Though users know not to expect labyrinthian file structures and endless settings, they often need clarification on Macs can and can’t do. 

As such, many need help learning handy features, like how to zoom in on Mac and how to zoom out. This part is especially difficult for new users and those with accessibility needs. Ironically, Mac’s accessibility settings could be more accessible. 

In this write-up, I’ll walk you through various methods you can use to zoom in and zoom out on your Mac, plus explain how to check your Mac’s resolution. 

Parallels Desktop allows your Mac to run Windows, helping you run many Windows-exclusive games and applications. Download a free trial of Parallels Desktop.  

How to zoom in on Mac and how to zoom out 

Screen size may be one setting among hundreds, but the sizing and spacing of on-screen elements can dramatically improve your user experience. 

How to zoom out on Mac with keyboard shortcuts 

Keyboard shortcuts may be old-school but making hotkeys for zooming in and zooming out on Mac can save you a lot of time. 

First, though, you must flip a switch in System Settings. 

1. Hover your cursor to the top left corner of your screen, then click the Apple symbol 

2. Select System Settings

3. Find Accessibility on the sidebar, click it 

4. Hit Zoom 

5. Turn on the setting labeled “Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom” 

Now that you’ve enabled zoom shortcuts, you can use these three by pressing down each key at the same time: 

1. Zoom in: Hold Option(⌥). Command(⌘), and Equal(=) 

2. Zoom Out: Hold down Option(⌥), Command(⌘), and Minus(-) 

3. Switch between Zoom in and Zoom out: Hold down Option(⌥), Command(⌘), and Eight(8) 

However, these commands don’t work within most applications and browsers. In such cases, use these key combinations: 

• Zoom In: Command(⌘) and Plus (+) to 

• Zoom Out: Command(⌘) and Minus (-) 

Now you know how to zoom out on Mac with the flick of a switch. 

How to zoom in on Mac—and out—with your trackpad 

Apple’s trackpad sports a broad surface area and multi-finger recognition, allowing snappy and intuitive screen control. Zooming in on Mac is as simple as a pinch. 

Of course, you’ll need to adjust MacOS settings to use it. 

1. Click the Apple icon on the top left corner of your screen—in the menu bar 

2. Click System Settings 

3. Click Accessibility  

4. In the Accessibility window, click Zoom

5. Enable Use trackpad gestures to zoom 

How to zoom out on Mac—and in—with scrolling 

How can you zoom in and out on Mac using your mouse’s scroll wheel or your trackpad’s gestures?  

It’s easy, but first, I’ll need to enable some accessibility settings.  

1. Hit the Apple taskbar icon once more and select System Settings 

2. In the side menu, click Accessibility 

3. Scroll down Accessibly Settings and click Zoom 

4. Enable Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom 

Now, simply hold your chosen modifier and scroll away (e.g., up to zoom in, down to zoom out). 

How to get in and out of full-screen view on your Mac 

Mac’s Full Screen View lets you pull an application window into a separate screen, dedicating every square inch to a single application or window. 

There is no need to drag, minimize, or maximize windows, and there is no distracting app drawer, either. Simply use a swipe gesture or key combination to return to your original desktop sans the now-full-screen app. 

There are a few ways to access full-screen mode. 

1. Turn full-screen mode on with each window’s green button 

This one only takes a click. Hover your mouse over the top left corner of whatever window you want to expand and click the green button. 

Exit Full-Screen mode by clicking the same button. 

And you’re done! 

2. How to access full-screen mode via View Menu 

You’ll spot the View drop-down menu on your taskbar in most applications. 

All you need to do is click View, then Enter Full Screen. 

Exit by clicking View again. Now select Exit Full Screen. 

How to access full-screen mode via shortcuts 

Keyboard shortcut warriors also have a shortcut they can use. 

• Control(⌃) Command(⌘) 

Press ESC to exit your Mac’s full-screen mode. 

Side-by-side full-screen mode 

What if you like the improved focus of full-screen mode but don’t want to swipe back and forth between desktop views? 

Tiling windows lets you view two windows side-by-side within one full-screen view. 

You can access it by hovering your pointer over the green button on your window bar—or pressing the button and holding it down. A menu will pop up with these three options. 

Once you select one side, MacOS will fill the blank side with all your open windows. Click the desired window to have it occupy the other half of the screen. 

I love this feature. A writer like me can read web research in one half and write in a text editor on the other. Now, I have more time for quality research. 

How to check your Mac’s screen resolution (and how to change it) 

Your screen’s resolution determines the size and spacing of almost every on-screen element.  

I’ll access resolution settings by clicking the Apple taskbar menu and selecting System Preferences. Scroll down to the Displays tab and enable the Scaled resolution setting. 

The Displays window lets you select between a few size options with your current resolution highlighted. If you’d like to zoom out or zoom in, click each resolution setting to find your ideal visibility-to-screen space ratio. 

Macs do a lot more than you think 

It’s easy to forget that Mac’s simplicity hides a wide range of features, many of which can transform the user experience by making things simpler, easier, and more accessible. 

