Parallels 17 promises better Mac M1 performance and Windows 11 support

Parallels, the company best known for its virtualization software that lets you run Windows and Linux directly on your Mac, has had a busy year. In addition to making a version of Parallels that can run on Chrome OS for the first time, the company also had to find a way to get its software to work quickly with the new ARM-based Mac M1s that arrived last fall. Parallels Desktop 17 is now available with improved performance on Mac M1s, as well as full support for the upcoming macOS Monterey and Windows 11 operating systems.

Before we get into these improvements, however, it’s worth taking a moment to talk about compatibility. Apple moving the Mac to the ARM architecture means that there are now two classes of Macs to be supported by Parallels. To date, the only versions of Windows that Parallels can run on a Mac M1 are the Insider Previews for Windows 10 and Windows 11, as these versions of the operating system can run on ARM-based hardware. But, Parallels says unequivocally that when the full version of Windows 11 is released to the public, it will run on Parallels 17.

On an Intel Mac, however, users can still run a multitude of virtual machines, including support for Windows up to XP and Windows 2000, and macOS up to OS X Lion of 2011. It can also run eight. different Linux distributions; Mac M1s can only virtualize four at the moment, including Ubuntu and Fedora.

So while Intel Macs still offer the widest compatibility, Parallels has found that the raw power of the M1 chip means that users probably don’t give up on running insider previews of Windows 10 or 11. Microsoft’s built-in emulation for Windows means that Windows 10 Insider Preview can run almost any 32-bit x86 application as well as “a lot” of 64-bit x86 applications, and the power of the M1 helps to compensate for the loss of speed due to it. ’emulation.

As for what’s new, Parallels has speed improvements across the board whether you’re using Intel or M1. Whatever system you use, Parallels 17 takes over Windows and Linux up to 38% faster, while OpenGL graphics run up to six times faster than the previous version. M1-specific speed improvements include 20% faster disk performance when using Windows 10 Insider preview, while DirectX graphics are expected to perform up to 28% better. These tests are all performed by Parallels, and we cannot verify them yet, but improving performance has long been a priority for the company.

There are also a handful of new features on board. Parallels has improved its “Coherence” mode, where you can run a Windows application without entering the full Windows user interface. Now things like shutdowns, updates, and login screens are also windowed, making them easier to display in the background. The ability to drag and drop between Windows and Mac apps has also been improved – for example, you can now highlight and drop text and images between Mac and Windows apps, and this will work with the new Quick Note feature in come to macOS Monterey.

Parallels 17 also contains a virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, which allows the system to use BitLocker and Secure Boot while running Windows 10 and Windows 11. There is an additional layer of intrigue to this functionality: Microsoft initially said a computer with a TPM chip was a requirement for Windows 11 before rolling back (at least for the testing period). It is not yet clear whether the final version of Windows 11 will require a TPM chip, but this virtualization should allow Parallels users to bypass this requirement.

As with most software these days, Parallels Desktop 17 is sold as a subscription. The Standard Edition costs $ 79.99 per year and the Pro Edition costs $ 99.99 per year. If you are a subscriber, you will receive updates from Parallels as long as the subscription is active. If you prefer, you can get a perpetual license of Parallels 17 Standard Edition for $ 99.99; people who have purchased a past perpetual license can upgrade for $ 49.99.