In recognition of World Backup Day, this post shows you how best to back up the Windows installation on your Mac in Parallels® Desktop. 

Yes, you really should back up! 

A few years ago, I had a Windows installation on my iMac that would no longer boot. In addition, I could not copy the Parallels Desktop file that contained this Windows installation (the “.pvm” file). This quickly led to the conclusion that at least a portion of the hard drive on my iMac had failed. The Apple Tech Support team I contacted was great, but nothing we tried fixed the issue, so Apple authorized a no-cost-to-me hard drive replacement. I was able to backup everything on the disk, except the Parallels Desktop file that contained Windows. If I had made a backup earlier before the drive failed, I would have lost very little. 

This blog post is my attempt to help you avoid the data loss I had. 

But I Have Time Machine (or iCloud Drive), So I Don’t Need to Do This, Right? 

I run Time Machine also, and it is great, and it has saved me on a number of occasions. However, Time Machine is not a good choice to backup Windows on your Mac. Time Machine works by checking every hour for files that have changed on your Mac, and then backs them up. Anytime you start up or use Windows on your Mac, the .pvm file will change. The change might be really small, but Time Machine cannot see that. So, Time Machine backs up the entire .pvm file, which is usually more than 10GB, and can be hundreds of GBs. If this gigantic file is backed up once every hour, you will quickly fill up the Time Machine drive. For the same reason, backing up Windows to iCloud Drive is a bad idea. 

What You Need 

The steps below will work for any version of Windows. (Or, for that matter, any version of Linux, macOS, or any other OS that you have installed in Parallels Desktop on your Mac.) All you need is a high-capacity, speedy external drive attached to your Mac. For my home setup, I have a 10TB, external USB drive which I purchased new for about $175 USD. You will need to have this external drive connected to your Mac, and it should be visible on the Mac desktop. 

Only 3 Steps Needed to Back Up Windows in Parallels Desktop 

1. Shut down Windows 

2. Reclaim any extra space 

3. Manually copy the .pvm file to the external drive 

Notes: 

1. You must really shut down Windows. Not suspend Windows, not just close the Parallels Desktop window where Windows is running, but manually shut down Windows. Step 2 requires that Windows has shut down. 

2. The file that Parallels Desktop stores Windows, all your Windows applications, your Windows configuration setting, and (perhaps) any files you have created in Windows is called a Mac .pvm file. (Figure 1 shows all my .pvm files, though you may only have one .pvm file.) These pvm files grow as you install new Windows apps and create new files. Usually, but not always, these pvm files shrink when you delete apps and files. However, over time there can be some “empty” space that remains in the file. You should remove this by using the “Reclaim…” button shown in Figure 2. In that figure, this “empty” space is over 40GB, so it is definitely worth reclaiming this before you go on to the next step. 

3. Just manually copy this pvm file to the external drive. For me, copying a 120GB pvm file to my external drive takes about 9 minutes. 

I recommend that you also add a recurring item to your calendar, reminding you to back up Windows. You can do this once or twice a month, depending on how much work you are willing to lose in case of hardware failure, or other problems. 

Restoring Windows From a Backup 

Suppose calamity strikes, and you have to restore your backup of Windows. No problem! Just copy the backup pvm file back to the same folder on your Mac where it was located when you backed it up. You will lose whatever work you have done since you made the backup, but this will usually be a lot smaller loss than if you had never backed up at all. 

I hope this helps you evade the big data loss that I experienced when my hard drive failed. Let us know your experience and tips in the Forums or on Facebook and Twitter channels. 

The post Tips for Backing up Windows in Parallels Desktop for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Parallels® Desktop for Mac is a fantastic way to run Power BI on M1 and Intel-based Mac computers. That said, because Microsoft has not yet released an official Power BI desktop for Mac, users must use Windows virtualization to run it.

Parallels Desktop for Mac supports Windows 11 on both M1 and Intel-based Mac computers, and delivers superior performance and compatibility with favorite Windows programs.

How well will Power BI run on an M1 Mac?