Zooming in and out is a perfect example. Enlarging text and visuals might make you feel old, but its benefits vastly outweigh any age shame.  

Parallels Desktop allows your Mac to run Windows and so much more, helping you run many Windows-exclusive games and applications. Try it today. 

The post How to zoom in and zoom out on Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is easier than ordering takeout, thanks to the different shortcuts offered.  

With just a few taps, you can take a screenshot to share with coworkers, add to a blog post, or save a favorite image or photo.  

If you’re not sure how to take a screenshot or don’t understand why your shortcuts aren’t working, read on.  

I have an entire guide dedicated to helping you capture that perfect screenshot or recording.  

Parallels lets you run Windows programs seamlessly on your Mac. Get your free trial!  

5 ways to take a screenshot on Mac 

Unlocking the full potential of your Mac goes beyond knowing how to open a browser and finding your favorite apps.  

Learning to capture and share what’s on your screen effectively can streamline your workflow, improve collaboration, and help you share your creativity.  

Let’s look at several methods for capturing screenshots on your Mac like a pro.  

1. Capture a portion of your screen  

The simplest way to capture a screenshot is to use the Command-Shift-4 keyboard shortcut. 

This method is like the snipping tool you’re likely familiar with from using PCs.  

Here is how:  

• Press Command-Shift-4 to change a pointer to a crosshair. 
• Select the area of a screen you want to capture by dragging the cursor. 

After releasing the mouse button, the screenshot appears as a PNG image on your desktop.  

You can then upload it to a blog or social media site or send it as an email attachment.  

2. Capture the entire visible portion of the screen in a screenshot  

This shortcut captures your entire screen, making it useful when you’re trying to show a colleague what’s happening on your screen or share an error with IT support.  

Other tabs and chat boxes will be visible in the screenshot, so close out anything that you don’t intend to share. 

Here’s how:  

• Press Command-Shift-3 to take a screenshot of the entire screen. 
• The screenshot will appear as a PNG image on your desktop, which you can then upload to Slack, add to an email, etc.  

3. Take a screenshot of an active page 

Sometimes, you need to take a screenshot of a dynamic feature, such as a menu bar with an item selected.  

Active screenshots are great for creating tutorials, documenting interactions with software or websites, or similar dynamic processes.  

To copy a screenshot of an active page, follow these steps:  

• Press Command-Shift-4 to change a pointer to a crosshair. 
• Tap on the spacebar on your keyboard. The cursor will change to a camera. 
• Select the active application window you want to capture by moving your cursor and highlighting the active window.  
• Click the mouse button on the window you want to capture. The screenshot will appear as a PNG image on your desktop. 

Alternatively, to paste the screenshot, navigate to the location you’d like to share the image (Slack, Teams, etc.) and press Command-V. 

4. Create an adjustable screenshot 

This shortcut allows you to take a much more customized screenshot by selecting the size or window to screenshot and accessing the recording button.  

Here’s how:  

• Press Command-Shift-5. A clip box will appear on your screen.  
• Drag the corners of the box to select the sections you want to screenshot.  
• Use the options at the bottom to adjust your screenshot. Select the entire screen, choose a different window, or use the recording button to take a video of all or a portion of your screen.  
• The screenshot or recording file will appear on your desktop.   

5. Take a screenshot of the Touch Bar  (if available)

In some cases, you may need to take a screenshot of the items in your Touch Bar.  

While this is a less common application, it can be helpful if you are working with IT support or writing a detailed tutorial.  

To take a screenshot of the Touch Bar, open System Preferences and select Keyboard.

Click on “Customize Control Strip” and drag the Screenshot button to your Touch Bar.

Use this button to take screenshots as needed.

What happens if the capture area tool isn’t working on macOS?  

In some cases, the shortcuts above may not work. You press the buttons or make the clicks, but nothing happens.  

There are a few reasons why this might happen — and it’s usually related to your settings.  

Parallels Desktop users, for example, may find that updating their MacOS makes tools that worked previously stop working.  

In this case, you’ll need to give Parallels Toolbox permission to record the screen. Here’s a walk-through on how to do this.   

If you are a Mac user, the issue might be your system settings. Start by navigating to the Apple menu, then select:    

System setting > Keyboard > Keyboard shortcuts > Screenshots 

Make sure all the items on the list are checked off. Try the shortcuts above again, and you’ll likely find they work.  

How do you take a screenshot on a Mac without pressing buttons?  

What if you don’t have a keyboard or your keyboard isn’t working? Good news —you can still take a screenshot using just your mouse!  

Here’s how:  

• Select the Finder icon in your Dock (that’s the little blue and gray face).  
• Choose “Applications,” then find the “Utilities” folder.  
• Within the Utilities folder, you’ll see a camera icon labeled “Screenshot.” Double click.  
• The tool will open, allowing you to use the same options as Command-Shift-5, including adjusting your screenshot, taking a recording, and other actions.   

Another option is to add a screenshot tool to your Touch Bar:  

• Navigate to System Preferences > Keyboard > Customize Control Strip.  
• Drag and drop the screenshot button to the Touch Bar.  

How do you take a Mac screenshot using the keyboard?  

