BELLEVUE, Wash., April 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parallels^®, a global leader in cross-platform solutions, today released the highly anticipated Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac (parallels.com/desktop), which features full native support for Mac computers equipped with either Apple M1 or Intel chips. Experience Windows 10 ARM Insider Preview and its applications on Apple M1 Mac computers.² The M1 chip’s superior performance delivers the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, revolutionary power efficiency, and was designed to work with macOS Big Sur³—which Parallels Desktop 16.5 transforms into a new standard for a seamless Windows-on-Mac experience. It also delivers M1 support for the most popular ARM-based Linux distributions. Separate Parallels Access (parallels.com/access) and the just-redesigned and simplified Parallels Toolbox (parallels.com/toolbox) apps, which are both included for free concurrently with Parallels Desktop subscriptions, now also provide native support for M1 Mac computers.

'Apple's M1 chip is a significant breakthrough for Mac users,” said Nick Dobrovolskiy, Parallels Senior Vice President of Engineering and Support. “The transition has been smooth for most Mac applications, thanks to Rosetta technology. However, virtual machines are an exception and thus Parallels engineers implemented native virtualization support for the Mac with M1 chip. This enables our users to enjoy the best Windows-on-Mac experience available.”

More than 100,000 M1 Mac users tested the Technical Preview of Parallels Desktop 16.5 for M1 Mac and ran Microsoft’s Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview, as well as tens of thousands of different Intel-based Windows applications—including Microsoft Office for Windows, Microsoft Visual Studio, SQL Server, Microsoft PowerBI and MetaTrader.

“We received enthusiastic feedback about the remarkable performance of both the Technical Preview of Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Mac and Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview as well as x86 applications and games, including Rocket League, Among Us, Roblox, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Sam & Max Save the World and many others. Testers loved Parallels Desktop’s easy-to-use features and seamless integration of Windows with macOS Big Sur, which increased productivity,” said Dobrovolskiy.

Watch a video demo of how to install virtual machines (VMs) in Parallels Desktop 16.5 on an M1 Mac: www.parallels.com/VMonM1Mac.

The virtualization approach for Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac enables users to benefit from Apple’s M1 chip performance advancements—applications run faster and more efficiently. Performance observations include:

Seamless Use Windows side-by-side with macOS (no restarting required) on your MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini or Mac Pro. Share files and folders, copy and paste images and text & drag and drop files between Mac and Windows applications. Easy Set-Up Parallels Desktop automatically detects what you need to get started so you are up and going. Parallels Desktopis well known for providing the best integration possible between Windows and Mac. Files, folders, applications—it can all be shared between two systems. At the same time, we realize that some users don’t need these sharing features, especially when it comes to testing for development needs.

• Up to 250 percent less energy used: On a Mac with an Apple M1 chip, Parallels Desktop 16.5 uses 2.5 times less energy than on a 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air computer.⁴
• Up to 60 percent better DirectX 11 performance: Parallels Desktop 16.5 running on an M1 Mac delivers up to 60 percent betterDirectX 11 performance than on an Intel-based MacBook Pro with Radeon Pro 555X GPU.⁵
• Up to 30 percent better virtual machine performance (Windows): Running a virtual machine (VM) of Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview on Parallels Desktop 16.5 on an M1 Mac performs up to 30 percent better than a Windows 10 VM running on Intel-based MacBook Pro with Intel Core i9 processor.⁶
  

“I installed Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac and Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview on my M1 Mac Mini because, as a math teacher, several software apps that I use are no longer supported on M1 Mac,” said Daniel Dudley, Albuquerque, NM, United States. “Running Windows on my M1 Mac in Parallels Desktop 16.5 has been awesome. It’s the fastest version of Windows that I have ever had!”

Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac also supports guest operating systems (OSs) on M1 Mac computers including Linux distributives Ubuntu 20.04, Kali Linux 2021.1, Debian 10.7 and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2.

“I absolutely love being able to run Linux environments within Parallels Desktop 16.5 on my M1 Mac,” said Darren Paxton, United Kingdom. “The performance is simply amazing.”

All the best Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac features have been re-engineered for the Apple M1 chip, including:

• Coherence Mode: Run Windows applications on your Mac as if they were native Mac applications, without managing two separate desktops or rebooting.
• Shared Profile: Share your Mac desktop, pictures, documents, and other folders with a VM for easy access.
• Touch Bar controls: Quickly access apps in your virtual machine and customize your Touch Bar shortcuts to feature the apps and commands you use most.
• Mac keyboard layouts: Easily customize your keyboard menu and shortcuts for a more personalized experience.
• Hundreds of other Parallels Desktop features are included to help make it simple for customers be more productive.
• macOS Big Sur in a VM is a feature that Parallels hopes to add support for in Parallels Desktop later this year.