Before launching Parallels Desktop for Mac for M1 Macs we had more than 100,000 users test programs such as Power BI to confirm that it indeed does work on an M1 laptop. Mac applications that are originally created for Intel-based Mac computers work on Mac computers with Apple M1 chip out of the box by utilizing the Rosetta framework – a translation process that enables running Intel x86_64 applications on Apple M1 chip.  

Which version of Mac works best with Power BI?

Most users report that a minimum of 8 GB of RAM should be assigned to process data sets. We recommend Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro or Business editions since you can assign up to 128 GB of RAM to your setup.

Click here to download a 14-day free trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro edition and try it for yourself!

The post How Do I Run Power BI on a Mac? appeared first on Parallels Blog.

This post is part of a series to assist new users of Parallels Desktop. 

Virtual machines for Parallels Desktop on your Mac can be pretty large. Even a basic install of Windows 10 with Office for Windows will take up more than 21GBs on your Mac’s internal drive. Now, if you use that VM every day, that is not an unreasonable storage commitment. But what about that macOS Mojave VM that you use to keep some old 32-bit Mac apps available? While those old apps are important, you only use them a couple of times a month. Is that worth the 40GBs on your Mac’s internal drive? What can you do? 

Can you keep infrequently used VMs in iCloud? This is probably not a great choice for two reasons: (1) a VM stored in iCloud will run really slowly, and (2) you will have to pay Apple around $1-$3 every month for this storage. 

A better solution is to store these infrequently used VMs on an external drive, and to connect the drive to your Mac whenever you want to use these VMs. In this blog post I will explain the various factors involved in running VMs on external drives so that you can make the best choice for your needs. 

The factors are: 

How to get your VM onto an external drive 

You should create your VMs on the internal drive of the Mac, and then move them to your external drive, as creating a VM directly on the external drive will take a lot longer. Just follow these steps: 

1. Create the VM on the internal drive of the Mac. 

2. Delete the VM from the Control Center, but make sure not to move the VM to the trash. Keep the Files. (Figure 1) 

3. Move the VM to your external drive. 

4. Add the VM now on the external drive to the Control Center. You will see some warning alerts when you run it. (Figure 2) 

When you are finished, the new VM will now have a special icon badge in the Control Center indicating that it is on an external drive. (Figure 3) 

Will a VM on an external drive run as fast? 

As long as you have a good external drive with a fast connection to your Mac, it will run as fast as it would on your internal drive. The one area where it may be slower is disk access. So, if the Windows app you are running in the VM on the externally-stored drive is performing many “reads and writes” to the disk, then it will be probably slow. 

I took some performance benchmarks of the same VM on the internal drive of my iMac, and then on two different external drives. I used UserBenchmark for these tests, and the results are shown in Table 1. The only area where there was a significant speed difference was in disk access. 

User Benchmark Results for the VM stored in three different places: 

What I do 

My best, and thus my favorite, external drive is a 1TB SSD2GO PKT MK2. It is physically small, and really fast. I also use a 1TB Samsung Portable SSD T5, and a 1TB Western Digital My Passport SSD. These are all excellent external drives for Parallels Desktop users. 

Parallels Desktop provides flexibility for where you store your VMs so that you can pick the one (or two or three) that most closely align with your needs. 

Let us know in the comments if you put some of your VMs on an external drive. 

Download a free trial of Parallels Desktop for Mac for 14 days.

The post New to Parallels Desktop? Can you use a VM on an external drive? appeared first on Parallels Blog.

With Parallels Desktop on your Mac, you can effectively have two or more virtual machines running on your computer. So, where should you store the documents you create or work on? In the Mac’s Documents folder? In the Documents folder in Windows 10? Someplace else?

There are several choices, and each choice has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. In this blog post, I will explain each choice in some detail, so that you may make the best decision for your needs.

The choices are:

Store inside the Windows virtual machine

This is a popular and natural place to store documents created in the Windows virtual machine, especially for documents that may only be opened by a Windows application. For a person who is experienced using Windows, this can be done almost without thought.

Store on the Mac

Keep your documents in the Documents folder on the Mac, as you have always done. When you need to view or edit these documents with a Windows application, just drag & drop them into the virtual machine.

