Parallels Desktop 19 for Mac
Run Windows, Linux and macOS on a Mac
From $99.99 From www.parallels.com
Needs macOS 12.6 or later, 4GB memory
WHEN IT SWITCHED from near–universal Intel processors to its own chips, Apple knew that some would still need to run other operating systems on their new Macs, and provided for this in macOS. Parallels Desktop version 19 is the latest in this long line of virtualization apps that build on that support to run Windows, Linux and macOS inside a window on both Mac architectures.
Support for different Virtual Machines remains more limited on Apple silicon Macs. Intel models can run Windows 10 and 11, almost any version of Linux and other Unix–based operating systems, Android, and whatever versions of macOS are supported by the host Mac. Apple silicon models are restricted to Windows for ARM 11 Pro and Enterprise, half a dozen ARM Linux distros, and
macOS from Monterey onwards.
Parallels 19 brings a few general improvements, including support for Linux up to kernel version 6.5. Windows VMs can use Touch ID to log in, there’s support for OpenGL 4.1, and printing from Windows has also been improved. However, if you want to run Windows older than 10, or host any VM on macOS 11 or older, then you’ll need to run Parallels 18 or earlier, which is included in the current licence.
LIMITED SUPPORT
Windows for ARM is already built to run on the processor cores in Apple silicon chips, and is well–supported by Parallels and authorized by Microsoft. Linux and macOS virtualization depend more heavily on support built into macOS, which also allows you to run Intel apps inside a VM, using Rosetta 2, but not a whole Intel operating system. To enable Linux guests running on Apple silicon to be able to translate and run Intel code, there’s additional configuration required in the VM. Parallels helpfully provides pre–configured Ubuntu VMs to
TO SET THE SIZE OF A MACOS VM ON APPLE SILICON, YOU NEED THE PRO EDITION
make this easier, but you’ll need the Desktop Pro edition to be able to do that.
While Windows and Linux get comprehensive settings and controls for use on Apple silicon, Parallels still doesn’t provide similar accessible controls for macOS. VMs created to run macOS in the Parallels app can only use its default settings, with four virtual CPU cores and 8GB virtual memory, and a fixed virtual disk size of 60GB.
NON STANDARD
Changing those defaults either requires the use of the command tool prlctl, for which you’ll need the Pro edition, or editing the config.pvs file inside the VM bundle with a text editor. It’s even harder to set the disk size, which requires the Pro edition for that same command tool to run a four– step installation process in Terminal, in a surprisingly bad piece of design. Once that size is set, it can’t be changed, but that’s a limitation imposed by macOS not Parallels.
Network options include both basic NAT and more flexible Bridged options, with the latter supporting rule–based port forwarding when used with Sonoma hosts and guests, but again that’s only available in the Pro edition. If both the host and guest are running Sonoma 14.1 or later, you can use the new suspend/resume feature to close a VM without shutting it down. But when you reopen that VM, its window annoyingly reverts to its default.
Parallels first added support for virtualizing macOS on Apple silicon well over two years ago. It’s shocking that version 19 still lacks any of the basic controls provided in several free virtualization apps, and makes it so hard to create a VM of non–standard size. This casts doubt on Parallels’ long–term commitment to supporting macOS on Apple’s new Macs, and spoils what would otherwise be an excellent all–rounder, whether you use Intel or Apple silicon Macs. HOWARD OAKLEY