Parallels For Mac Windows License Necessary?

As Mac users, it’s easy to turn our noses up at running Windows, but the truth is that it sometimes can’t be avoided. Be it for work or for playing video games, running Microsoft’s operating system on Apple hardware isn’t nearly as hard as it seems like it would be.

There are two main ways to go about this: virtualization and Boot Camp. The former involves running a macOS application that allows you to run Windows within, while the latter equips you to reboot your Mac fully into Windows.

There are several factors involved in picking the correct path, including price, ease of use, and flexibility. It’s also important to consider what sorts of tasks you need to achieve with your Windows installation, as that may make the right decision more clear.

If you need access to a couple of Windows apps while you’re running macOS, it’s best to virtualize. Running Windows in a virtual machine (dubbed a “VM”) also allows you to store it all on something like an external SSD, as Boot Camp requires a chunk of your boot drive.

Note: In order to use Parallels Desktop for Mac on several Mac machines, you need to purchase the corresponding number of licenses. If you would like to move Parallels Desktop from one computer to another, you do not need to buy a new key, simply uninstall the software from the Mac it is currently installed on before installing on a new one. Parallels Desktop 12.1.1 + Crack is a powerful piece of software that allows the users to easily create virtual machine, to be able to run Windows OS on a Mac computer! Parallels Desktop 12.1 full was made to work with various versions of Windows, and can also be used to install many others, like Android, Linux, Chrome OS. Parallels Desktop is the best way to run Windows on your Mac. It offers lots of flexibility when it comes to which operating systems it can run and it offers a customizable experience to make it your own.

For that trade, Boot Camp offers direct, native access to your Mac’s hardware. If you want to game in Windows on your Mac, it’s the way to go.

Virtualization Apps

There are three virtualization apps worth considering.

Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are very similar options. Neither are free, but they come with great customer support if you need help:

Parallels runs anywhere from $79.99/yr to $99.99/yr, depending on your needs. That subscription means your software is always up to date, ready for new versions of both macOS and Windows.
Fusion follows a more traditional model. The current version is $79.99 for a new license, while an upgrade license will set you back just $49.99.

The third option is VirtualBox, an open-source (and free) option. While there is a vibrant online community around this application, if you are virtualizing Windows for work, I think it’s more than worth the price of admission to pick up Parallels or Fusion.

Parallels

Parallels Desktop is the best way to run Windows on your Mac. It offers lots of flexibility when it comes to which operating systems it can run and it offers a customizable experience to make it your own.

Set-up & Settings

Installing Windows 10 from an .iso downloaded directly from Microsoft’s store took just a few minutes. While most people will probably be installing Windows, Parallels can host all sorts of operating systems:

You can install Windows from an ISO, as I did, or even download a trial of Windows from Microsoft within the application. Additionally, Parallels can download a bunch of Linux distros and even download Modern.IE virtual machines, which are helpful when you need to test websites in old versions of Internet Explorer.

Parallels can transfer information from an existing PC, including that computer’s operating system. You can boot your Boot Camp partition as if it were a VM.

For my purposes, I installed the 64-bit version of Windows 10. After installation, I was prompted to create a Parallels account. This ties the app to Parallels’ website, keeping your license keys and subscriptions updated. After logging in, I was greeted with my Windows 10 VM:

There are a whole bunch of settings that can be tweaked. Things like how much RAM is allocated to the VM and what sort of network access it has can be adjusted. You can grant access to hardware like your Mac’s SD card slot, USB ports, and more as needed.

Parallels comes with a bunch of creature comforts too, though.

It can automatically share the contents of your Mac with the VM and vice versa. This means if you create a text file and save it to your Desktop, it will appear on the desktop of your macOS virtual machine:

It can open Mail.app on your Mac if you click an email link within the VM itself, and even automatically pause the VM when you aren’t using it, giving macOS more resources when possible. Parallels can even sync your clipboard across your Mac and its VMs and add your printer to your VM’s operating system automatically.

For those of us with macOS shortcuts engrained into our hands and brains, Parallels can pass those to your VM so you don’t have to hit Ctrl + C to copy when you are used to Cmd + C.

If you want your VM to be completely isolated from its host Mac, you can enable that, too.

