If Parallels Desktop is frozen, you can press Cmd +Opt + Esc, select Parallels Desktop in the pop-up windows and click Force Quit to quit this program (this shortcut for force quit works for the application that appears but not for its hidden processes). Camera, clean-drive and presentation mode There is a handy camera utility that lets you take a picture or a video. I've used it a few times to capture a receipt with my webcam so I can submit it for reimbursement or save it for tax purposes. A new feature called Presentation Mode, turns off notifications and other distractions if you're doing a presentation. Hide Desktop is another handy tool for presenters or anyone sharing your screen because it hides all the icons on your desktop that you might not want to reveal to your viewers. The Clean Drive feature quickly helps you eliminate unwanted temporary files. The Mac version also has a tool to find duplicate files -- an essential utility for anyone trying to free up disk space, especially if you have multiple copies of music and other large media files, even when they have different file names. Mac also has airplane mode to turn off radios, a GIF creator and editor, a tool to free up memory and a resize image tool. Scroll down for a full list of features for both the Mac and Windows versions. Handy even though many functions available elsewhere Of course, many of these functions are available elsewhere, sometimes through utilities that come with OS X or Windows. But it's handy to have them all in one place and Parallels Toolbox also gives you the ability to assign function keys to most tools or drag them to your taskbar for easy access. The software, which I have set to run automatically when I start the system, had a quick explanation for each feature that shows up when you hover over it. Two slight complaints My only complaints about the software are that the audio recorder only allows you to save WAV files and not the more compact and compressed MP3 files and that you need a separate license for each computer. I would prefer the ability to run it on both my laptop and desktop for the same license fee, albeit not at the same time. If you replace your PC, there is a way to uninstall it on one machine and re-install on another without purchasing a new license. And, when it comes to my complaint about the lack of MP3 audio, I just learned that the program has a 'suggest a feature' box under its gear icon and, says a company spokeperson, will be updating with new features regularly. Sometimes, Mac users need to run Windows software. Maybe there’s a program you need for work that doesn’t offer a Mac version, or maybe you occasionally need to test websites in Internet Explorer. Whatever you need Windows for, Parallels is the best tool for the job. RELATED:How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Camp Sure, you could set up your Mac to run Windows with Boot Camp, but that means restarting your computer every time you need to use Windows. Parallels runs Windows within macOS, using what’s called a Virtual Machine. This allows you to quickly switch between the Mac and Windows desktops. You can even combine the two desktops, if you want, and run Windows software right on your Mac desktop from your Mac’s dock. Virtual machines are complicated, but Parallels makes it reasonably simple to set one up and use it. There are other virtual machine options available to Mac users, including the open source VirtualBox, but Parallels is different in that it’s designed exclusively with Mac users in mind. Parallels costs more (since VirtualBox is free and Parallels is not), but there are hundreds of little design touches that help make running Windows within macOS as painless as possible, and that make setting everything up quick and easy. it’s well worth the cost. Browsing the Parallels website, it can be a little tricky to find out what the product actually costs. So here’s a quick breakdown: RELATED:How to Make Linux and macOS Virtual Machines for Free with Parallels Lite If you just want to try out Parallels and see if it works for you, you can: there’s a 14 day trial of the software, which you can access without providing a credit card number. There’s also Parallels Desktop Lite, which is free on the Mac App Store and lets you create both Linux and macOS virtual machines. Parallels Desktop Lite can only run Windows virtual machines if you pay for a subscription, however. One more note: purchasing Parallels does not give you a Windows license, or a Windows product key. If you have a Windows installation CD or USB key handy with a valid license you can use that, otherwise you will need to purchase Windows 10 from Microsoft to create a Windows 10 virtual machine. RELATED:You Don’t Need a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 10 We’ll point out that you don’t technically need a product key to install and use Windows 10—Microsoft basically gave up enforcing their license requirements with Windows 10, and you can download Windows 10 right from Microsoft at no cost (you’ll probably want it in the form of an ISO file). Legally speaking, however, you still need a product key to use Windows, even in a virtual machine. Got everything you need? Good. The new virtual machine wizard, which launches the first time you open Parallels, makes the process simple. Assuming you already have a Windows CD or ISO, click the “Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file” button. The ISO or DVD should be found automatically; otherwise, click the “Locate Manually” button. Then click “Continue.” You’ll be asked whether you want an Express installation, which automates the installation process so that you don’t need to enter the product key or click “Next” during the installation process. Choose this option if you want, otherwise plan on babysitting the installation a little bit. Next you’ll be asked what you plan on using this virtual machine for: work-related software or gaming. If you select Games only, the virtual machine will be set to use a lot more resources, so only click that if you intend to do serious gaming in the virtual machine (which is probably not a great idea). Also make sure your Mac even has enough resources to dedicate—if you spread your computer’s resources too thin, your virtual machine will be very slow. You can change these settings later, but I recommend going with “Productivity” in almost all cases. Finally, you’ll be asked for a few details: what the machine should be named, where it should be located, and whether you want a shortcut to the machine on your desktop. You can also configure the settings before installation—don’t worry, you can tweak any of those later if you’d rather not dive in right now. Click “Continue.” The Windows installer will run. If you selected the Express installation, you won’t need to do anything: just watch as Windows installs. If not, you’ll have to click “Next” a bunch of times and enter your product key, as is normal for installing Windows. The installation process can take a while, if mechanical hard drives or a DVD is involved. If everything is running off an SSD, however, you’ll be up and running in a few minutes. Eventually you’ll see the Windows desktop! We’re almost done. That’s all well and good, and you can start using Windows now—but if you really want to get the best of what Parallels has to offer, you have a few more steps ahead of you. At the top-right of your virtual machine you’ll see a caution sign. This is letting you know that Parallels Tools needs to be installed. Installing this lets you move your mouse between macOS and Windows in one swift motion, and also makes it possible to access your Mac files from within Windows. To get started, click that caution sign, then click “Install Parallels Tools.” Doing this will mount a virtual CD in the Windows virtual machine. You’ll be asked what you want to do by Windows; select “Install Parallels Tools.” The installer will take a few minutes, and eventually will require you to restart Windows. Do that and you’ll be up and running: your virtual machine will be integrated with macOS. Once Parallels Tools is installed, Windows integrates very cleanly with macOS. There are all kinds of examples of this: We could go on: the extent of the integrations is staggering. If any of them bother you for any reason, you can change them by shutting the virtual machine down, then clicking the Settings button for it. Head to the “Sharing” tab to disable the folder sharing. And head to the “Applications” tab to stop Windows applications from showing up in your Mac dock. There are all kinds of other settings we could explore, but this article is only a starting point. Dive in and experiment. Parallels isn’t just for running Windows, either: you can use it to set up Linux, ChromeOS, and even macOS virtual machines. We outlined how to create Linux and macOS Virtual machines in Parallels Desktop Lite, and the process is identical for the full version of Parallels Desktop, so check out that article if you’re interested. RELATED:How to Free Up Disk Space in Parallels If you intend to create a lot of virtual machines, you should also read about freeing up disk space in Parallels, because these machines will eat up a lot of hard drive space.
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