The simplest way to take a screenshot on a Mac is to use the shortcut Command-Shift-3. This method allows you to adjust the size and shape of the screenshot.  

Command-Shift-5 provides the most options, as it allows you to record, choose a different window, and select the size of the screen grab.  

Alternatively, you can add the screenshot button to your Touch Bar, as described in the section above.  

Save your screenshots directly to your clipboard on Mac 

Want to save your screenshots to your clipboard to copy and paste elsewhere? You can save your screenshots directly to your clipboard instead of saving them as files on your desktop. 

This is useful if you want to paste the screenshot into another application, such as an email, document, or image editor. 

Here’s how to accomplish that: 

• To capture your entire screen and save it to your clipboard, press Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 3. 
• For a selected portion, press Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, then select the desired area.  
• For a specific window, press Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, then press the Spacebar, then click the window.  

Then you can paste the screenshot into your document or image editor using Command (⌘) + V. 

Streamline your day by mastering the Mac screenshot  

The screenshot option on Macs is a small but mighty tool. It can be used for sharing funny memes, improving collaboration at work, or sharing moments of creativity. However, you use it, knowing these shortcuts and screenshot tricks will help you work faster and more efficiently.  

Supercharge your workflow with Parallels Toolbox for Windows and Mac. Use it to optimize your PC, reclaim disk space, and much more. Try it free for 14 days.   

The post How to take a screenshot on a Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

  A virtual machine operates like a software program running on a computer, simulating the behavior of an independent machine.  

In essence, it establishes a computer within another computer.  

When operating within a window on the host computer, a virtual machine offers users an experience that’s nearly identical to using a separate computer. 

For many software developers, using a virtual machine is preferable for easy cross-platform compatibility purposes; they also offer greater security, flexibility, and scalability.  

When setting up your virtual machine, you can access its graphic user interface (GUI) to interact with the virtual machine separately from the other machine(s) or operating systems on your physical computer.  

However, relying solely on the GUI may not always be practical if you’re a software developer, especially if you need to access a VM remotely.  

In such cases, you should use the Secure Shell protocol (SSH) to execute remote logins or commands securely over an unsecured network.  

Parallels Desktop enables remote access to virtual machines with SSH and port forwarding. 

By default, Parallels Desktop operates in shared network mode, which works “out of the box” and does not require any specific configuration.  

Parallels Desktop will work as a virtual router for your virtual machines when you use this networking mode. However, it also means that the VMs cannot be accessed from external computers. 

  The port forwarding (also known as port mapping) functionality allows computers on your local network and the Internet to connect to any virtual machines that use the shared networking mode.  

According to the port-forwarding rule, the connection to a specific port on your Mac will be redirected to a specific port of your virtual machine. 

 To gain remote access to a VM via port forwarding, you must first configure Parallels Desktop to accept the connection using a port forwarding rule.  

This is achieved by following the process outlined below. 

Establishing port forwarding rules 

Note: Port forwarding is only available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro and Parallels Desktop Business Edition. 

1. Open the Parallels Desktop Command Center 

2. Select the VM you want to access remotely  

Then, click the Configure button. 

3. Once the Configuration window opens, select the Hardware tab 

Then the Network option on the left side, then click “Advanced.” 

4. Click on the “Open Networking Preferences” button 

5. Click the Add (+) button below the Port forwarding rules list 

6. In the displayed window, perform the following actions 

• In the Protocol field, specify the port type you want to establish network connections. You can choose between the TCP or UDP port types. 
• In the Source Port field, type the incoming port number on your Mac. 
• In the Forward to section, indicate the name or IP address of the virtual machine you want to connect to. 
• In the Destination Port field, type the port on the virtual machine to which the data will be transferred. 

  7. Click OK to add the rule 

Checking port forwarding 

To check that the rule works properly, enable, e.g., SSH on your virtual machine (some Linux distributions have it enabled by default). 

As an example for SSH, use the following rule: 

To make sure that port forwarding is enabled from your Mac inside a virtual machine, use one of the following scenarios (in these examples, port 8081 is redirected to a Linux VM, and port 8888 is to a Windows VM) : 
 

Scenario 1: connect from the same Mac 

 
In Terminal, type in the following command and press Enter: 

ssh -l <your_VM_username> -p <source_port> 127.0.0.1 

Enter the password for the user in the virtual machine and press Enter: 

Scenario 2: connect from another Mac or PC in the same network 

In Terminal (on Mac) or PowerShell (on Windows), type in the following command and press Enter: 

ssh -l <your_VM_username> -p <source_port> <host_machine_IP_address> 

Enter the password for the user in the virtual machine and press Enter. 

To check that you logged into the virtual machine, execute the following command in Terminal: 

uname -a 

If you successfully log into the virtual machine, you will see a Linux kernel version. 

The same method can also be used to set up an SSH port forward for a Windows machine by adding that to the port forwarding list: 

You can run a “systeminfo” command to verify the system you are on. 

Using SSH key pairs 

Now we have the systems tested and working using password authentication, we can make them more secure.   

SSH public/private keypairs offer a more secure, convenient, and scalable authentication mechanism than traditional password-based methods.  

