses surveyed use remote access solutions to run unsupported software on their Mac clients. On the other hand, applications with high demands on hardware performance, or ones that are predominantly used on the road, are always better off on local clients. Media production and software development programs are good examples of applications with high hardware performance requirements. Desktop virtualization turns out to be the solution of choice for application cases of this kind. More than 42% of those surveyed use virtualization programs such as Parallels Desktop™ for Mac, enabling them to run their Windows software locally on their corporate Mac devices.

Learn more:

The post Most Businesses Use Desktop Virtualization for Mac – Parallels Survey Part 3 appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition, User experience

How and Why Mac Devices Are Used in Companies – Parallels Survey Part 2

Mac can now be found in more than 50% of all companies, showing an upward trend. How did this proliferation come about and why do companies and their employees prefer Mac in growing numbers? Some 1,000 IT professionals, mainly from small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), participated in a survey about their company’s usage of Mac.

Software developers love Mac

The main reason quoted by respondents is Mac performance. This is not so much an opinion about the Mac hardware, which equals many other machines in good part. Most Mac models aren’t performance behemoths when compared to powerful workstations. The Apple computer’s strength often lies in their efficiency and perceived speed in getting work done. It is not least the software’s architecture and optimization that can make a difference in productivity.

Web and software developers benefit from the Unix foundation and built-in tools of macOS. Furthermore, Mac computers are the only ones available on the market that can run macOS, Windows and Linux—and with a solution such as Parallels Desktop™ for Mac, even multiple operating systems of this kind at the same time. This is another reason for the disproportionally high market share of Mac devices with developers. On the other hand, creative professionals for decades have used the software that has made Mac so significant for publishing and visual media, being highly optimized and running exceptionally well on macOS.

Mac is regarded to be safer

Safety comes in second place among the main reasons for using Mac. This is a classic part of the macOS image; there is less malware around for this operating system and it is less easily foisted on unsuspecting users. The strict separation of system data from user data really helps. Add to that useful tools such as the hard drive encryption program FileVault and the iCloud Keychain password manager. IT administrators may be interested in the fact that these onboard safety nets can be enabled and configured via a device management solution, relieving users from the effort of taking care of them.

Other major reasons quoted for employees using Mac were:

  • Easy connectivity with other Apple devices such as iPhone and iPad (32% of those surveyed)
  • General user-friendliness (30%)

Businesses running Parallels Desktop on their Mac devices can add further use options and features to this already broad range of benefits. We have outlined them here for you.

The next article of this series will be covering reservations and challenges within businesses that keep them from using Mac.

Learn more:

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Events, MacSysAdmin, Microsoft SCCM, Parallels Business Solutions, Parallels Mac Management

Parallels to Attend MacSysAdmin in Göteborg, Sweden

Guest blog post by Ian Appleby, Northern Europe Territory Manager for Cross Platform Solutions at Parallels Here at Parallels, we’re getting very excited about attending MacSysAdmin 2018 from October 2-5, 2018. Four days in Göteborg of pure Mac® goodness. Four days in the company of Mac admins, experts, and geeks. Four days to be reminded that—in […]

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Parallels Desktop for Mac

Meet Parallels at the Insight Technology Conference

Guest blog post by Ian Appleby, Northern Europe Territory Manager, Cross Platform Solutions at Parallels Over the many years I’ve worked in and around IT in the UK and Europe, I’ve attended a huge number of events of varying quality. Quite rightly, many of these events are now consigned to history. You know the ones I […]

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News, Parallels Desktop, Parallels Desktop 14, Parallels Desktop for Mac

What’s New in Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac

Parallels Desktop® 14 for Mac is finally here! With Parallels Desktop, you can run Windows, Linux, and other popular operating systems on your Mac® without rebooting. For over 12 years, we’ve been the #1 solution for over 5 million users worldwide. Version 14 has over 50 new features, including performance improvements, graphics improvements, and support […]

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Gaming, Parallels Desktop, Parallels Desktop for Mac

The 10 Best Games You Can Run on a Mac by Ric from MacgamerHQ.com

Finding good games for Mac® used to be slow and painful. There were very few games to choose from, and the options available were quite old. But things have definitely changed a lot. Thanks to committed developers such as Aspyr, Feral Interactive, and even Blizzard and Valve, there are now lots of great, recent games […]

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Complete MAC OS Image deployment over USB, macOS Imaging via USB, macOS® imaging, Parallels Mac Management, Parallels Mac Management 7

Parallels Mac Management 7 Feature Focus: macOS Imaging via USB Boot Loader

Guest blog post by Timofey Furyaev, Project Manager, Parallels, Inc. macOS Imaging via USB Boot Loader The latest release of Parallels® Mac Management for Microsoft® SCCM brings several highly demanded features. The ability to boot from a USB drive during operating system deployment is one of them. Network OS deployment with task sequence support was […]

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how to give presentation, How-To, Parallel, Parallels, Parallels Toolbox, present to other, presentation disaster, presentation tips, public speaking, public speaking tips, public speech, speech, speech tips, tips presentation

Presentation Disaster: The Five Most Embarrassing Situations During Presentations and How to Avoid Them

At this very moment, some 1.25 million presentations are being held worldwide. Unfortunately, listeners rate almost 90% of all lectures as bad, boring, or time-consuming. This is partly due to the content but also problems with the technology create disturbances—the sound is not running, the WLAN connection is on strike, or the adapter is missing. […]

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