Store in a cloud service

The straight-forward way: Install the cloud service software on your Mac and in the VM. Unfortunately, this could have a significant negative effect on the storage required on your Mac. Most cloud services store a local copy of your files, and keep these files synched with a copy in the cloud. (Yes, I know that the most recent versions enable you to have some control of the local copies.) If you install the cloud service in both the Mac and the VM, then you will have two copies of your files on the Mac: one copy on the Mac, and a second copy in the VM. Both these copies take up space on your Mac. If you have lots of file in the cloud, this can have a significant effect on the space on your Mac.

The Parallels Desktop way: Because of this storage issue, several years ago Parallels Desktop added features to share the local copies between your Mac and your VM. Figure 1 shows how to enable these features, and Figure 2 shows these features working.

(iCloud) When you first set up you Mac, the macOS installation process will suggest you store all your documents in iCloud. (BTW, this is not a good choice for a Parallels Desktop user.)

Store in a Shared Folder

Parallels Desktop has a setting to make a Mac folder shareable with Windows. This Parallels Desktop feature was designed to make document storage natural and easy for Parallels Desktop users.

What I do

I described four options in this article, for storing documents. However, they are not mutually exclusive alternatives. Personally, I use a combination of these, each one chosen to meet a particular set of needs. If I don’t need to share a document with anyone else, then I might store it on the Mac, or in the VM. If I need to share the document with others, then I will use the cloud service that they are using. If I don’t need to share, but do need access both on the Mac and from Windows, then a Shared Folder is the best choice. If I will mostly be using the Mac to author or edit a document, but I need to use Windows for one particular edit (or the reverse), then I will drag the document to Windows for this one edit, then drag it back for the remainder of my work.

Parallels Desktop provides all choices so that you may pick the one (or two or three) that most closely align with your needs.

Let us know in the comments where you (mostly) store your documents and if you haven’t installed Parallels Desktop yet, feel free to download a 14 day trial.

The post New to Parallels Desktop? Where to store your documents? appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Since the advent of macOS Catalina, Apple users can use their iPad as a second computer screen for their Mac with the feature sidecar. This opens up completely new application areas and makes mobile computing flexible like never before. Anyone on the road with a MacBook and an iPad can use two screens to work productively. 

Combined with Parallels Desktop 15, an iPad becomes a second screen not only for a Mac itself but for all Windows programs running on it. What users need to have to make this happen is a fairly recent Mac along with an equally recent iPad running iOS 13.

An iPad acting as a second screen

With the new feature included in macOS Catalina “Sidecar”, the iPad display can either mirror or extend the Mac desktop. Mirroring helps when a user wants to demonstrate or present something. In all other cases, extending the display is the more suitable option. 

Another benefit of Sidecar is that it allows the MacBook Pro Touch Bar to be displayed on the iPad. This helps when operating the MacBook while it is closed (using its mouse and keyboard) if you still want to access the Touch Bar. 

An iPad is quite a small display screen, of course, even when compared to a MacBook’s own display. Sidecar may be best suited to display a single application’s program window in full-screen mode on the iPad. You can simply move your Windows virtual machine (VM) to the iPad and continue to work with your Mac as usual. To do this, hover over the green dot in the screen’s upper-left corner and select “Move to iPad.” 

Sidecar offers a further advantage of enabling Apple Pencil to act as a data entry device for Mac devices. And that’s not all—thanks to Parallels Desktop, Windows programs can also make use of the Apple Pencil for accurate line-drawing and handwritten annotation. This allows an iPad to be used not only as a display but also as a drawing tablet for Windows programs such as CorelDRAW or Microsoft Sketchpad. Notes can be added directly to screenshots, making commenting more direct than ever.  

Learn more about all the features in Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition and test them for 14 days for free!

The next issue of this series about using macOS Catalina in a corporate environment will focus on enhanced graphics performance for macOS and Windows.

Learn more:

• Apple Support | Using iPad with Sidecar
• Apple Support | Sidecar system requirements
• Parallels and Sidecar | Parallels Desktop 15 for macOS Catalina
• Parallels Desktop Business Edition | Free Trial

The post How to Use Parallels Desktop with Sidecar: Windows on iPad appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Almost all users who purchase a subscription for Parallels Desktop do so with one goal in mind: to install Windows on Mac. Parallels Desktop Mac Business Edition will help you and your employees easily work with Windows programs on Mac, running even the most demanding applications effortlessly. 