By leveraging SSH keypairs, organizations can strengthen their security posture and ensure secure remote access to their systems, eliminating the need to transmit passwords over the network.  

With keypairs, the private key remains securely stored on the user’s computer.  

In contrast, the public key is stored on the server, significantly reducing the risk of interception by malicious actors.  

Because the keypairs are generated using cryptographic solid algorithms, they are much longer than passwords, making them highly resistant to brute force attacks. 

Once SSH keypairs are set up, users can seamlessly log in to SSH-enabled systems without entering a password, adding convenience for automated processes and scripts. 

Generating SSH public/private keys 

The SSH key pair consists of two cryptographic keys: public and private keys.  

These keys are mathematically related but are designed so that it is computationally infeasible to derive the private key from the public key. 

The public key is shared securely with the server or system you want to access.  

It can be freely distributed and stored on several servers or systems and is provided when you attempt to connect to a server. 

The private key is kept securely on your local computer or device. It should never be shared with anyone else.  

This key is used to decrypt encrypted messages with the corresponding public key, and when you attempt to connect to a server, your local SSH client uses your private key to prove your identity. 

When you attempt to connect to a server using SSH, the server sends a message encrypted with your public key.  

Your SSH client decrypts this message using your private key and sends back a response.  

If the server can successfully decrypt your response using your public key, it knows you possess the corresponding private key, allowing you to access the system. 

SSH keypairs are typically generated using cryptographic algorithms such as RSA or DSA.  

Your local SSH client software can generate these keys for you. The keys are often stored in files (e.g., “id_rsa” for the private key and `id_rsa.pub` for the public key) in a hidden .ssh directory in your user’s home directory. 

Creating SSH keypairs 

To explain how to generate and use the SSH keypairs, I have three systems: a Mac, which is my local machine; an Ubuntu VM, which will be the remote machine; and a Mac VM, which will use the port forwarding rules.  

Each system has a different theme for the terminal windows to make it easier to follow. 

First, I will check my local machine to ensure no local keys exist, using the command: 

ls ~/.ssh/id_* 

As no matches were found, no keys were present on our local machine. If they are present, you should back them up in case they are accidentally removed or lost. 

Next, we can generate our SSH key on the local machine.  

To do this, type in the command:  

ssh-keygen 

The command replies that it is generating a public/private keypair using rsa as the default encryption.  

If you wish to use a different algorithm you can use the -t flag to select from the following alternatives: dsa, ecdsa, ecdsa-sk, ed25519, ed25519-sk.  

I will also add a comment using the -C flag so that I can quickly identify what the key is for.  

My command line would look like this:  

ssh-keygen -C "Test for SSH Keys on Mac & Ubuntu" 

By default, the file is saved in my user directory in the .ssh folder, so I hit enter to accept that.  

I also hit enter for the passphrase question, which adds an extra layer of security but also means I would have to enter it each time I connect. I am trying to avoid that in this example. 

Retrieving the public key 

If we rerun the ls command, we can see two files in the .ssh directory: the private and public keys. 

Move into the .ssh directory, open the contents of the public file, and copy them so that we can add them to the remote machine in a file called authorized_keys. 

cd .ssh 

ls -la 

cat id_rsa.pub 

Adding the public key to the remote machine 

To enable SSH access to a remote machine, you must upload the public key from your SSH key pair onto the remote server. This allows the remote machine to decrypt connections initiated by your local computer, which uses its corresponding private key for encryption. 

On the remote machine, go to your home directory and check if the .ssh subdirectory exists: 

cd ~ 

ls -al ~ 

If it does exist cd into that directory, and if it doesn’t, create the subdirectory, and then go into it and check to see if the authorized_keys file exists:  

mkdir .ssh 

cd .ssh 

ls -al 

If the authorized_keys file does not exist, create one using the following command:  

touch authorized_keys 

Then edit the file using your editor of choice to add the public key copied from the local machine. 

If you already have an authorized_keys file in the directory with content, add your new key on a new line and save the file. 

Putting it all together 

Now that our private and public keys are created, we need to check that they work.  

Check the IP address of your virtual machine from the Parallels devices-> networking tab 

Now ssh into that system from your local host that has the private key installed on it: 

ssh <user>@<ip address> 

And as you can see, we are logged in without providing a password. 

As we have set up port forwarding on our local host, we should also be able to access the Ubuntu VM from a different system, but going through the host machine and using the port that was assigned at the beginning of this article, that being 8081 of the Mac system. 

If I go to my Mac VM running on the same host, I can copy a key to the Ubuntu box, but this time, instead of cut/paste, I will use the ssh-copy-id command to add to my authorized_keys file on the Ubuntu system, but using port 8081 of my host system: 

ssh-copy-id -p <port> <user>@<ip address> 

We can check the key was correctly added by going back to the Ubuntu VM, and checking the authorized_keys file:

The text highlighted in red is the new key from the Mac on the VM. If we return to that VM, we can execute the ssh command displayed at the end of the ssh-copy-id command message to access the Ubuntu VM system from my Mac’s VM system via my host Mac: 

And as you can see from the command prompt at the end, I am back on the Ubuntu System. 

