Category Archives: News

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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How to Use the New Personal Help in Parallels Access 6


Parallels Access provides an elegant and easy-to-use way to connect your phone or tablet to a remote computer that you own or control. Since its first release in 2013, Parallels Access™ has regularly added significant new features like file management, a web portal and support for split-screen multitasking on iPad.  

However, there has been one remote feature missing: the ability to connect to a friend’s remote computer to assist them with a problem. This feature is often called “Personal Help”—and the latest release of Parallels Access, version 6.0, adds this oft-requested feature.  

In this blog post, I’ll show you this feature in action, as well as how to set it up, both from the point of view of the helper and the person requesting help.

Learn more about how to use Personal Help in this short video:


Note that there a several ways to do this. Here, I am showing one way: the helper using Parallels Access on an iPad, and the requestor asking for help with a Mac task.) 

  What the helper does and sees  What the requestor does and sees 
1   – Requests help with a computer task 
2  On the new “Other Computers” tab, select the “+” button. Generate a Parallels Access email to the requestor.  (See Figure 1)   –
Figure 1_The helper initiates the process (detailed in row 2 of the above table)

  What the helper does and sees  What the requestor does and sees 
3    Download and install Parallels Access from the link provided by the helper. (See Figure 2) 
Figure 2_Downloading and Installing Parallels Access

  What the helper does and sees  What the requestor does and sees 
The requestor’s Mac is available for a connection in Parallels Access in the “Other Computers” tab. Connect to this Mac. (See Figure 3)  Allow the connection from the helper.    (See Figure 4) 

Figure 3 and 4:


  What the helper does and sees  What the requestor does and sees 
5  You now have access to the remote computer. Help with the computer task.  (See Figure 5)   
6  Close the connection to the remote Mac.   
Figure 5_Connection is established

Notice that although the requestor is giving access to their computer, they remain in control: they explicitly grant permission for each remote connection and can terminate the session at any time. 

I hope this much-requested new feature in Parallels Access enables you to provide help when asked and receive help when you need it. Let us know in the comments how it’s working for you. 

Do you need to help a friend, family member or coworker with a technical issue? Download a free trial of Parallels Access and remotely connect to their computer.  

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Apple’s Event 2018: iPhones, iPhones, & one more iPhone.

Grab your black turtlenecks, hotspots, and cold brew because I’m covering the latest Apple event. Our setting is the gorgeous Steve Jobs Theater, named after the co-founder and former CEO of Apple, the is located on the Apple Park Campus in Cupertino, California. It is an underground, 1,000-seat auditorium intended for Apple product launches and […]

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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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New! Parallels Toolbox Presentation Pack for macOS or Windows

Introducing: Parallels® Toolbox Presentation Pack Available on macOS® and Windows 11+ time-saving tools to help optimize your workday. Optimized for presenters, teachers, students, small business owners, chronic multitaskers, and online trainers to have a simple set of tools. Quickly get ready for a presentation with easy access to hide a messy desktop, Launch multiple applications with […]

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New! Parallels Toolbox Screen and Video Pack for macOS or Windows

Introducing Parallels® Toolbox Screen and Video Pack Available on macOS® and Windows 8+ time-saving tools to help optimize your workday. Designed for creative individuals, small business owners, vloggers, and online trainers. Quickly create high-quality content with one-click tools such as Make GIF, Take Screenshot, Screen Record, and Download Audio. Be in control of your built-in […]

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New! Parallels Toolbox Disk and System Pack for macOS or Windows

Introducing Parallels® Toolbox Disk and System Pack Available on macOS® and Windows 11+ time-saving tools to help optimize your workday. Created with both basic and power users in mind. Also made for small business owners, developers, system administrators, or IT users who need to save space with a simple set of tools. Easily optimize your […]

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Essential macOS tools and Windows tools with Parallels Toolbox

Save precious time with one-click. We’re excited to introduce our latest release of Parallels Toolbox. Parallels® Toolbox is the perfect Swiss Army knife to help optimize your workday with easy-to-use macOS tools and Windows tools. It’s another step in the Parallels master plan to ensure both macOS® and Windows users have every tool they need […]

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Everything from WWDC 2018: iOS 12, macOS Mojave, & much more!

What we were expecting from WWDC ’18: macOS  iOS What’s the name of the new macOS??!?!? What we got from WWDC ’18: iOS12 watchOS5  tvOS macOS Mojave Answer to the question: Is Apple merging macOS and iOS? Apple answered: NO! Tim Cook kicked off the highly anticipated Apple Keynote event with a Planet Earth style […]

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“Let’s take a field trip” – What’s important for students and teacher when working with a Mac?

Last week, on March 27, 2018, at 8 a.m., the first Apple® launch event of 2018 took place. This event focused mainly on the education sector and was being held at Chicago’s Lane Tech College Prep School. The biggest news was that Apple will bring out a new $329 iPad® to take on Google Chromebook™ […]

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