Parallels Desktop 12 can also be used to run Windows, and works seamlessly with the latest Windows 10. Always ready If you spend an equal amount of time in Windows and macOS, Parallels Desktop 12 offers a number of welcome enhancements.
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After reading this Parallels Desktop for Mac review, you’ll discover that there are ways virtually all of those issues can go away, making your Mac even more compatible with Windows and Windows even easier to use on your Mac.

Once you have the file type sorted out, Parallels 10 lets you configure your Windows installation to give you the optimal experience depending on what you want to use the OS for. Whether you choose productivity, Games only, Design, or Software development, Parallels will customize the install to give you the best experience.

Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is now available for Download with OS X El Capitan compatibility and full support to Windows 10. If you are already using previous version of Parallels then you are eligible for getting 50% Parallels Discount Coupon Code Offer with your Parallels Desktop 11 license key.

Running Windows on your Mac

Previous versions of Parallels already let you use Windows on your Mac, but with Parallels Desktop 10, you get even more ways to interact.

You could already run Windows apps in a state Parallels calls Coherence, where you can have software from different operating systems side-by-side in your Applications folder that automatically open in the operating system they were intended for.

Like previous versions of Parallels, you can do things such as drag and drop an image from your Mac desktop into an e-mail client in Windows 8.1, and it works without a hitch. You can add shortcuts to Windows apps to Launchpad in Mac OS X 10.7 or later so you can start up a Windows native app straight from the Mac interface. You can load a presentation in PowerPoint using the Presentation Wizard, and your presentation will run full-screen, just like you would want it to in Windows and it will keep notifications and other system tasks from interrupting the show. The software also offers a button to quickly load a page in Windows Internet Explorer, for when a website doesn't offer support for Safari.

Little feature tweaks and enhancements like these blur the lines between the two operating systems, so people who need to work in both won't find it to be such a jarring experience.

Using Yosemite features

Perhaps the most exciting new features in Parallels 10 are what you can do if you have Yosemite and iOS 8. New Handoff features in Yosemite let you do things like start a document on one device and quickly open it and continue working on another. Handoff also lets you make a call from your Mac straight from a phone number you find on a website by using your iPhone (when it's nearby) to make the call.

With Parallels, you can do the same thing, but from Windows. In other words, Parallels gives you access to the latest Mac features even using a different operating system.

As an example, when you right-click on a file in Windows, the resulting contextual menu gives you options to open it on your Mac, send it via iMessage, attach it to an email using the Mac's Mail client, or share it via AirDrop.

By letting you work seamlessly between operating systems, you don't have to worry so much about which operating system you're working in currently. Parallels connects them in all the places that matter, making switching back and forth much easier.

The best way to try out Windows 10

One of the great things about virtualization software is the ability to install operating systems that won't mess around with your current setup. The Windows 10 technical preview came out in early October, but Parallels quickly updated with a direct link to install Microsoft's future Windows operating system.

Right from the launch screen, you can click a button to install Windows 10 in its own virtual environment, obviating the need for a second test computer. But what's even better in Parallels is that you can run Windows 10 side by side on your Mac just like with every other operating system, letting you three-finger swipe to go from a Mac environment to seeing what's new in Microsoft's latest tech preview.

As secure as ever

As always, Parallels Desktop 10 helps keep your virtual environments safe through the use of Snapshots. The feature lets you to take a snapshot of your Windows system (for example) when it's in a healthy state so if you encounter any viruses or spyware while surfing, you can essentially rewind to your previously saved snapshot. This is extremely helpful for testing beta software and makes sure you have an option when dangerous Trojans or spyware infect your virtual system.

Conclusion

Parallels Desktop for Mac was already a great system for virtualization, but the latest version is even better. New features make the setup process easier with drag-and-drop functionality, and the ability to configure your install before you get started means you can set up the environment optimized for what you need to work on.

With Yosemite and iOS 8, Parallels gives you even more ways to interact between the systems. The ability to use Mac services lets you take advantage of Handoff features in Yosemite while you're working in a Windows environment -- something Windows can't do alone.

In the end, while there are other options for virtualization that are cheaper and even free, Parallels is worth your money because it offers the most features that let you pass between operating systems seamlessly.

In the final part of our review of Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac, we look at how well it runs on a Mac mini.

Performance

One issue with running virtual machines is that they can put a drag on the performance of the computer they are hosted on. The host has to share its memory, disk space and processing capacity with the VM whenever the latter is running.

For this reason, you shouldn’t consider setting up a VM on an old computer with low RAM, a small hard drive or a slow processor unless you are prepared to replace one or more of these. Nor should you expect a VM—or the machine on which it’s running—to smoothly execute hardware-intensive tasks like video editing or gaming unless the host exceeds the specified system requirements for these activities.

To get a sense of Parallels Desktop 10’s performance on the nearest thing to a low end Mac, we installed it on a Late 2012 Mac mini with a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and the standard 4 GB of RAM. We then set up VMs hosting Windows 8.1 and a variety of Linux distros, including Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Deepin.

Thanks to contributions from Micron, we were able to compare the results from this base system with those produced when we increased the Mac mini’s RAM to the maximum 16GB (using Crucial's 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3 12800 SODIMM kit) and replaced the standard internal HDD with Crucial’s MX100 256GB 2.5' solid state drive (SSD).

Parallels 10 For Mac System Requirements

When we ran just one VM on the base machine, Windows and all Linux distros booted and ran most tasks with little or no evidence that they were not running on standalone machines. The Memory Diag app we were using to monitor RAM did, however, give warnings of memory pressure when we launched Outlook 2013. Also, there was often a moment of hesitation before the Windows 8.1 Start Screen was displayed when it was accessed from the Parallels Desktop 10 menu.

Performance was less impressive when we tried to run two VMs simultaneously on the base system. Upon booting the second VM, Parallels Desktop gave us a warning that this could result in compromised performance. Accordingly, the response time of both VMs slowed down, mouse clicks often didn’t produce an immediate response and there were distinct delays in the rendering of some graphical elements.

Review Parallels 10 For Mac Key

In our basic speed tests, we found that swapping out the internal HDD for an SSD produced striking improvements in startup speed. On the basic system with the standard internal HDD and 4GB of RAM, Windows 8.1 booted to the deskto