Ready to try it yourself? Sign up now for a free 14-day trial to see how easy it is to implement port forwarding and secure key pairs using Parallels Desktop Pro. 

The post Remote virtual machine access using port forwarding and SSH private/public keys appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Earlier versions of Parallels Desktop could connect to a game controller, but the process could be a bit tricky. When developing Parallels Desktop 18, the Parallels product team worked closely with Apple to make considerable enhancements in this area. 

The result? A smooth, simple process: Just connect the game controller to your Mac computer when running Windows in Parallels Desktop and it will automatically connect. 

See for yourself how easy it is: 

Don’t have Parallels Desktop 18 yet? Download a free trial today! 

NOTE: This blog post is a part of a series on new and improved features in Parallels Desktop 18. Stay tuned for more! 

The post Improved Connectivity for Game Controllers in Parallels Desktop 18 appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Video 1 shows you what Universal Control does and how easy it is to enable it. Basically, Universal Control gives you the ability to use a single mouse and keyboard with several nearby Macs and iPads that are all signed into the same iCloud account.  

Several others have remarked that Universal Control seems “magical” in how seamless the transition from one Apple device to another is. Achieving this feeling of seamless magic takes a great deal of behind-the-scenes work and I suspect this is the main source of the delay in releasing Universal Control. I, for one, am glad that Apple took the time to work on all the details of this feature before releasing it. 

I have tested Universal Control with Windows 11 on ARM running in Parallels® Desktop 17.1.1 and it appears to work just fine, see figure 1. I could drag files from my iPad Pro to the Windows 11 desktop or to a Windows app, and I could drag files from Windows 11 to my iPad Pro.  

I didn’t show it in the video, but Universal Control also works between several Macs. In Figure 2, you can see that I have set up Universal Control between an iPad Pro, an M1 MacBook Pro, and an Intel MacBook Pro. All these devices are signed into my iCloud account. 

Now you might think Universal Control seems a bit like Sidecar, a feature released with macOS Catalina in 2019. While there is some visual similarity, there is one big difference: in Universal Control, it is iPadOS you are interacting with on the iPad; in Sidecar, you are interacting with macOS on the iPad screen. More details comparing Universal Control and Sidecar are described in this excellent MacRumors article, Universal Control vs. Sidecar: What’s the Difference? 

Stay tuned for future blog posts showing how Parallels Desktop will make use of other new macOS/iPadOS features as they are released by Apple. 

Download the free, full-featured 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop and see for yourself. Let us know about your experience on Facebook or Twitter.

Also, you can download PDF Expert here: iOS and Mac.

The post Of Course, Universal Control Works With Parallels Desktop for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

You might have heard the BIG news from Google about the early access release of Chrome OS Flex – a “standalone” version of Google’s OS that can be installed on both Windows and Mac computers, aka “the cloud-first operating system for PCs and Macs”.  

If you haven’t yet, check out Google’s blog post about it or this article in Macworld or go through this excellent review by Ars Technica. 

I don’t have a spare Mac or PC that I can erase to try out this new OS – and I’m guessing you probably don’t either. No problem: you can install this OS in a new virtual machine (VM) in Parallels® Desktop for Mac. Read on to learn step-by-step how to do this. Actually, using Parallels Desktop to install an OS for testing is my preferred approach. 

Chrome OS Flex is a lightweight, secure Linux-based OS that is easy for businesses to manage thanks to Google’s cloud-based management. We’re very excited about this release and, of course, want to make sure that Parallels Desktop users can get a sneak peek at it today. And yes, you can! All you need is:  

1. Mac computer with Intel processor. 

2. Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac (or newer). 

3. Google Chrome browser. 

4. 8GB + USB flash drive. 

5. Pre-configured Parallels Desktop VM template for this OS. (Download here, or use manual instructions below) 

1. Create a Bootable Media With Chrome OS Flex Installer 

1. Install the Chromebook Recovery Utility extension to your Chrome browser on macOS. 

2. Open the utility (the easiest way is via Spotlight or Launchpad) > click “Get Started” > click “Select a model from a list” > locate and select “Google Chrome OS Flex” in the manufacturer dropdown > select the product. 

3. Select the USB device and click “Continue” (the data will be erased!). 

4. Click “Create Now”. 

2. Create a VM 

1. Open Parallels Desktop Installation Assistant: File > New… 

2. Select “Install Windows on another OS…” and click “Continue”. 

3. Click “Choose Manually” > check the option “Continue without a source” and click “Continue”. 

4. In the dropdown, select Other > Chromium OS > click “OK”. 

5. Check the option “Customize settings before installation” and click “Create”. 

6. Navigate to Hardware tab > set 4096 MB of memory. 

7. Select Graphics settings on the sidebar > set “Auto” in the dropdown. 

8. Select Mouse & Keyboard on the sidebar > set the mouse option to “Optimize for games”. 

9. Scroll down the sidebar with options and select Boot Order > check “External device” and move it to the top. 

10. In the dropdown “External boot device” select the USB device that you have prepared. 

11. Close the configuration window and click “Continue”.  

12. Always allow Parallels Desktop to access the USB device. 

Note: After you’ve downloaded the pre-configured VM, simply open it in Parallels Desktop and repeat steps 9-12. 