Before proceeding, you should have already signed up for Parallels My Account. In this article, you’ll learn how to how to install and activate Parallels Desktop. Only then can you install Windows on Mac. 

How do you install Windows on Mac?

Installing Windows on Mac is a crucial step to being able to run Windows applications on a macOS® device. To be able to do this, you first need to install a Windows virtualization tool on your Mac computer, such as Parallels Desktop. Parallels Desktop is not only perfectly compatible with any Windows program—it’s also fast, secure, and designed for rapid mass deployments.

How to install Parallels Desktop 

1. Download the Parallels Desktop installer to your Mac.
2. Double-click the .dmg installation file to mount it in Finder, then double-click Install.
3. Read through the Software License Agreement and click Accept.
4. Once prompted, enter your local Mac user password to finalize the installation.

Next, you’ll activate Parallels Desktop Business Edition.

How to activate Parallels Desktop Business Edition

1. Start Parallels Desktop by double-clicking the icon. 
2. If the first screen that opens is the Installation Assistant, Skip it for now. The Installation Assistant helps you install Windows—you can run this at a later time. 
3. Go to the Parallels Desktop dropdown menu, and then click Account & License.

4. This opens the Sign-in dialog box.

5. Click on the Business Edition button at the lower-left corner, which opens the Enter Business Key dialog. This then prompts you to enter your Parallels Desktop Business Edition license key. After entering it, click Activate.                                

6. If your activation was successful, you’ll see a confirmation message.

And just like that, your Parallels Desktop Business Edition is installed, activated and ready for Windows installation!

Read “How to Install Windows 10 in Parallels Desktop for Mac” for the complete instructions on how to install Windows on Mac.

Experience how easy it is to install Windows on Mac

With Parallels Desktop Business Edition, you can install Windows on Mac across your organization without breaking a sweat. Try it out yourself. Download the free trial now.

References:

• Parallels Desktop Business Edition Quick Start Guide: Read more
• Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition product page: Read more
• How to Install Windows on Mac blog: Read more
• Install Windows on your Mac using Parallels Desktop: Read more
• Does Windows come with my purchase of Parallels Desktop for Mac? Read more

The post How to Activate Parallels Desktop and Install Windows on Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

There are at least 800 million videos uploaded to YouTube, meaning there are millions of hours of videos available for viewing.  

Sometimes you might wish to have one of these videos on your own computer or phone—maybe your internet connection is frustratingly unreliable, or you want to save the video and watch it later during a flight.  

Whatever the reason, with Parallels Toolbox, you’ll be happy to know that it’s possible to effortlessly download a YouTube video for watching offline.  

Parallels Toolbox presents the ultimate solution for downloading YouTube, Vimeo, and other web-based videos directly to your computer.  

With compatibility for both macOS and Windows, the Parallels Toolbox Download Video tool stands unrivaled among competing utilities with similar capabilities.  

You don’t have to worry about sacrificing quality; with one click, you can save YouTube videos in high resolution up to 4k. 

In this blog post, I’ll uncover how Parallels Toolbox transforms how we watch and appreciate our favorite YouTube content.  

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on downloading YouTube and other web-based videos to your computer. Can’t wait to try it out? Download a free trial of Parallels Toolbox now.  

How to download a video from YouTube on a Mac 

Ready to start downloading YouTube videos to your Mac with Parallels Toolbox? Here’s a quick step-by-step guide. 

1. Download, install, and open Parallels Toolbox. 

2. Search and launch the Download Video tool from the dashboard. 

3. Copy and paste the video link or drag and drop the video to instantly download your favorite video. 

4. Open your new video file and enjoy! 

If I download a video from YouTube using the Safari web browser, is there a difference? 

Using the Safari’s web browser, you can make the process even easier and utilize the Safari plug-in to save your favorite video instantly. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide. 

1. Download, install, and open Parallels Toolbox. 

2. Search and launch the Download Video tool from the dashboard. 

3. Enable the Safari extension and use the Safari plug-in to instantly download your favorite video. 

4. Open your new video file and enjoy! 

Is it safe to download a video from YouTube to my Mac? 