Highlights of Parallels Desktop 16’s extensive features for Intel-based Mac computers are available in this press release. Intel-based Parallels Desktop for Mac customers can run more than 50 supported guest OSs, including several versions of Windows, macOS, OS X, Linux, as well as Android OS and dozens more.

Availability and Pricing

All editions of Parallels Desktop 16.5 update for Mac support both M1 and Intel Mac computers (Standard Edition, Pro Edition and Business Edition). They can be purchased either online at parallels.com/desktop (which also offers free full-featured 14-day trials) or from retail and online stores worldwide. Parallels Desktop subscriptions include complimentary concurrent subscriptions to Parallels Access, and just-redesigned and simplified Parallels Toolbox for Mac and Windows, which are also separately available for free trials and subscriptions at parallels.com.

Anyone with a Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac license can get an automatic update to Parallels Desktop 16.5 at no additional cost. And, when new full versions of Parallels Desktop for Mac are released annually, customers with active subscriptions receive complimentary upgrades, which ensure support for the latest OSs, hardware, and Parallels Desktop’s innovative features.

Running VMs on Apple M1 Mac computers in Parallels Desktop 16.5 requires ARM-based operating systems (OSs). Customers who install guest operating systems in Parallels Desktop virtual machines are responsible for making sure that they are compliant with each OSs’ end-user licensing agreement (EULA).

Recommended Retail Price (RRP)

Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac

• Upgrade your Parallels Desktop 14 or 15 to a perpetual license – US$49.99
• New subscription – US$79.99 per year
• New perpetual license – US$99.99
  

Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition

• Upgrade from any edition – US$49.99 per year
• New subscription – US$99.99 per year

Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition

• US$99.99 per year
  

About Parallels
Parallels is a global leader in cross-platform solutions that make it possible and simple for businesses and individuals to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. Parallels helps customers leverage the best technology out there, whether it’s Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or the cloud. Parallels solves complex engineering and user-experience problems by making it simple and cost-effective for businesses and individual customers to use applications wherever they may be—local, remote, in the private datacenter or in the cloud. Parallels, a business unit of Corel, has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Visit parallels.com/about for more information.

About Corel
Corel^® products enable millions of connected knowledge workers around the world to do great work faster. Offering some of the industry's best-known software brands, Corel gives individuals and teams the power to create, collaborate, and deliver impressive results. Success is driven by an unwavering commitment to deliver a broad portfolio of innovative applications – including CorelDRAW^®, MindManager^®, Parallels^®, and WinZip^® – to inspire users and help them achieve their goals. To learn more about Corel, please visit www.corel.com.

Media Contacts
John Uppendahl, Vice President of Communications, john@parallels.com, +1 425 282-1734
Ryan Donough, Burson Cohn & Wolfe, ryan.donough@cohnwolfe.com, +1 415 403-8311

_{1. Running Windows at native speeds on your Mac depends upon its hardware configuration. Parallels Desktop for Mac has more than seven million customers.}

_{2. Running VMs on Apple M1 Mac computers in Parallels Desktop 16.5 requires ARM-based operating systems (OSs). Customers who install guest operating systems in Parallels Desktop virtual machines are responsible for making sure that they are compliant with each OSs’ end-user licensing agreement (EULA).}

_{3. Apple M1 chip performance, power efficiency, and information is from https://www.apple.com/mac/m1/.}

_{4. Performance measurements conducted by Parallels by measuring Mac power consumption with Windows 10 running. Tested with a pre-released version of Parallels Desktop 16.5 on MacBook Air 10,1 with Apple M1 chip and 16GB RAM versus MacBook Air 8,2 with Intel Core i5-8210Y and 8GB RAM. The performance will vary based on usage, system configuration, and other factors.}

_{5. Performance measurements conducted by Parallels by running the Unigine Valley benchmark for DirectX 11 API and comparing an average score out of five iterations on each computer. Tested with a pre-release version of Parallels Desktop 16.5 on MacBook Pro 17,1 with Apple M1 chip and 16GB RAM versus MacBook Pro 15,1 with Intel Core i9-8950HK, 16GB RAM and Radeon Pro 555X GPU. The performance will vary based on usage, system configuration, and other factors.}

Shared Network Folder Mac

_{6. Performance measurements conducted by Parallels by running the Geekbench 5 benchmark and comparing an average score out of five iterations on each computer. Tested with a pre-release version of Parallels Desktop 16.5 on MacBook Pro 17,1 with Apple M1 chip and 16GB RAM versus MacBook Pro 15,3 with Intel Core i9-8950HK, 32GB RAM and Radeon Pro Vega 20 GPU. The performance will vary based on usage, system configuration, and other factors.}

_{©2021 Parallels International GmbH. All rights reserved. Parallels, the Parallels logo, and Coherence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Parallels International GmbH in Canada, the U.S., and/or elsewhere. Corel, CorelDRAW, MindManager, and WinZip are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere. Apple, Mac, macOS, and Launch Pad are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google LLC. Linux is a trademark of Linux Foundation. Windows Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, and SQL Server are trademarks of Microsoft. All other company, product and service names, logos, brands, and any registered or unregistered trademarks mentioned are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners. Use of any brands, names, logos or any other information, imagery, or materials pertaining to a third party does not imply endorsement. We disclaim any proprietary interest in such third-party information, imagery, materials, marks, and names of others. For all notices and information about patents please visit https://www.parallels.com/about/legal/}

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fdc9d4a9-8ae0-4adb-a145-82b06c2d8f6d

Share Files and Folders

Parallels Desktop allows you to share folders between the Mac OS X and Windows file systems, so you can easily open Mac OS X files from Windows applications and Windows files from Mac OS X applications.