3. Install Chrome OS Flex to the Virtual Machine 

1. Once you’ve booted the VM, click “Get Started” > select “Install CloudReady 2.0” and proceed. 

2. Wait for the installation process to be completed. 

3. Once completed, shut down the VM > open its configuration > Hardware > Boot Order > uncheck “External device” and deselect the flash drive from the dropdown. 

4. Now you have a standalone Chrome OS Flex VM. Enjoy!  

Figure 1 shows Chrome OS Flex running in Parallels Desktop on my Intel iMac. 

Don’t forget, since there are no Parallels Tools for Chrome OS Flex your mouse will be “captured” when you click in the Chrome OS Flex window on your Mac. To get the cursor back on the Mac, simultaneously hold down the control and option keys. 

That’s all, folks! Let me know your experience with the Chrome OS Flex VM here on Parallels Forums. 

The post Run Chrome OS Flex in Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac appeared first on Parallels Blog.

A Guide for playing Windows games on a Mac 

I’ve been playing computer games since I was six years old. My cousin had an all-new NES console, and we, like millions of other kids, were so obsessed with it (Battletoads tune playing in the head).  

Ever since, I have played video games, mainly PC, and don’t miss any new trending or noteworthy Steam releases. So even though I am a Parallels® employee, I am also a gamer and want to share my gaming experience on a Mac. Well, not just “a” Mac, but on “the” Mac – the MacBook Air with Apple’s remarkable M1 chip (2020).  

This chip… it’s really something. It’s been a year now since Apple released these computers, and there are hundreds of glowing articles and reviews about it, so I won’t comment on this. I just hope that you already have this machine if you’re reading my post (or maybe planning to grab one). If not, there are many YouTube reviews to catch up on (*grin*). I’m not even talking about this-year’s MacBook Pro upgrade. 

So, the question is: can I play an average PC game, or even a AAA title of the time, on MacBook Air, with 8 GB of RAM, in Windows 11 powered by Parallels? 

And the answer is: YES, just go for it! I don’t promise that the game you want to play will work flawlessly, but it’s worth giving it a try! Claim a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop 17 and just give it a go.  

Before you try 

Before we move on, I must confess that things aren’t always perfect—yet. Please note the following facts: 

1. Many games will be more playable if your Mac has 16 GB or more RAM rather than 8 GB. 

2. Some games won’t launch due to various reasons: incompatibility with Windows on ARM, missing DirectX 12 support, etc. 

3. Games that use anti-cheat software most likely won’t work. 

However… 

4. There is a nice wiki site called applegamingwiki.com that shares a list of Windows games that work well in Parallels Desktop. It’s worth checking out! 

5. All in all, you’ll never know until you try. Right? 

So, what games work well? Many! From classic early 2000s PC games to 2021 releases—there are so many games to play. I will be talking specifically about games you can play only in Windows OS, but with Parallels Desktop and Apple’s crazy-fast M1 chip, Windows games on a Mac get a significant upgrade. 

Get on board 

Interested? Cool! I promise the whole process won’t take much effort.  

1. First, download and install Parallels Desktop for Mac. This link will always download the latest version. 

2. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install Windows. It’s easy. 

3. If you’re new to Parallels, sign up and enjoy the full-featured 14-day trial. 

4. Once in Windows, download Steam or any other game launcher that you need to install your games. If you’re new to PC gaming, Steam is the best. 

5. Now, let’s tune Windows for gaming. 

Tune the system for gaming in two clicks 

Parallels Desktop is so easy to use, but it houses dozens of optional cool features under the hood. One of them is the Gaming profile. When this profile is enabled, Parallels Desktop provides more RAM and CPU power to Windows, enters full-screen view for better immersion, and toggles the mouse mode for better compatibility with games. 

To enable the Gaming profile: 

1. Shut down Windows via the Start menu and open its configuration. 

2. Click “Change…” and select “Games only”. 

3. Now close the configuration menu and start Windows. 

Tune in-game settings 

There are two main graphic settings that you should check if performance is not acceptable:  

1. Resolution: Many games will launch at the maximum resolution, which requires greater resources. Try lowering the resolution to Full HD (1920*1200) and check how the game runs. 

2. Texture quality: If you suffer from heavy stuttering, lowering texture quality should help.  

3. You can also try to tweak other quality and effects settings. I know, it’s not fun, but this is PC gaming (*grin*). 

Pro tips 

Treat Parallels Desktop as your virtual PC tower on the Mac, so if you are familiar with RAM banks and thermal paste, I have some more insights to share.  

1. By default, Parallels Desktop takes around 30% of Mac RAM for Windows. In the gaming profile that’s half of Mac resources. 

2. In any configuration, Windows will always take up to half of its RAM for graphics. So, if your game needs 3GBs of graphics memory, you must have 6GBs of RAM assigned to Windows. 