Coherence Mode

The integration between host is even visual with Parallels. Running Windows apps can appear in your macOS dock, for example:

By default, Parallels VMs are in their own windows, but in Coherence mode, the lines are blurred. Here’s Finder and File Explorer, side by side, for example:

There’s no Windows background anymore. My Windows apps still look like Windows, but they operate like macOS apps. They appear in the Dock and even the Cmd + Tab switcher. Task bar items are even added to the Mac’s menu bar:

The clever features don’t end there. The Windows start menu can be opened via the VM’s Dock icon or the Parallels menu bar item when in Coherence mode.

In this mode, Parallels truly blends the VM into the macOS experience. If you need access to a single Windows app and don’t want the visual clutter of actually seeing Windows, this mode is for you.

Personally, I like to think about VMs as being contained islands. I don’t mind some limited sharing, but I want there to be a clear separation.

Performance & Utility

It’s hard to measure the speed of virtual machines. Your mileage will vary based on what computer you have, how much RAM it is equipped with, and more.

In measurable aspects, like VM boot time, Parallels was faster than VMware Fusion across the board on my iMac Pro.

Parallels comes with a bunch of virtual machine management tools. You can create snapshots of your VM to restore to at a later time if a software update goes poorly.

The application comes with Parallels Toolbox, a collection of utilities. I’m not sold on the value of these tools, but they come with a subscription to Parallels.

VMware Fusion

Fusion is the big competitor to Parallels, and while it does not require an annual subscription, it lacks some of the polish of its rival. That said, comparing the two applications side by side, there is very little difference in terms of features.

For some users, it may come down to price. Some users simply don’t want an annual subscription. I understand that, but I have more faith in Parallels’ future. VMware is a huge company, owned by Dell. Fusion is just one product in their catalogue, and a few years ago, it was rumored that Fusion may not be long for this world. VMware denied the report, but I can’t shake the feeling that Parallels is a better long-term bet.

Fusion includes a feature named Unity, which is very much like Parallels’ Coherence mode. The Windows backdrop goes away, and Windows apps show up directly in the macOS interface, including the Dock and App Switcher. However, not all of the resources used are Retina quality, leading to blurry icons in places. Worse, the entire system feels slower than Parallels. Even on an iMac Pro, Unity mode will stutter and have to redraw windows instead of smoothly animating them.

Boot Camp

As virtualization — running Windows inside a macOS app — lets you use both macOS and Windows at the same time, it’s probably the best option for most people. The convenience of having your one or two must-have Windows apps right next to the data and apps on your Mac is hard to beat.

However, virtualization comes with a price: computational overhead. You’ll be sharing your Mac’s CPU, GPU, and RAM across what is effectively two computers. Most modern Macs have more than enough horsepower for this, but if you want to run Windows on your Mac for gaming, Boot Camp is your best bet.

Boot Camp is built into macOS, and supports Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, depending on the age of the host Mac. If you’re running a Mac built in 2012 or later, you should be set for Windows 10.

Be sure to visit Apple’s support pages to verify which version of Windows your machine will support via Boot Camp before you run out and buy something. There’s a lot of fine print here.

Installing Windows via Boot Camp is pretty straight forward. There’s an app in your Mac’s Utilities folder named Boot Camp Assistant. You’ll need it, as well as a disk image file (.iso) of the Windows installer. If you purchase Windows online from Microsoft, you can download an ISO directly from the company’s store.

Boot Camp Assistant will walk you through selecting how much disk space you want to allocate to Windows. This will become a new partition on your Mac’s SSD; the space will be removed from the free space you can access in macOS.

Once the partition is created, you may be prompted to insert a USB drive for Boot Camp Assistant to download the necessary Windows drivers and the OS will install.

Once everything is complete, you can select which OS you’d like to boot into via the Startup Disk preference pane in macOS or the Boot Camp system tray item in Windows.

Boot Camp gives Windows direct access to your Mac’s hardware, meaning it’s a great option for things like gaming or heavy rendering, but for most users who may need access to one or two Windows-only apps, it’s simply too much trouble to reboot between operating systems.

In Closing

To wrap this up, Boot Camp is great if you need the full hardware capabilities of your Mac to be funneled into your virtual machine. If not, Parallels is an excellent choice. It’s fast, easy to use, and comes with a lot of features that make living in two operating systems easier than ever.

