Parallels Desktop for Mac Professional Academic Edition Subscription 3Yr

Parallels Desktop for Mac. Education with no limits.

Parallels® Desktop for Mac is a fast, easy, and powerful solution that lets students and educators run Windows and Windows apps on Mac, seamlessly.  

No matter what they’re studying, with Parallels Desktop for Mac students can easily switch between Mac and Windows applications, share files and folders, copy and paste images and text, and drag and drop files and content between operating systems.

Affordably priced, at up to 50% less than the commercial version, students can rely on Parallels Desktop for Mac to support their entire learning journey, building skills for life.

Do more with Parallels Desktop for Mac.

• Recognized by Microsoft as an authorized solution to run Windows 11 and Windows applications on Macs with Intel and Apple silicon.
• Run Windows 11 and Windows applications on the Mac including ones used in business administration, accounting, economics and similar courses, such as Microsoft Office, PowerBI, Quicken, Sage Pro and Visio.
• Powerful 3D performance fuels the most resource-hungry PC applications commonly used in computer science, engineering, architecture, CAD, or design-based courses, like Visual Studio, AutoCAD or Solidworks, without slowing down your Mac.
• Retain the look and feel of the beloved macOS by running Windows apps alongside macOS apps or use the familiar Windows desktop aesthetic.
• Once up and running, bring over files and browser bookmarks from the PC to the Mac. Copy and paste text and images and easily drag and drop files between your Mac and other OSs. Share network, printer, and external hardware seamlessly between operating systems.
• Parallels Desktop runs on the latest macOS releases and supports a variety of operating systems, including Windows 11, Ubuntu, and other Linux distributions.
• Parallels Toolbox comes bundled for free, delivering over 50 tools that simplify everyday tasks: screen record with ease, encrypt files or folders and securely share or store them, convert units and currencies or hide desktop or macOS menu items - all with a single click.
• Automatically optimize performance based on a primary usage scenario, allocate CPU and memory resources for maximum productivity, and turn on Travel Mode to extend battery life while on the go. Save time and disk space with shared access to Mac files and folders in Windows applications.

Parallels Desktop for Mac. Loved by millions of Mac users, in education and industry, for more than 17 years. 

Frequently Asked Questions

+ Why do I need Parallels® Desktop for Mac?

Parallels Desktop allows you to run almost every native Windows application (plus other operating systems) quickly and easily on your Mac, supporting even the most demanding applications, games, and more.

As a student taking courses that rely on industry standard PC applications, you can seamlessly work across operating systems on your MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, or Mac Pro. If you are a gamer, you’ll be thrilled about the possibilities of playing your favorite PC games on your Mac as well.

+ What programs can I run with Parallels Desktop for Mac?

For Intel Macs, Parallels Desktop for Mac lets you run macOS, Windows, Linux and other x86-based operating systems as virtual machines. On Apple Silicon Macs, Parallels® Desktop for Mac supports the Arm editions of the most popular operating systems including Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions.

Parallels® Desktop for Mac supports more than 200,000 applications that run on these systems. Programs can range from common business administration applications, like Microsoft Office, PowerBI, and Visio to graphics-intensive programs such as AutoCAD or SolidWorks, as well as custom applications.

+ Who qualifies for Education discount pricing?

Currently enrolled students who would like to run Windows on Mac.

+ Will I have to purchase a Windows license key?

Yes. Parallels Desktop for Mac requires the installation of an operating system in order to function. The operating system is not included with the purchase of Parallels Desktop for Mac. To run a Windows virtual machine, you must have a licensed copy of that Windows operating system or purchase a new Windows license. Note: You can purchase Microsoft Windows directly from Parallels or in the product itself.

+ What versions of Microsoft Windows can I run on the Mac with Parallels Desktop?

Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11 are the most popular OSs run within Parallels Desktop. Additionally, Linux, Google Chrome OS, and other OSs are also supported. You can find a full list of guest operating systems that are supported on our Resources page.

+ Which editions of Windows has Microsoft confirmed will be officially compatible with Apple M-series Mac?

Microsoft has confirmed that Parallels Desktop for Mac used with Arm versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions is an officially compatible solution for customers on Apple M-series based Mac computers.

+ Can I use the Windows operating system that came with my PC?