3. If you have 8GB of RAM total on your Mac, you can assign 6GB to Windows and give it a try. Just remember to quit most Mac apps (Safari in the first place) to free RAM for Windows and macOS to sustain the system. 

4. To increase RAM, shut down Windows > open its Configuration > Hardware > CPU & Memory. 

5. You can also assign 6 CPU cores to Windows and give it a try. 

Some of my favorite Windows games 

I love both well-known classic Windows games, as well as many fascinating indie projects. I want to share some of my favorite titles that I really enjoy playing in Parallels Desktop on my Mac. 

Fallout New Vegas (2010) 

This is the best roleplaying Fallout chapter for me, and it still looks quite nice and is interesting to play. 

Journey (2020) 

This game is unique in every aspect—it’s a beautiful adventure that finally made it to PC. It used to be a PlayStation-exclusive game since its original release in 2012.

Twelve Minutes (2021) 

For me, this is one of the most exciting games released this year. It delves into the time loop concept quite nicely, and features James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe. 

Last Stop (2021) 

This exciting indie project is an interactive drama set up in London, featuring some supernatural elements with a pretty enjoyable story. 

Mirror’s Edge (2008) 

It was so unexpected to get this game from DICE (Swedish creators of Battlefield) back in 2008. It was truly something new, a first-person parkour game that defined the genre.  

The Final Station (2016) 

Could a small-budget side-scrolling postapocalyptic survival pixel-art game be something interesting? Oh, yes, this is it! 

The Disney Afternoon Collection (2017) 

Back to the basics, all of the best 8-bit NES games with Disney characters: Darkwind Duck, Chip ‘n Dale, TaleSpin, DuckTales—it’s all back here on your PC! I mean, your Mac! Perfect nostalgic moment to share during the holidays. 

To wrap up 

There are so many more games I would love to list (Half-Life must be there, I know), but I feel like I have taken too much of your time already. If you like my post, leave a comment—a game you’d like to play or an experience you’d like to share! Thank you for reading and stay safe. 

The post Playing Windows Games on a MacBook with Apple M1 Chip Using Parallels Desktop appeared first on Parallels Blog.

The Hide Menu Icons tool in Parallels® Toolbox can help you manage these icons and hide the ones that you don’t need all that often. In this blog post I will show you how to use this tool.

Using the Hide Menu icons tool, you can just drag the icons that you don’t need to see all the time to a “Hidden icons” area. This is very easy to do as you can see in Video 1. As also shown in the video, quickly accessing these hidden icons is also easy to do.

While it is possible in the macOS to hide some of these menu bar icons (Figure 2), this is a separate, individual action for each icon, and to unhide the icon, even momentarily, requires undoing this action. This can quickly become tedious. The Hide Menu Icons tool handles this in a uniform action for all the tools, and momentarily unhiding an icon only requires you to move the cursor to the top of the screen.

I hope this tool helps you take control of the menu bar icons on your Mac.

Do you have an idea for another tool that can be added to Parallels Tools? If so, let us know in the Parallels® Forums.

The post How to Control the Icons in the Mac Menu Bar Using Parallels Toolbox appeared first on Parallels Blog.

As the expression goes, “May you live in interesting times.”

This is such an interesting time to be a Parallels® customer: macOS Monterey release imminent, Windows 11 released on October 5^th, iOS and iPadOS 15 released, Parallels Desktop 16.5 and Parallels Desktop 17 released in 2021, Windows on ARM, TPM chips, M1 Mac computers, Intel Mac computers, high-priority security patches from Apple and Microsoft, and more – with what sometimes seems like daily changes. 

Here are just a few of the recent important points or changes: 

• Windows 11 released on October 5^th (Congrats to Microsoft!) 
• Windows 10 on ARM is no longer available from Microsoft 
• Windows 11 now requires a TPM chip, even in a VM (There are consequences of adding the TPM chip, please note, and be sure to read the vTPM section below.) 
• macOS Monterey release imminent 
• vTPM support in Parallels Desktop 16 – a Pro feature only on the Intel Mac 
• Parallels Desktop 17 vTPM support on Intel and M1, and in all Parallels Desktop 17 editions 
• Windows Insider Previews – usable or not? 

Note: Parallels Desktop 17.1.1 or newer simplifies the setup experience for Windows 11 with automatic download and installation. The process is similar to the installation on Mac computers with Intel processors. Download the latest version.

Parallels Desktop 17 Update Enables vTPM by Default 

Final changes to the system requirements for Windows 11 require a computer, both physical and virtual, with a TPM chip installed. Considering that virtual machines “will continue to work as long as the hardware requirements are met”, Parallels Desktop 17 (starting version 17.1.0) will enable the virtual TPM chip by default for all virtual machines that must have it: 

• On Intel-based Mac computers, for all Windows 11 virtual machines, both new and existing. 
• On Apple M1-based Mac computers, for all Windows 10 and Windows 11 virtual machines, both new and existing. As Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds do expire eventually, we recommend upgrading a Windows 10 Insider Preview VM to a Windows 11 Insider Preview VM at the earliest convenience. This will also reportedly improve compatibility with “regular” (Intel-based) Windows applications. 

