Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Run Windows on your Mac, the easy, fast and powerful way with Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac.
- Get Easy access to all your applications and data while enjoying the complete Mac experience.
- Experience fast speeds for all applications with the latest performance acceleration technologies
- Run Windows smoothly on your Mac with the Complete Suite of essentials for Internet security, data protection and disk management
Overview
Parallels Mobile
Want to take control of your Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac virtual machines while your Mac is out of reach? Now you can with Parallels Mobile.
Parallels Mobile is a free application that allows you to remotely control Parallels virtual machines from your iPhone. It lets you see a list of existing virtual machines, remotely start, stop and rest them, as well as letting you pause, suspend and resume. Visit the App Store in iTunes for more information.
Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac allows you to run Windows and Mac OS X as one - the best of both worlds on one seamless desktop.
Run Windows programs like they were native to your Mac. With four view modes, next generation Coherence® lets you run the programs you need side-by-side with Mac OS X.
Features
- iPhone application with remote control of VMs
- Modality, Coherence, Window & Full Screen view modes - 4 different views that integrates Windows to Mac
- New GUI and VM Directory - Easy to use interface with quick access to all your VMs
- Clips - Screen capture utility to share screenshots across Windows and Mac
- Virtual Appliances - get up and running quickly with pre-built virtual appliances from Parallels
- Parallels Explorer - peer in VM hard disks
- Speech Recognition - Voice control of Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac
- QuickLook integration - get a glance of VM info
- Smart Connect - keeps USB device connection preferences
- Smart Shared Internet Applications - define Windows programs or Mac applications to handle web functions
- Smart Shared Folders, Parallels Mounter, Parallels Online Mounter - immediate transparent access to any files on both Windows or Mac
- SmartInstall - auto-update for current software
- Security Manager - set level of VM isolation for online safety
- Safe Mode - private and secure computing by saving or resetting changes to VM
- Shut Down Mode - graceful problem-free shutdown
- Over 45+ Supported Guest Operating Systems - Run Mac OS X Leopard Server, Snow Leopard, Windows including Windows Server 2008/2003, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, and more
Apple Recommends for...
...running Windows and over 45 other guest operating systems seamlessly, fully integrated and side by side on your Mac.
Data at Your Fingertips
Get instant and automatic access to your data from any OS with SmartX technologies
- SmartSelect - associate files with default applications to launch
- SmartMount - automatically mount removable media for access across OS
- Smart Auto Start - define specific VMs to auto-boot during startups
Getting Started is Easy
Use your Mac like multiple computers and start using your existing Windows and Linux machines on your Mac effortlessly with built-in installation and migration tools
- Express Windows & Linux Installation - Install Windows in 3-steps; includes automatic media detection for OS. Save big by using your Mac for multiple computers.
- Parallels Transporter - P2V: Migrate any PC or Boot Camp, V2V: VMware, Virtual PC & VirtualBox VMs
- Boot Camp - run your Boot Camp Windows installation in a VM
Accelerate your games or graphics applications
Blazing fast video and 3D graphics with support for DirectX 9.0, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0, and OpenGL 2.0
- DirectX 9, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0, OpenGL 2.0 - blazing video and 3D graphic support for smooth visual output in VMs
- QuickClick and SmoothShow GUI technologies - provide fast and smooth response to user interaction with the user interface
- 256 MB video RAM - leverage up to 256 MB of video RAM for snappy visual output
Complete Protection Suite
Safeguard your computer with the best internet and data protection available
- Bonus software: Parallels Internet Security powered by Kaspersky - provides protection including Anti-virus, firewall, scanner, recovery, filtering, and identity protection
- Bonus software: Acronis True Image Home - the complete solution to backup, restore, and protect your data and entire system includes the complete disk backup, file backup, disk cloner, file shredder, system cleanup, and disk cleanser
- SmartGuard - automatic protection with scheduled snapshots
Get more usage time with your Mac
Extend battery life by reducing power consumption with Parallels' PowerSaver feature
- PowerSave energy saving mode - up to 20% longer battery life
- Battery status in guest OS - better power management of your VMs
- Full-hardware ACPI support - enable graceful shutdown of VMs.