Using a trustworthy application is the key to minimizing the risk of malware or security issues.  

If you use reputable software or services, such as Parallels Toolbox, downloading a YouTube video to your Mac is safe. 

YouTube offers its own service: the “Add to Offline” feature.  

The downside is that this feature is exclusively available with their premium subscription, YouTube Red, at the cost of $12 per month ($144 per year).  

On the other hand, Parallels Toolbox has over 30+ versatile tools, all for a mere $24.99 per year.  

So, if you’re looking to download YouTube videos for offline enjoyment, Parallels Toolbox emerges as a safe, reputable, and far more wallet-friendly option that also comes packed with a plethora of handy tools designed to enhance your Mac or PC experience. 

How to download a video from YouTube on a Windows 10 

Ready to start downloading YouTube videos on your Windows 10 PC with Parallels Toolbox? Here’s a quick step-by-step guide. 

1. Download, install, and open Parallels Toolbox. 

2. Search and launch the Download Video tool from the dashboard. 

3. Copy and paste the video link or drag and drop the video to instantly download your favorite video. 

4. Open your new video file and enjoy! 

Is it legal to download videos from YouTube? 

The simple answer is that it depends. 

Navigating the legal landscape* of downloading videos from YouTube isn’t completely black and white.  

YouTube’s Terms of Service make it clear that you’re not allowed to download content from the platform unless you have explicit permission from the content creator or YouTube provides a built-in “download” button. 

Here comes the gray area—Some content creators do grant permissions or offer their videos under a Creative Commons license.  

This generosity makes this content open source and allows you to share and reuse the content under certain conditions, making downloading videos for personal use legal. 

When downloading YouTube videos, keep in mind that respecting copyright laws and sticking to the platform’s terms of service is a must.  

Unauthorized downloading, sharing, or distributing copyrighted content can result in legal repercussions that nobody wants to face.  

If you find yourself uncertain about the legality of downloading a particular video, it’s always better to play it safe and refrain from downloading. And remember that you are doing so at your own risk!  

Start easily downloading YouTube videos with Parallels Toolbox 

In the past, there was a lengthy series of steps required to download videos from YouTube. Parallels Toolbox simplifies the process into four easy steps.  

Parallels Toolbox is the most convenient way to watch videos offline since it works with both Mac and Windows computers and supports resolutions up to 1080p.  

Not to mention, for a fraction of the cost of YouTube Red, you can enjoy over 30+ versatile tools that are designed to enhance your overall computing experience. 

So, what are you waiting for? Download Parallels Toolbox now and start enjoying your favorite YouTube content offline. 

*Note that the information in this post should be considered general in nature and not considered legal advice. 

The post How to download a YouTube Video with Parallels Toolbox: A step-by-step guide appeared first on Parallels Blog.

With macOS Catalina dropping support for 32-bit, some users may find themselves without their favorite applications. Now, macOS will warn users prior to upgrading to macOS Catalina and showcase the incompatibility:

In order to continue using your favorite 32-bit applications on macOS Catalina, the software developers will need to update the software to support 64-bit. If the software developer chooses not to do this, users can utilize a virtual machine with Parallels Desktop to run their favorite applications on their Mac.

What is a bit?

By means of Lifewire’s definition, a bit is shorthand for binary digit. In laymen’s terms, this is where you see units of measurements regarding 1s and 0s and can apply to computer networking or memory. Sometimes you’ll see the formatting as “32-bit” or “x32.” These two formats represent the same thing. 

32-bit and 64-bit operating systems

The 32-bit processor was the most popular processor used by computers until the early 1990s. Both Intel Pentium and AMD processors were 32-bit, which means Microsoft’s Windows 95, 98, and XP are all 32-bit operating systems. However, a slight shift occurred in 2003 when Microsoft released a 64-bit version of Windows, and then in 2005 shifted the internal processor to a 64-bit AMD processor.  

Microsoft Windows utilizing a more powerful processor in combination with a more powerful operating system unlocked a lot of potential with improved security, better game performance, and the ability to allocate more memory as needed. Why does this matter? Every personal computer (whether a Mac® or PC) has a 32-bit OS or 64-bit OS, and this dictates the user experience. The OS and the software used is the underlying foundation for our productivity. 