Consequences of Enabling the TPM Chip 

After adding a virtual TPM chip to a VM, Parallels Desktop creates an encrypted file within the virtual machine bundle that acts as a TPM storage. This storage must be secured, so Parallels Desktop encrypts this file using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with 128 bits key length and puts the password in the Mac System Keychain, which, in turn, is encrypted physical storage, and only Parallels Desktop (or Mac admin) can read the TPM password from Mac Keychain. 

Such an implementation ensures that users don’t have to come up with a password and enter it every time they start a VM, plus we humans tend to forget and lose passwords. Users can continue running their virtual machines as usual, up to the moment when one wants to transfer the VM to a new hardware.  

For a VM with TPM chip added, copying the PVM bundle to a new computer is not enough. The VM will NOT start without the corresponding record in the Mac Keychain that contains a password to decrypt the TPM file. It is not quite easy to copy this record to a new Mac, but it is possible. We have prepared detailed instructions on how to do it in this article. 

Apart from the nuance above, virtual machines will not be affected in any other way – Windows will continue to work as usual, as well as all Windows applications.  

Here are Some of the Questions You Might Be Asking 

Should I install Windows 11 in Parallels Desktop? 

Most Parallels Desktop users run a VM with the latest Windows release, and that is now Windows 11, so the answer is “Yes”, you should have a Windows 11 VM. 

Should I upgrade an existing Windows 10 VM to Windows 11? 

Again, here the answer is “Yes”, for the reasons stated above. 

Should I upgrade from Parallels Desktop 16 or 16.5 to Parallels Desktop 17? 

The new features and the performance improvements in Parallels Desktop 17 are compelling reasons to upgrade. If you currently have an active subscription to Parallels Desktop, upgrading to a new version, at no cost, is one of the main benefits of a subscription, so the answer to this question is also “Yes”. 

Let us know in the forums how the Windows 11 VM in Parallels Desktop is working for you. 

The post Windows 11 in a Parallels Desktop VM: An Update appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Age of Empires, Overwatch and many other games play well. 

On an M1 Mac, operating systems in Parallels® Desktop virtual machines must be ARM-based operating systems, and this has led to many misconceptions. I have seen people make the following statements: 

“Only ARM apps can run in an ARM operating system.” 

“Some Microsoft apps may run in an ARM OS, but no others will.” 

Both these statements are false. 

Even more false statements abound about Windows games. So, in this blog post I will set the record straight about games, and I will show you several Windows games running on an M1 MacBook Pro in a Windows 11 VM in Parallels Desktop 17. 

I won’t keep you waiting any longer: this short video shows four different Windows games running on an M1 Mac. 

I purposely made sure you could see the Mac desktop in the video, and included the launch of Parallels Desktop 17, the launch of Windows 11, and the launch of each game to emphasize the environment in which each game was running. To keep the video short, I only included enough game play so that you could see that the game was working fine. (Full disclosure: I also only included a small amount of game play so that you couldn’t see my poor game skills in some of the games!) 

Here are all the configuration details of the setup I used to make this video: 

Mac
Parallels Desktop
VM operating system
Game versions	Age of Empires II Definitive Edition,  version: 101.101.51737.0 7126076  Overwatch version: 1.63.0.0.85660  Kingdom Run Frontiers version: kr2-desktop-5.4.07  Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition version: 5.3.29582331

Here are some of the questions you might be asking: 

Do all games run in a Windows 11 VM? No, for many of the same reasons that all games don’t run on the Windows PC you bought last year: 

• Some games require a specific video card. 
• Some games require high-end features in a video card. 
• Some games require specific Windows libraries that may not be in your system. 
• Some games require more memory than you have in your system. 

Will the game I want to play run in a Parallels Desktop VM? Unfortunately, there is no easy way to predict this with complete accuracy, but here is a loose guide you can follow: 

Does the game require DirectX 12? If so, then the game probably won’t run in a VM. 

Does the game require one of a few specific video cards? If so, then the game probably won’t run in a VM. 

Was the game released in the last few months? If so, the game may not run in a VM nor on the Windows PC you bought last year. 

Otherwise, it is likely that the game will run in a VM.  

Can I get a refund if the game I want to play doesn’t run or doesn’t play well in Parallels Desktop? Even better than a refund, you can test the game without any payment to either Parallels or Microsoft. There is a 14-day free, full-featured trial of Parallels Desktop 17. If you are using an M1 Mac, no payment is required to use the Insider Preview of Windows 10 on ARM or Windows 11 on ARM during this 14-day trial. (If you are using an Intel Mac, you already know that at first launch Parallels Desktop will offer to download Windows 10 for you.) If the game you want runs and plays well, then you can purchase both Parallels Desktop and Windows. 

I hope this sets the record straight about playing Windows games on an M1 Mac in Parallels Desktop. Please let us know in the Forums about your game play experience in Parallels Desktop – whether it is positive or negative, and on either an Intel Mac or an M1 Mac. 

The post Yes, you can play Windows games on an M1 Mac using Parallels Desktop appeared first on Parallels Blog.