Whether you can legally use a copy of Windows from an existing physical machine (typically delivered as an 'OEM' license) depends on the license terms surrounding that installation of Windows. Please consult the license agreement that came with the version of Windows included with your PC or the PC manufacturer for more details.

+ Can I play 3D games on a virtual machine?

Yes, Parallels Desktop for Mac for Intel Macs has 3D hardware-accelerated graphics support. On Apple Silicon Macs, Windows 11 graphics are rendered using the host CPU, while Linux VMs can use 3D hardware acceleration. For Windows VMs on Intel Macs, Parallels Desktop for Mac supports DirectX 11 (with Shader Model 5.0) and earlier. For Linux guests on Intel or Apple Silicon Parallels Desktop for Mac provides OpenGL 4.3 capabilities.

Parallels® Desktop 18 for Mac System Requirements

Supported Mac Configurations

Internet connection is required for product activation, updates, and select features.

Supported Guest Operating Systems (Mac with Apple M1 chip):

Only ARM versions of operating systems are supported.

• Windows 11 (recommended)
  Windows ARM can run most of the regular Windows x86 applications. You can download the Parallels Desktop trial and install the application of your interest. If it doesn't work, let us know at Parallels Forum.
• Ubuntu Linux 21.10, 21.04, 20.10, 20.04
• Fedora Workstation 35, 34, 33-1.2
• Debian GNU/Linux 11.2, 10.10
• Kali Linux 2022.1, 2021.3
• macOS Monterey 12 (in-app download)

Supported Guest Operating Systems (Mac with Intel processors):

Only x86 versions of operating systems are supported.

• Windows 11 (recommended)
• Windows 10
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 8
• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows 7 (SP0-SP1)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP0-SP2)
• Windows Vista Home, Business, Ultimate and Enterprise (SP0-SP2)
• Windows Server 2003 R2 (SP0-SP2)
• Windows XP (SP0-SP3)
• Windows 2000 Professional SP4
• Windows 2000 Server SP4
• Boot2Docker
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8, 7 and 6
• CentOS Linux 9 Stream, 8, 7, 6
• Fedora Linux 35, 34, 33, 32, 31
• Ubuntu 21.10, 21.04, 20.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS
• Debian GNU/Linux 11, 10, 9
• Suse Linux Enterprise 15
• OpenSUSE Linux  15.2, 15.1, 15
• Linux Mint 20, 19, 18
• Kali 2022.1, 2020.2, 2019, 2018
• Elementary OS 5
• Manjaro 21, 19, 18
• Mageia 7, 6
• Gentoo Linux **
• Solaris 11, 10 **
• openBSD 6 **
• FreeBSD 12, 11 **
• openVZ 7
• eComStation 2, 1.2 **
• ReactOS 0.4 **
• Android OS*

• macOS Monterey 12.0 (when released)
• macOS Big Sur 11.0
• macOS Catalina 10.15
• macOS Mojave 10.14.x
• macOS High Sierra 10.13.x
• macOS Sierra 10.12.x
• OS X El Capitan 10.11.x
• OS X Yosemite 10.10.x
• OS X Mavericks 10.9.x
• OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.x
• OS X Lion 10.7.x
• OS X Lion Server 10.7.x
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x
• Mac OS X Leopard Server 10.5.x

• and many more...

* - Only the version downloaded with help of the Installation Assistant with Parallels Desktop.

** - Parallels Tools are not available for this operating system.

Note: Parallels Desktop for Mac emulates PC hardware, so operating systems that are not present in this list can work as well. You can download the Parallels Desktop trial and install an operating system of your choice. If it doesn't work and you believe it should be supported, let us know at Parallels Forum.

Parallels Tools for Linux require X Window System version 1.15-1.20 and Linux Kernel version 2.6.29-5.12.

Moving Your PC?

You can move your files from Windows PC using Apple Migration Assistant.
To move your Windows apps, you can use the Parallels Transporter feature.

Note: Parallels Transporter is not available for Mac with Apple M1 chips.

PC system requirements to move your PC to your Intel Mac (using Parallels Transporter Agent):

• 700 MHz (or higher) x86 or x64 processor (Intel or AMD)
• 256 MB of RAM
• 50 MB of available hard disk space for installation of Parallels Transporter Agent
• Ethernet or WiFi network adapter for migrating over network
• External USB drive for migrating via external disk
• Supported Windows: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 *

* - To migrate Windows Vista or older, Transporter Agent from Parallels Desktop 13 should be used.