Get efficient use of disk space for Windows
A smaller footprint for Windows allows you to maximise space for your digital life - in a VM or Boot Camp with Disk Management capabilities
- Bonus software: Acronis Disk Director Suite - optimise your Windows disk space for better data allocation, performance, and data protection Includes partition manager, OS selector, recovery, disk editor
- Parallels Compressor - reduces VM size up to 2 times
- Parallels Image Tool - automatic resize of partitions with virtual hard disk capacity changes
System requirements
Mac
- Intel-based Mac required
- 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended to run Windows Vista)
- 450MB of hard drive space for Parallels Desktop installation, plus space to allocate to your virtual machine
- Mac 0S X 10.4.11 or later (including Mac 0S X Leopard)
- Internet connection required for select features and online updates. Also required for updates during one-year Internet Security subscription period
- Requires Windows or other operating system (not included)
Most Recent Reviews
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Boot camp is better off
Written by JK from New Mladen
May 30, 2009
I've been used Parallels since version 3.0. The v.4.0 has been improved but still, slow on loading games and graphic design. I pre…Read moreferred to use Boot Camp on my 2nd MBP.
(8 of 9 people found this review useful)
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Much better than VMWare Fusion
Written by CH from MORETON-IN-MARSH
May 22, 2009
I am a recent MAC man. A PC Bigot for 20 years, I bought an iMac last year. I have to run Windows for the only reason that I hav…Read moree to use Outlook (sorry Entourage is not as good). I installed Fusion last year and was happy with the functionality and in fairness it works OK. I bought a MacBook a few weeks ago and decided to try Parallells Desktop on that.
They both, load easily, install and run Windows very quickly (faster than my remaining PC which has huge memory and a very fast processor!) BUT Parallels is much better in action. Coherence Mode is magnificent, outlook runs as if it is just another Mac application and so it feels much more integrated. Would I advise against Fusion - no, it is just that I am more impressed with Parallels.(28 of 34 people found this review useful)
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Just try it.... you will buy it
Written by MW from Coleshill
May 18, 2009
This is how all applications should run.. simple / powerfull and works fantastic... I have had no problems and is a joy to use...
(11 of 13 people found this review useful)
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Most Useful Reviews
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
From strength to strength
Written by JJ from London
Nov 25, 2008
I've been using version 3.0 of parallels since it came out, and with the latest release (v4), there seems to be plenty of improvem…Read moreent. Although v3 already allowed me to run a variety of windows applications on a Mac, it seems that in v4, everything is easier, faster and more reliable (what more could anyone want?), and it even looks more glossy! I use it with both Windows XP (with Boot Camp) and Vista, and both work fine. It means that I can run two windows-only applications (Microsoft Office and 3D Studio MAX) without needing a separate PC, and without having to reboot constantly.
My only reason for giving this 4 stars rather than 5 is that I would like to see extended directX support in the future, just so I can get unparalleled performance (excuse the pun) when doing 3D work.(124 of 131 people found this review useful)
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Amazing!!!! Buy it!!!!
Written by KW from Fleet
Jan 28, 2009
As an IT manager I need to use Windows on a day to day basis. Being a complete Mac nut I resented this fact a lot. A friend reco…Read moremmended Parallels to me, I installed it last night and it is truly incredible. I can run the Windows apps I need alongside my Mac apps perfectly. Fast, easy to use and seamless. Anyone wanna buy a Windows laptop going cheap????
(68 of 71 people found this review useful)
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Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac
Big improvements over earlier versions
Written by MH from LONDON
Dec 14, 2008
I have been using Parallels since version 2.0. Version 4.0 is the most significant update since then.
Installing the upgrade w…Read moreas a little hair-raising and took a long time but it got there in the end and I have found this version has many improvements.
Most noticable is a great increase in speed and smoothness. It boots up faster and shuts down quicker, and the capture of mouse/trackpad input and connection to peripherals is much more intuitive and quicker.
Overall, an outstanding improvement to Version 3.0 and well worth the price of the upgrade. It even looks better!(61 of 63 people found this review useful)
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