Plenty of Mac users are already familiar with Parallels Desktop, which makes it easy to run virtual Windows applications on a Mac computer. IT administrators should become familiar with Parallels Desktop too, because it also comes in a business edition that provides centralized deployment and management features for Parallels Desktop on Macs across the enterprise.

In a typical installation, Parallels Desktop runs locally on a Mac and provides a virtual environment for the Windows operating system (OS). That makes it possible to run Windows-based programs either side by side with Mac-based applications or within a dedicated space isolated from the Mac environment. With Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition, IT administrators can centrally deploy Windows-based virtual machines (VMs) and manage their settings, while providing a secure environment for conducting business and protecting sensitive data.

Mac Windows 10

Getting started with Parallels Desktop Business Edition

To get started with the business edition, organizations must acquire the necessary licensing and set up a Parallels business account to manage the license keys. Administrators can register license keys and view detailed license information in the licensing portal.

A computer running Parallels Desktop automatically sends license renewal requests to the Parallels Key Administrator server, which makes that information available to the portal. From the portal, administrators can view a list of computers with active licenses, deactivate licenses on specific computers and even blacklist computers to prevent future licensing.

Preparing the Parallels Desktop VMs

An organization planning to implement Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition will likely want to deploy its own VMs to users, which means first creating one or more master VMs to include in the deployment package. Administrators start by setting up a Mac computer with the business edition installed, and then create and configure the Windows VM exactly as they want to deploy it.

Admins should install the Parallels Tools suite of utilities on the guest operating system to facilitate seamless operations between Mac OS X and Windows. Parallels Tools includes features such as the Mouse Synchronization Tool, which detects when the mouse input is inside the guest OS window, allowing users to go back and forth smoothly. This is also a good time to set up shared folders and user profiles, install applications and take any other steps necessary to prepare the environment for the end user.

The business edition supports a number of features not available to the Parallels Desktop basic edition, which admins can configure when setting up the master VM. For example, administrators can assign asset tags to the basic I/O system to help track and control VMs across the enterprise. They can also password-protect configuration settings, encrypt the VMs, or set an expiration date so the VMs work only for a specific period of time.

Parallels For Mac Windows Not Connecting To Internet

Regardless of the features they want to include, administrators should use this time to get the VM images just right. This will make the overall deployment and management processes easier going forward, and keep the user experience as painless as possible.

Deploying and updating Parallels Desktop packages

Next, administrators can download the Parallels Desktop Mass Deployment package, which includes the necessary files and instructions for installing the business edition on the local Macs, configuring the virtual environment and then adding VMs.

The configuration file (deploy.cfg) is a special script that automatically runs on Macs and controls the installation of Parallels Desktop Business Edition and VMs on the target computer. Administrators should update the script to customize their installations. This includes adding the license key to the script's licensing section. They can also configure settings such as restricting users from changing VM settings, controlling where the VM images reside, customizing the Parallels Desktop Control Center window and specifying how Parallels Desktop should check for updates.

There are also several options for how to deploy the packages. For example, admins can integrate their deployments with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), which allows them to deploy Parallels Desktop packages directly from the SCCM console. Administrators can also use Apple Remote Desktop to deploy the packages from a Mac on the corporate network. In addition, they can deploy Parallels Desktop packages from the JAMF Casper Suite or IBM Endpoint Manager.

Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition can also link with an update server on the local network. Administrators can download available updates from Parallels to the update server, which then updates the company's Mac computers with the new version. Most admins prefer that option over the alternative, which is downloading Parallels updates for each computer via the Internet.

Making the most of Mac in the enterprise

Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition makes it easier than ever to integrate Windows applications on enterprise Macs. The software package also includes extensive command-line utilities, support for NetBoot and a headless mode that allows the business edition to run as a service on a central Mac computer to support remote desktop access. Parallels Desktop also provides a software developer's kit to allow further customization of the service and can support additional guest OSes including Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, Android and Chrome.

Parallels Desktop does not guarantee that all apps will run as expected within their virtualized environments, but most do, and they usually perform well. That said, before implementing Parallels Desktop Business Edition on a mass scale, administrators should first test the applications they plan to run in the virtualized OS. They might run into a glitch here or there that they will need to address.

Even so, administrators will likely find that Parallels Desktop Business Edition takes Window/Mac interoperability to a whole new level, bringing the best of both worlds into a single desktop.

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Robert Sheldon asks:
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