It is less to do with Apple and more to do with how VMs work. Guest VMs don't need as much RAM as they would if the same OS was installed on bare metal.
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Parallels Desktop 26 Adds Support for macOS Tahoe and Windows 11 2025 Update
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Win 11 + a couple of Office apps works fine for me with 6GB allocated to the VM.
Keeping the RAM allocation lean forces the guest OS to minimize the disk cache and swap more. This makes it possible for the host OS (ie MacOS) to make RAM allocation decisions with a global view of resource needs. "Swapping" in the guest OS may well come out of the MacOS file cache.
A-series chips. That's only relevant if you trying to use UTM to virtualize windows on iOS devices (and maybe the rumored entry-level MacBook).
I used Parallels to let me me build and test our application on x86 Windows and Linux (and to run TurboTax for Business which is only available for x86 Windows). But since Apple Silicon, I've had to keep an old x86 Mac around just to continue doing this. About a year ago, Parallels made an x86 emulation available but, from what I read, it was pretty unusable it was so slow. Does anyone know if that's improved any? I don't need it to be fast much less run games, but it needs to be usable enough to do the above-mentioned.
I tried to contact support today to fix my my broken 26 install (license won't activate). I am locked out of all of my VMs. Parallels does not seem to have live chat as a support option any more. No one responds on Facebook Messenger, and the old support phone number just refers you to the support site. I posted a request on their support forum, but posts are moderated so it won't be displayed for a while. I sent them a DM on X. I pay for a pro subscription and this is a terrible support experience.
Thanks for posting. Good to know it is not just me. Hopefully it gets fixed soon.
Then give people a real reason to upgrade, parallels runs good on Tahoe beta, but if I were to reinstall after a fresh reset I doubt it would work flawlessly.
This is just crippling to get more sales...
While you are not wrong, especially given much more incremental changes of Parallels Desktop 26, they gotta pay the employees to sustain the business.
I am more bothered by its subscription only pricing for the "usable" Pro Edition. The Standard Edition is still available for one-time purchase but it is heavily crippled to a point where you are better off using the free alternatives like VMWare Fusion or UTM.
My main point:
"There is also no support for GPU virtualization so that means no DirectX or OpenGL. This makes most modern games non-playable.”
I don't have the subscription and choose to pay the one time purchase. I had hoped for three or four years of use running version 19.
I bought a new MacBook. Whoops. Parallels would not run with the M4 processor. It would not open existing VM's. It would not create a new VM. I was forced to purchase version 20 to get Parallels working the M4 chip.
Nice move you cretins at Parallels. You just obsoleted a working version forcing an upgrade. Another way to jerk money out of people. What I had was working fine for my needs but you greedy, inconsiderate, jerk wads decided that I should pay more money just because I bought a new computer.
I bought a new MacBook. Whoops. Parallels would not run with the M4 processor. It would not open existing VM's. It would not create a new VM. I was forced to purchase version 20 to get Parallels working the M4 chip.
Nice move you cretins at Parallels. You just obsoleted a working version forcing an upgrade. Another way to jerk money out of people. What I had was working fine for my needs but you greedy, inconsiderate, jerk wads decided that I should pay more money just because I bought a new computer.
Heavily crippled in what way?
Certainly there is limited memory configuration for the VM. 8GB for memory is the maximum. There is a limit of 4 CPU's in the VM. I find that W11 Pro Arm runs more than good enough with those limited configurations. I would not want to give the VM much more in resources as doing so would hinder resources available to MacOS.
You can just buy a license to Parallels. You don't have to do a subscription for the standard edition.
There's going to be a point where paying for a license of Windows 11 and owning Parallels for three years with two upgrades to follow the Mac OS updates will end up more expensive than purchasing a separate laptop with Windows 11 On it.
I have an older version of Parallels that I bought a licence to outright. They just cripple the install of the Windows 11 VM and force you to buy the latest version of their software when you try and install the old version.
I installed my old version and copied my Windows 11 .VM image file to my other computer, and got it working. F them... never going to buy their upgrades again with their scammy ways .
I installed my old version and copied my Windows 11 .VM image file to my other computer, and got it working. F them... never going to buy their upgrades again with their scammy ways .
Nice shoutout to Umamusume!
doki doki doki doki doki
Kimi no aiba ga!!!!!
..... I'll see myself out.
I ran VMware Fusion between 2010 and 2022, and Parallels from 2022. I have never given Windows anything more than 2Gb of RAM.
Currently my Windows 11 installation runs on 1 vCPU and 2Gb RAM.
And they always "justify" it by saying that a paid new version is necessary for unavoidable technical reasons whenever a new Mac OS version comes out...incredibly shady practices.
I still remember when basically every software house had no use for subscriptions and still survived fine, with true upgrades that really enticed people to support them.
8GB RAM and 4 cores are sufficient for some users, which is why the Standard Edition is available. However, others require more, which is why the Pro Edition is also exists.
In my opinion, Parallels should do away with the standard edition altogether, as the Pro Edition only costs $13/year more. I am guessing the Standard Edition is primarily intended for users who dislike subscription pricing, although its one-time purchase cost is exorbitant at $220, which is equivalent to 3.4 years of subscription that entitles you to the latest major version.
IMO Parallels is just too expensive and most folks should just use the free alternatives like VMware Fusion or UTM.
The standard edition comes with a permanent license that does not require a subscription.
But the way that Parallels is going, with the inability to work with the M4 chip, will Parallels not work with the M5 requiring a new version to be purchased? A sneaky, and unethical way to force an unwanted upgrade.
That is not exactly crippled. The application is fully functional. It is no different than buying Photoshop Elements versus Photoshop.