Parallels became the only virtualization software to officially support Apple Silicon ARM M1 & M2 chip Macs although other virtual machines have beta versions that support it. Parallels 17 was another evolution in the product as it had to be re-engineered for some fundamental changes in macOS 11 Big Sur, Monterey and beyond into Apple Silicon.

Parallels 16 and 16.5 brought significant speed improvements plus beta support for M1 Macs. It also allowed Mac users to use seriously graphic intensive apps such as Windows only CAD applications for the first time. The last major update to Parallels was in Parallels 15 which was a big step-up from previous versions of Parallels because it finally supported DirectX 11 and Apple Metal API which allowed Mac users to play Windows only games such as FIFA, Age of Empires and Fallout. We think it’s by far the most convenient way to get Windows on your Mac because it’s incredibly easy to setup, launches Windows apps or games quickly and allows you to switch between macOS and Windows instantly. Not only this but you can run just about any other operating system in it such as Linux and Android on it which allows you to play games such as Among Us which aren’t available for Mac.

You can even copy and paste files and documents between macOS and Windows as if they were one operating system. In fact, it can run over 200,000 Windows only apps on a Mac according to Parallels. Click I accept to complete the process.Parallels is a virtual environment that allows you to conveniently run all those Windows only applications and games that don’t run on Mac. Upon clicking it, you'll be presented with the Microsoft EULA. Once the installation process is over, you'll get the Installation Complete prompt. Windows will be downloaded and installed automatically. To install Windows 11, run Parallels Desktop, then click on the Parallels icon in the Mac menu bar > Control Center > + > Get Windows 11 from Microsoft > Continue > Install Windows. For more information on Windows 11 compatibility issues, check out KB 128796. Therefore, if an application does not run in Windows 11, it is either likely due to some misconfiguration, or the issue could be due to an application not being compatible with ARM architecture.

However, Windows 11 should be fully compatible with all applications that Windows 10 is compatible with. And as a result, Windows 10 is no longer supported in Parallels Desktop on Mac computers with Apple M Chips. Note: Microsoft no longer provides support for Windows 10 ARM. For installing a macOS virtual machine, see KB 125561.For installing a Linux virtual machine, see KB 128445.To install a new virtual machine on a Mac with Apple M chip, you need to use an ARM-based installation image with a supported operating system.

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