These instructions apply to sharing folders between OS X and Linux as well.

Set Mac OS X and Windows to Use the Same Folders

Parallels Mac Shared Folder

You can set Mac OS X and Windows to use the same folders for things like music, documents, pictures, your desktop, and deleted files. So for example, if you save a file to the Documents folder, it will be in the Documents folder whether you're using a Mac OS X application or a Windows program.

1. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Parallels icon in the menu bar and choose Configure.
   • If the Parallels Desktop menu bar is visible at the top of the screen, choose Actions > Configure.
2. Click Options and select Sharing.
3. Select Share Mac user folders with Windows.

   Your Mac OS X Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, Movies, and Downloads folders are merged with the corresponding Windows folders, and the Mac OS X Trash is merged with the Windows Recycle Bin.

4. If you only want to map some of the folders, click Configure and select the folders you want. To map the Mac OS Trash to the Windows Recycle Bin, select Merge Recycle Bin with Trash.

Access a Mac OS X Folder or File from a Windows Program

With folder sharing enabled, you can navigate to any shared Mac OS X folder from within a Windows program. When you open a file (for example, by choosing File > Open in many programs), your shared Mac OS X folders appear as network shared directories labeled 'psf.'

To enable Mac OS X folders for sharing with Windows programs:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Parallels icon in the menu bar and choose Configure.
   • If the Parallels Desktop menu bar is visible at the top of the screen, choose Actions > Configure.
2. Click Options and select Sharing.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To share just the folders in your Home folder, choose Home folder only from the Shared Folders menu.
   • To share all your Mac OS X folders, choose All disks from the Shared Folders menu.
   • To share any folder you want, click Custom Folders and click the add (+) button, then choose the folder you want to share. You can add more folders by clicking the add (+) button again.

   Once you share a Mac OS X folder with Windows you can:

   • Disable the folder sharing by deselecting On.
   • Change the folder name that will be displayed in Windows by double-clicking the folder name in the Name column and typing another name.
   • Restrict writing to this folder by clicking Read & Write in the Permissions folder and choosing Read only. You will not be able to add items to the folder.
4. Click OK.

1. To enable folder sharing, the Isolate Windows from Mac option must be disabled in the Security pane of the Configuration dialog.

2. If you're running Linux, shared folders are mounted to the /media/psf or /mnt/psf directory.

Parallels Parallels For Mac Shared Folder Download

Show an Item from Windows in the Finder

If Windows is set to appear in a separate window or in full screen mode, you can show an item from Windows in the Mac OS X Finder.

• In Windows, right-click (or Control-click) a file or folder and choose Show in Finder from the shortcut menu.

From the Finder you could, for example, apply a color label to an item, or easily drag it to another location in the Finder.

Note: You can only perform these actions with files stored in shared folders.

Access a Windows Folder or File from a Mac OS X Application

By default, you can navigate to all your Windows folders and files from Mac OS X. Windows disks are mounted to /Volumes. At the same time, Windows appears as a hard disk mounted on the Mac OS X desktop.

• Double-click the icon to access Windows folders and files. You can also navigate to this disk from within Mac OS X applications.

If the Windows disk icon doesn't appear on the Mac OS X desktop, from the Finder choose Apple menu > Preferences and click General, and then make sure that Connected servers is selected.

To unmount Windows from the desktop:

1. Click the Parallels icon in the menu bar and choose Configure. Then click Options and select Sharing.

   If Windows is running in Window mode, choose Configure from the Virtual Machine menu.

2. Deselect Mount virtual disks to Mac desktop.

   The Windows disk disappears from the desktop and the Finder, but you can still access all of the Windows files and folders via the Windows PVM file and Terminal (/Volumes). By default, the PVM file is either in /Users/<Username>/Documents/Parallels/ or /Users/Shared. You can also find the PVM file by right-clicking Windows in Parallels Desktop Control Center (or in the virtual machine window when Windows is shut down) and selecting Show in Finder. To access Windows files and folders, right-click the PVM file, select Show Package Contents from the context menu, and open the Windows Disks folder. To disable the ability to navigate to Windows files and folders, deselect Access Windows folders from Mac in step 3 above.