Parallels Desktop for Apple Silicon

[haralds]

Parallels Desktop has been officially released today as 16.5.0. It does not directly support Intel code emulation/translation, but the Windows 10 ARM64 now in Preview does. Parallels supports a Guest driver for that configuration. For Linux it supports Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Debian 10.7, Fedora Workstation 33-1.2, and Kali Linux 2021.1 preconfigured. I am running Ubunto 20.10.

This thread is meant to collate experiences and questions.

The product page is here:https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/whats-new/?prev_major_ver=-1
V16.5.0 release notes are here: https://kb.parallels.com/en/125053
The Help is available online here: https://download.parallels.com/desktop/v16/docs/en.lproj/

I have been using this for years and also since the first M1 Preview. Despite being an old VMware Fusion fan, I quite like this and will not be likely to go back. I am running this on both my Intel and M1 systems.

 

[Yebubbleman]

So, it's running x86-64 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS? Or has Ubuntu actually released an Aarch64 non-server version? Because, last I checked, only Ubuntu Server had an Aarch64 version available.

And by "It does not directly support Intel code emulation/translation", what are you saying, exactly? That it won't create and run x86-64 VMs? Because we've known that would be the case ever since the beginning. Or are you referring to in-guest translation of x86-64 applications running on ARM64/Aarch64 guests/VMs?

I'm also a VMware fan, but I'm thinking I'll probably use both on my Intel system and at least the Parallels version on my M1 system. Virtualization is a big part of what I do with computers, so examining these offerings will be a must.

 

[jdb8167]

So, it's running x86-64 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS? Or has Ubuntu actually released an Aarch64 non-server version? Because, last I checked, only Ubuntu Server had an Aarch64 version available.

And by "It does not directly support Intel code emulation/translation", what are you saying, exactly? That it won't create and run x86-64 VMs? Because we've known that would be the case ever since the beginning. Or are you referring to in-guest translation of x86-64 applications running on ARM64/Aarch64 guests/VMs?

I'm also a VMware fan, but I'm thinking I'll probably use both on my Intel system and at least the Parallels version on my M1 system. Virtualization is a big part of what I do with computers, so examining these offerings will be a must.

You can download Ubuntu Desktop here: Ubuntu 20.04.2.0 LTS (Focal Fossa) Daily Build. Look for focal-desktop-arm64.iso.

 

[Gnattu]

A side note in case you don't know yet:
Windows preview changed how the "modern" Apps supports 32-bit arm but not arm64 are handled in the recent updates, such apps(for example, Microsoft Store) will now run in x86 mode via emulation by default instead of crashing immediately(because M1 does not have 32-bit excecution state). Which means most of the system works out of the box.

 

[Internaut]

Installed parallels as a trial and downloaded Ubuntu from the gallery. It's the finished article, rather than installing Ubuntu from scratch, into a VM, the whole process took minutes from start to finish. Bearing in mind this is a base M1 Mac, boot time and performance of Ubuntu are both rather impressive.

 

[bobcomer]

A side note in case you don't know yet:
Windows preview changed how the "modern" Apps supports 32-bit arm but not arm64 are handled in the recent updates, such apps(for example, Microsoft Store) will now run in x86 mode via emulation by default instead of crashing immediately(because M1 does not have 32-bit excecution state). Which means most of the system works out of the box.

That's good news.

 

[haralds]

So, it's running x86-64 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS? Or has Ubuntu actually released an Aarch64 non-server version? Because, last I checked, only Ubuntu Server had an Aarch64 version available.

And by "It does not directly support Intel code emulation/translation", what are you saying, exactly? That it won't create and run x86-64 VMs? Because we've known that would be the case ever since the beginning. Or are you referring to in-guest translation of x86-64 applications running on ARM64/Aarch64 guests/VMs?

I'm also a VMware fan, but I'm thinking I'll probably use both on my Intel system and at least the Parallels version on my M1 system. Virtualization is a big part of what I do with computers, so examining these offerings will be a must.

I downloaded the server version of Ubuntu and then added Gnome etc.
This will only run ARM64 based operating systems. Windows 10 or macOS on Intel are a no-go. Currently it also does not support macOS Big Sur on M1.

 

[haralds]

Note that using Parallels with the Windows Preview seems to drive up your SSD use due to frequent update downloads and installs. You get the triple write hit with files downloaded, then expanded, the old system saved for recovery, and then the install. It's the nature of the beast.
For this reason, I switched from my approach of having separate VMs for games, productivity, and development to just a unified machine.

 

[Internaut]

Anyone tried running a VM off an external drive. My decision to go base may be proving somewhat unwise. Gotchas so far:

- Linux - had to do an apt repair to get JDK and and VS Code to run properly
- Struggled a bit to find Geckodriver for ARM (but that was me being a Muppet)
- When moving between networks (office to home), it's best to exit Parallels completely and re-start - I found it initially wouldn't DHCP on my home network, and a shared network connection was really slow.

Not sure if that last point is a bug or a feature, but worth bearing in mind. Now to decide which licence to pay for...

