Parallels Desktop 17
Run Linux and Windows on your M1 Mac
Choice is limited on an M1 – Windows 10 and 11 for ARM, four Linux distros and macOS 12 but not 11
£69.99 (upgrade £39.99) FROM Parallels, parallels.com NEEDS macOS 10.13 or later, 4GB memory
More than a year ago, among the software shown when Apple demonstrated its prototype Apple silicon Macs was an early demo version of Parallels Desktop for the new models. It has since taken 14 months for Parallels to release Desktop 17, the first virtualisation software to make full use of M1 Macs.
Apple silicon has posed serious problems for those wanting to run Windows or older versions of macOS in a virtual machine (VM). As ARM processors in the M1 and later chips aren’t compatible with Intel processors, virtualisation software such as Parallels Desktop can’t run regular versions of Windows, nor Intel versions of macOS. Engineers have been working to salvage what they can for those who want to virtualise on M1 Macs and their successors; this new version of Parallels Desktop is the first which not only runs special preview versions of Windows and a range of different distros of Linux, but macOS too.
What’s supported
Running on a trusty old Intel Mac, version 17 supports any version of macOS from 10.7 to 12, Windows from XP (and earlier) to 11, and almost any Linux distro for Intel processors. Choice is much more limited when running on an M1: Windows 10 and 11 for ARM via Insider
Preview, four different distros of Linux for 64-bit ARM processors, and only macOS Monterey, not Big Sur. Try to create a Big Sur VM and you’ll see a misleading error message implying that version doesn’t support the ARM processor; this appears to be a deep engineering problem between virtualisation and macOS 11. For many potential users, this will be a big disappointment which severely limits the value of virtualising on Apple silicon. Windows also isn’t as promising as it might seem, as these aren’t yet production releases, and for the moment app support remains limited and largely emulated.
Virtual TPM
The other hardware hurdle came with the use of Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) with Windows 11. Parallels normally puts Windows into VM mode which removes the requirement for a physical TPM, but can create its own virtual TPM to cater for situations where it’s needed. This vTPM can also be transferred to another VM or Mac using the System Keychain, as detailed at kb.parallels.com/ en/122702. Those with some newer models of SSD such as Samsung’s T7 Touch, which use advanced features of USB 3.1, will appreciate improved support for more recent versions of that standard.
In addition to wrestling with hardware, Parallels’ engineers have again been busy improving performance. This year it covers
OpenGL on both architectures, network performance for macOS 11 guests on Intel Macs, and DirectX 11 on the M1. Those are substantial, and Big Sur’s faster networking should be readily noticeable. Interface improvements are also worthwhile: drag and drop to and from Windows VMs makes their use even easier, and you can now remap AltGr to the å key on a Mac keyboard, enabling you to use left-å to enter accented characters and more.
While those testing beta releases of Monterey have been able to run them on Intel Macs with Parallels version 16, you’ll need this update for full compatibility with release versions of macOS 12. Support for Monterey VMs on Apple silicon Macs is still immature and fairly basic, lacking full integration, but it’s a big step in the right direction for virtualisation on Apple’s new models. Parallels 17 brings one valuable feature to help you get the best from the M1 MacBook Pro and Air, as it enables battery support in Windows 10 and 11, which automatically activates native power saving mode when your M1 Mac is running low on battery.
Linux on M1
Setting up a Linux VM on an M1 is simple provided you’re happy with its choice of Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian GNU/Linux or Kali. Parallels downloads a ready-made distro, installs it to its own VM, and fires it up ready to configure and use.
Ubuntu is a delight to use. By default, Parallels gives it two of the performance cores, which is sufficient for smooth and responsive scrolling of web pages in Firefox, for instance. That’s also sufficient to leave plenty of horsepower for macOS, and its own background tasks like backing up with Time Machine, which mostly use the four efficiency cores, don’t bat an eyelid. If you want to do something more demanding in your VM, you can give it more cores and memory, but have to close the VM to do so. There are plenty of neat features such as automatic adjustment of the Linux VM’s screen resolution when you resize its window.
If you use the Business Edition for a fleet of Macs, with version 17 you can now create a single package for both Intel and M1 Macs, and use configuration profiles to provide Windows VMs for the whole fleet.
Parallels Desktop 17 is a compelling upgrade for anyone already using an earlier version, particularly on an M1 Mac. For anyone wanting to virtualise on an M1, though, it’s marred by its inability to support Big Sur as a guest. This leaves you with only one option if you want to keep macOS 11 running after you’ve upgraded an M1 Mac to Monterey: to install both as separate bootable systems, which isn’t good. Howard Oakley