Get the Most from Parallels Desktop

Name: Get the Most from Parallels Desktop
Rating: 4.7 (12 reviews)

Optimize running Windows on your Mac -- Updated for Parallels Desktop 19 and macOS Sonoma

Created byKurt Schmucker

Last updated 2/2024

English

What you'll learn

See more of what Parallels Desktop can do for a Mac user
After this course, you will be able to install Windows 11 and Windows applications on your Mac in Parallels Desktop
After this course, you will be able to to configure Parallels Desktop and Windows 11 to fit your needs and your Mac
After this course, you will be able to extend your backup process to efficiently backup Windows 11 on your Mac
Updated for Parallels Desktop 19 and macOS Sonoma (February 2024)

Course content

5 sections • 22 lectures • 2h 3m total length

What can you do with Parallels Desktop?4:13
This lecture will quickly describe what you can do with Parallels Desktop. It has many features that will be essential to you, some of which you may have never even seen, but will want to use right after you see them. This course will help you identify the features that will be the most useful to you, and I hope seeing all these features will get you enthused about what you will learn in this course.
Talking about Parallels Desktop5:11
For most Mac users, the idea of running two or more operating systems at the same time is pretty crazy, especially if one of those operating systems is Windows. This is so crazy, in fact, that these Mac users don't even have words to describe it. But this is what you do with Parallels Desktop, so there is a special vocabulary to talk about various aspects of Parallels Desktop.
In this short video, I will introduce the most used vocabulary of Parallels Desktop, and then I will use this vocabulary during the rest of this course.
Installing Parallels Desktop and Windows on your Mac4:38
In this video I will show you how easy it is to install Parallels Desktop on your Mac, and then to install Windows 11 in Parallels Desktop. And in the follow-on activity, you will do both of these on your Mac, and you will then have Windows 11 running on your Mac.
Activity: Create a Windows virtual machine and Install some Windows apps6:20
In this activity you will create a Windows virtual machine on your Mac and install some Windows apps from the online Microsoft store. You will then use this virtual machine in later activities.

The Different Views in Parallels Desktop7:07
There are three different ways to view Windows in Parallels Desktop, and each is used by a large number of current Parallels Desktop users. This short video will show each of these ways to view Windows, and discuss the pros and cons of each, so that you can decide which way is best for you.
Activity: Explore the three main views in Parallels Desktop4:01
In this activity, you will take a little time to actually use the three main views in Parallels Desktop. Reading about these views or even watching them is quite different than using them yourself. This way you can make an informed choice about which view will work the best for you in a particular task.

This activity should take you less than 30 minutes to complete.
Get the best Parallels Desktop settings for you and your Mac7:39
Parallels Desktop is used by millions of Mac users around the world. As expected, it has dozens and dozens of settings that these user can change to get exactly the Windows experience to fit their particular needs. While the default settings will give you an excellent experience, this short video will detail the settings that you might want to change, and discuss the pros and cons of each, so that you can decide which way is best for you.

Migration of a Hardware PC into Parallels Desktop4:07
A popular way to get Windows into Parallels Desktop is to migrate a hardware PC into Parallels Desktop on the Mac. In effect, you are copying the entire contents of the hard drive of the hardware PC: Windows itself, all the applications, and all the data on that PC.

In this short video, I will show you how easy it is to migrate a hardware PC into Parallels Desktop. There are some actions that you will need to do on the hardware PC, but most of the steps you will take are on your Mac in Parallels Desktop. How long the migration will take depends on how much in information is on your PC, and a few other factors.
Using Parallels Desktop with Beta Releases5:44
One area that Parallels Desktop excels in is the ability to provide a safe test environment to try out early beta releases of either operating systems or apps.

There are two approaches to safely test beta releases in Parallels Desktop, and this video details both of them so that you can pick the one that will work the best for your needs.
Parallels Desktop and Boot Camp2:47
Boot Camp is a macOS feature which enables dual-boot on the Mac. With Boot Camp set up, you can choose at Mac startup to either boot into the macOS or boot into Windows.
You do not need to set up Boot Camp to run Windows as a guest OS in Parallels Desktop. However, if you have already set up Boot Camp on your Mac, you can use the Windows installation in Boot Camp from Parallels Desktop. This short video will show you how to do so.
Note that Boot Camp is only available on a Mac with an Intel Processor. If your Mac uses an Apple M-series processor, then Boot Camp will not be available to you on that Mac.
Playing Windows games in Parallels Desktop5:50
Many Windows games play well in Parallels Desktop, and I will show you several of them in this video.
But, there are some Windows games that don't work in Parallels Desktop, and in this video I will also give you some criteria to check which indicate that a particular game may not play well in Parallels Desktop.