 

[Yebubbleman]

I downloaded the server version of Ubuntu and then added Gnome etc.
This will only run ARM64 based operating systems. Windows 10 or macOS on Intel are a no-go. Currently it also does not support macOS Big Sur on M1.

Okay, cool. That aligns with my knowledge so far as well. I'd imagine that support for Apple Silicon Big Sur guests is coming. Would certainly be more convenient than dual-booting; though I wonder if there will be graphics acceleration. Hell, I'm just glad we have graphics acceleration on x86-64 Big Sur hosts (with x86-64 Big Sur guests).

How well does the Aarch64 version of Ubuntu Server (with Gnome) run in Parallels on the M1 so far?

 

[Anarchy99]

Stupid question, can this run a Big Sur VM?

 

[haralds]

Stupid question, can this run a Big Sur VM?

Currently not.

 

[kundanno]

Long time VMware Fusion user here. This is my first Parallels experience. I must say I am impressed by how quickly they have delivered a quality product - as a tech preview first and now as a GA product. Meanwhile still waiting for VMware to release their M1 optimized version.

 

[haralds]

Unless they have Intel Guest support, I am staying with Parallels. That product is very smooth and has some nice features.

 

[chumps]

I just tried Arm Windows and I was surprised by how quickly and smoothly everything installed.

I didn't expect it to work but an OpenGL painting simulation app called Expresii ran quite well, giving me 60-80fps at 4K in Windows (in a Window) on a M1 mini running at 5K internal res.

Windows' x86 > Arm64 translation seems pretty hit and miss. Expresii ran fine but another painting simulation called Verve didn't, even though they both use OpenGL. Adobe Fresco also doesn't install. Wacom drivers don't install.

Obviously it's early days but I feel a lot better now about Arm Windows virtualization for those small edge cases where a little bit of Windows goes a long way.

Even some of the icons look better. Every once and a while, if you squint, it almost feels like you're using a modern operating system.

 

[haralds]

Make sure you are set to the Developer Preview Channel and update to the latest version.

 

[m-a]

Visual Studio 2019 can be installed und even runs on Win10 ARM using Parallels - when hitting F5 Apps are built but can not be debugged … so VS 2019 basically is useless using Parallels …

 

[coolbreeze2]

A simple question from an amateur. How do I run Windows 10 inside Parallels without spending any more money. I have Windows 10 inside Parallels working fine for my Intel MBP and now want it for my Air M1. I would like to not have to buy another Parallels nor Windows 10 license. If not possible, is there a way for me to run Windows 10 in my M1 without Parallels?

 

[Internaut]

A simple question from an amateur. How do I run Windows 10 inside Parallels without spending any more money. I have Windows 10 inside Parallels working fine for my Intel MBP and now want it for my Air M1. I would like to not have to buy another Parallels nor Windows 10 license. If not possible, is there a way for me to run Windows 10 in my M1 without Parallels?

Windows on ARM doesn't cost a penny. You just join the Microsoft Insider programme and download it.

Edit: Parallels is different and someone else can answer that more accurately. However, I think if you've upgraded to the latest version of Parallels (at cost) on your Intel Mac, you should also be able to install and run on an M1 Mac. I've read elsewhere that the restriction on a single Parallels license is, erm, you can't run it in parallel on two machines.

 

[haralds]

Visual Studio 2019 can be installed und even runs on Win10 ARM using Parallels - when hitting F5 Apps are built but can not be debugged … so VS 2019 basically is useless using Parallels …

I was able to debug including setting break points.
There were some path issues with included DLLs with VS2019 that seemed to ignore the properties. I ended up setting the Qt libraries I needed as part of the system PATH.

 

[Scott6666]

Windows on ARM doesn't cost a penny. You just join the Microsoft Insider programme and download it.

Edit: Parallels is different and someone else can answer that more accurately. However, I think if you've upgraded to the latest version of Parallels (at cost) on your Intel Mac, you should also be able to install and run on an M1 Mac. I've read elsewhere that the restriction on a single Parallels license is, erm, you can't run it in parallel on two machines.

I believe your license understanding is correct. One machine per license. Used to be a couple of machines per license but they’ve locked down.

This is the main reason I went to VMware Fusion.

 

[leons]

I believe your license understanding is correct. One machine per license. Used to be a couple of machines per license but they’ve locked down.

This is the main reason I went to VMware Fusion.

Is that a "it won't work" restriction or only a license restriction?

 

[Scott6666]

My direct experience with trying to move a license between machines is it stopped working. Customer Service would not restore the license. Said something like I had to remove the license from the old machine first.

 

[haralds]

My direct experience with trying to move a license between machines is it stopped working. Customer Service would not restore the license. Said something like I had to remove the license from the old machine first.

Correct. They have Activation online VMware Fusion. You can go to your Parallels portal and deactivate a license for one machine. I actually found that when I tried to activate with a given license number it allowed me to automatically deactivate the previous activation.

 

[m-a]

I was able to debug including setting break points.
There were some path issues with included DLLs with VS2019 that seemed to ignore the properties. I ended up setting the Qt libraries I needed as part of the system PATH.

… since I regretfully am not an expert: How can this be done?