Difference between 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs

Simply put, a 64-bit processor is more capable than a 32-bit processor because it can handle more data in any given moment.

The most popular consumer reference to a x64 processor in CPUs or hardware is the Nintendo 64. Hence, the name. Personally, I always thought this was due to 64 games being released with the Nintendo 64 (haha). Nope, it’s due to the processor. Additionally, through a popular HowStuffWorks article, I’ve learned that this specific processor was a customized chip system that was named the 64-bit R4300i “Reality Engine.” (Insert an oooh and an ahhhhh here.)

What’s the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit software?

HowToGeek outlined a very helpful article: “Why are most programs still 32-bit on a 64-bit version of Windows.” It provides useful information about why users should care about the difference and how it effects their productivity. 

The biggest and most simple way to answer what the difference is between 32x and 64x software is that the 64x version will be more secure and reliable. 

How to check if a macOS application is 32-bit or 64-bit

If you’re on macOS® Mojave, it’s quite easy to see if any application on your Mac is either 32- or 64-bit. Follow this pathway:

Apple menu > About This Mac > System Report

From the System Report, scroll to Software > Applications> Select your desired Application

Depending on the applications on your Mac, you may see mostly 64-bit, some 32-bit, or all 32-bit. This is entirely dependent on your personal setup. 

How to run older 32-bit operating systems and applications on your Mac

Running older 32-bit operating systems or software on your Mac is quick and easy. With Parallels Desktop® for Mac, you can virtualize any 32-bit operating system in a virtual machine and run your needed application. 32-bit operating systems could be either macOS or Windows. For example, this is what a 32-bit macOS virtual machine looks like in Parallels Desktop:

Running a macOS virtual machine on the macOS with Parallels Desktop may seem a bit redundant, but it is absolutely necessary for users who need older 32-bit operating systems or applications. It’s also necessary for developers to code, test, and deploy without buying secondary machines. 

Downloading a free trial of Parallels Desktop is easy! Simply download the .dmg, create a new virtual machine with the operating system needed, and run the application to get started. 

The post 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit and Why It Matters appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Virtual machine’s capabilities are seemingly endless. Whether a Mac user needs Windows for gaming, Microsoft Office, or design programs – Parallels Desktop for Mac has you covered.

One important question remains: How do users know when to allocate specific resources to the virtual machine based on their needs?

It is a widely-discussed myth that a virtual machine needs ALL of the host machine’s resources in order to run effectively. This is simply not true.

In order to avoid mistakes with a virtual machine’s configuration, our team would like to shed some light on the matter by dispelling three common myths about virtual machine performance.

Myth 1: The more processors I assign to my VM, the better.

It sounds logical—more is better.

Well, that’s not exactly true.

One or two virtual CPUs is enough for most of the Windows applications you run. Assigning three CPUs can even slow down overall performance, especially if you have an older Mac model.

To see how many CPUs are assigned to your virtual machine, launch Parallels Desktop, and make sure your virtual machine is shut down.

Go to Virtual Machine Configuration > Select the Hardware tab > CPU & Memory.

You can then configure the number of processors (CPUs) to provide the appropriate number of computing resources for the workload you plan to run in the virtual machine.

In most cases, one or two CPUs provide the best performance with a virtual machine. Assigning several CPUs to your virtual machine may be required if outlined in your Windows program system requirements, but it also depends on your actual Mac hardware.

We unable to add to virtual machine more resources then your Mac has.

In order to add the necessary CPU numbers and get the best virtual machine performance as a result, we need to decide how we would like to use virtual machine: for gaming or just run any counting application like a QuickBooks, and also carefully read the application’s system requirements.

Myth 2: Maxing out my RAM makes my Windows VM run faster.

When you create a virtual machine on your Mac, Parallels Desktop allocates a certain amount of RAM by default to your virtual machine—the allocated amount depends on how much memory you have on your Mac and the user profile you’ve chosenduring setup.

The post Virtual Machine Performance Myths, Debunked appeared first on Parallels Blog.