Parallels Desktop Maintenance5:42
Just like a physical computer, a Windows installation in Parallels Desktop requires periodic maintenance. Some tasks, like OS updates, are exactly the same for virtual machines and physical computers. Other tasks like backing up and managing space are a bit different. In this short video, I will cover these maintenance tasks so that you will be able to do them with the least amount of trouble.
Using macOS inside Parallels Desktop13:53
For years, the only Parallels Desktop users who cared about running a version of the macOS in Parallels Desktop were app developers and other really geeky Mac users. That all changed when macOS Catalina was released in 2019 since Catalina dropped support for 32-bit Mac apps. Suddenly, lots of Parallels Desktop users wanted to create a macOS VM in order to run their older Mac apps. In this short video, I will show you how to create a macOS VM, how to use it to run older Mac apps, and how to update this VM, if needed.
Unfortunately, I will also have to explain how this is all different on a Mac with one of the new M-series chips, as opposed to a Mac with an Intel chip. This is one of the few differences between running Parallels Desktop on these two chips.
Managing Multiple VMs4:51
Nowadays, more and more Parallels Desktop users have multiple VMs. This short video explains how you can make using and managing multiple VMs easy and efficient.
Snapshots8:25
Snapshots are like "Super-Duper, Long-Lived Undo Buttons" in Parallels Desktop. Set a snapshot and you can always rewind to that VM state, even if that VM state was taken days or weeks in the past. In this short video you will learn how to set and manage snapshots in Parallels Desktop.
Parallels Toolbox7:07
Bundled with Parallels Desktop, Parallels Toolbox is a set of more than 50 single-purpose tools, readily available from the Mac menu bar. If you have a subscription to Parallels Desktop, you have Parallels Toolbox for the same subscription period. So, to truly get the Most from Parallels Desktop, you will want to also learn about Parallels Toolbox and this short video introduces you to it and shows five of the most used tools.
Parallels Access5:23
Bundled with Parallels Desktop, Parallels Access enables you to remotely connect to and control your Mac from an iPhone or iPad. This can be a real life-saver if you forgot a file on your Mac, or if you need some information on your Mac while you are on the road. If you have a subscription to Parallels Desktop, you have Parallels Access for the same subscription period. So, to truly get the Most from Parallels Desktop, you will want to also learn about Parallels Access and this short video introduces you to it and shows you two of the most common uses.

Overview and macOS Sonoma as the host OS7:22
An Overview of the New Features in Parallels Desktop 19, when using macOS Sonoma as the host OS.
macOS Sonoma as a guest OS5:12
Creating and using a macOS Sonoma guest OS, on both an Intel Mac and an Apple Silicon Mac.
Other New Features in Parallels Desktop 192:56
Two other new features: Touch ID support and Microsoft authorization to use Parallels Desktop on an Apple Silicon Mac.
Improved Features in Parallels Desktop 193:15
Improved Features in Parallels Desktop 19, including Stage Manager use.
Other Features and Updates in Parallels Desktop 191:53
Docker and Microsoft InTune support in Parallels Desktop 19

Requirements

Basic Macintosh skills are required; no knowledge of Windows is needed. The Parallels Desktop trial or a purchased Parallels Desktop required.

Description

This course focuses on the major features of Parallels Desktop that are essential to all users and the major settings you will want to fine tune to get the best use of Parallels Desktop.

The most important feature of Parallels Desktop hasn't changed since its initial release almost 20 years ago: Parallels Desktop gives you the ability to run apps on your Mac that you wouldn't otherwise be able to run. These apps that you will be able to run using Parallels Desktop include:

Windows apps, like Microsoft Access, that have no Mac version
Older Mac apps that can't be run on the latest versions of macOS.
Popular Windows games like Age of Empires and PowerWash Simulator
Linux applications like GIMP and Inkscape

Parallels Desktop is now in its 18th major release, has hundreds of features, and it is used by millions of Mac users around the world. It has many features that will be essential to you, some of which you may have never even seen, but will want to use right after you see them. This course will help you identify the features that will be the most useful to you.

While the primary focus is running Windows in Parallels Desktop, running macOS inside Parallels Desktop is also covered in detail.

Whether you have just started evaluating the Parallels Desktop trial, or you have been using Parallels Desktop for a while now, this course will help you get the most out of your use of Parallels Desktop.

Updated for Parallels Desktop 19 and macOS Sonoma (February 2024)

Who this course is for:

Mac users who need to run Windows apps on their Mac

Get the Most from Parallels Desktop

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Getting Started with Parallels Desktop4 lectures • 20min

Exploring Parallels Desktop3 lectures • 19min

Standard Uses of Parallels Desktop4 lectures • 18min

Advanced Topics in Parallels Desktop6 lectures • 45min

Parallels Desktop 19 Update5 lectures • 21min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: