Parallels Desktop 20 updates summary

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac 20.1.1 (55740)

Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.1.1 (55740) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:

• Fixes the issue that led to Parallels Desktop crashing when attempting to use Apple Writing Tools in Windows;
• Fixes the virtual machine memory leak issue;
• Resolves the issue that prevented Parallels Desktop from launching on Macs with Kaspersky Anti-Virus installed and configured in a certain way.

What will be Deprecated or Removed from Parallels Desktop soon

According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some product features are used very seldom or not at all. We have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove them from Parallels Desktop and focus on frequently used features and further enhancements.

Below is the list of features that are no longer supported and will be removed – not in version 20.1.1, but in the next version of Parallels Desktop for Mac.

On all Mac computers, the following functionality is no longer supported:

• Shared applications for Linux virtual machines. If you want to keep using this functionality, you can keep using Parallels Desktop 20.1.1 or earlier versions of the product.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac 20.1.0 (55732)

Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.1.0 (55732) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:

General

• Fixes the issue that resulted in ISO installation images built for Arm architecture erroneously designated as incompatible during the VM setup process;
• Introduces Enterprise Edition and the accompanying Management Portal (available a week after the release of this version).

Windows

• Adds support for using macOS Sequoia 15's Writing Tools in Windows apps like MS Word, PowerPoint, etc. 
  Note: This feature is supported on Macs with macOS 15.1 and newer. Apple Intelligence must be enabled. To use the feature, copy some text in a Windows app and either press Shift+Command+W shortcut or choose Edit > Writing Tools on Mac menubar;
• Adds support for Windows Server 2025 virtual machines for Arm and x86-64 (when released);
• Fixes the issue that prevented links and attachments in Microsoft Outlook (classic) from being opened with certain apps on Apple Silicon Macs (e.g., Safari or Preview) when those are configured as default apps from inside a Windows 11 machine;
• Fixes the issue that unexpectedly prompted users for username and password on a newly installed Windows 11 virtual machine;
• Fixes the issue that prevented Windows 10 virtual machines from booting with nested virtualization enabled;
• Fixes the issue that prevented Windows 11 22H2 machines from launching shared host apps with Smart App Control enabled;
• Fixes the issue that prevented Visual Studio 2022 on a Windows 11 virtual machine from establishing an SSH connection using the "Pair to Mac" option;
• Fixes the issue that led to L8 software not displaying objects and showing insufficient video memory errors on Windows 11.

Linux

• Fixes the issue of x86 apps failing to start in a Ubuntu Linux with Rosetta appliance on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia 15;
• Adds ready-to-use appliances with the latest versions of popular Linux distros, including Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Debian 12.6, and Kali 2024.2.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac 20.0.1 (55659)

This update for Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac 20.0.1 (55659) addresses overall stability and performance issues.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac 20.0.0 (55653)

The new major Parallels Desktop version 20.0.0 (55653) delivers the following improvements:

All editions of Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac

Ready for macOS Sequoia 15

Parallels Desktop 20 supports the upcoming macOS Sequoia 15 as a primary OS on Mac and as a virtual machine, so you can upgrade your Mac computers once the new operating system becomes available.

Look and Feel

• Brings significant improvements in the reliability and usability of Parallels Tools, which have been reworked using native UI in all supported operating systems: Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Windows on Mac

• Adds support for Windows 11 24H2 once it becomes available. Based on our testing, Windows 11 version 24H2 improves the stability and speed of running x86-based apps in Windows on Arm, making many important Windows apps feasible on Apple Silicon Macs;
• Fixes the dynamic resolution issues when running a Windows 11 24H2 virtual machine in a windowed mode;
• Improves the safety of the Windows file deletion process by sending files deleted from shared folders to macOS Trash instead of permanently deleting them;
• Fixes the wireframe rendering issue in the Rhino 8 app on Apple Silicon Macs;
• Fixes the issue of Houdini 20 modeling software displaying graphical glitches and missing parts of modelled objects;
• Improves compatibility with numerous Windows apps, including ArcGIS Pro, LabVIEW, Ninja Trader, and many more;
• Mitigates the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) compatibility issues for Windows 11 machines running on Apple Silicon Macs by defaulting to WSL 1 instead of WSL 2.

Linux on Mac

• Adds support for newer Linux distributions, such as Fedora 39/40, Kali 2024.2, and Ubuntu 24.04;
• Resolves the issue which prevented Ubuntu 24.04 installation on Intel Macs;
• Adopts the high-level FUSE API for the Parallels Tools to eliminate multiple compatibility issues with newer Linux kernel versions;
• Adds support for IPP printing from Linux virtual machines, enabling you to print from Linux using a printer connected to your Mac;
• Adds updated icons for Ubuntu, Fedora, and Kali Linux distributions;
• Fixes the issue with keyboard and mouse not working during the manual installation of an Ubuntu virtual machine.

macOS (in a virtual machine)

• Allows you to sign into Apple Account from macOS 15+ virtual machines running on Apple Silicon Macs (requires both your Mac and the virtual machine to run macOS Sequoia 15 or newer).
  Note: This feature does not yet let you sign into the Mac App Store or Xcode;
• Adds support for creating snapshots of macOS virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Pro Edition

• Introduces Parallels AI Package, a Linux-based virtual machine tailor-made to allow developers and students to quickly learn and begin developing machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and computer vision applications. The package is available via the Visual Studio Code extension catalog. Read more about AI Package here;
• Adds the ability to control virtual machines using natural language with Microsoft Copilot integrated into the Visual Studio Code extension;
• Adds support for using GitHub Actions to automate the deployment and management of virtual machines directly from a GitHub repository, e.g., triggering a virtual machine provisioning, testing, and configuration as part of a specific pipeline;
• Improves the Parallels Packer plugin experience for macOS virtual machines running on Apple Silicon Macs by automating the initial setup process using the Apple Vision framework (OCR).

Software developers and IT pros using Parallels Desktop are welcome to share their feedback about these improvements, discuss feature suggestions, and have fun with like-minded people at Parallels Desktop Discord channel.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Business Edition

• Adds the ability to control and orchestrate multiple Parallels Desktop hosts and virtual machines using our new Parallels Desktop for DevOps service;
• Improves compatibility with multiple MDM solutions (e.g., Microsoft Intune) thanks to a re-engineered deployment package that supports downloading pre-configured virtual machines from cloud-sourced and network storage destinations.

Parallels Desktop 20 for Mac Enterprise Edition (coming later in 2024)

Introducing the new tier: Enterprise Edition, coming later this fall. This edition is designed specifically for organizations that require more control, visibility, and efficiency in managing large-scale virtual environments. Enterprise Edition will: 

• Streamline the deployment of virtual machines, saving time and effort;
• Let you assign policies across groups of machines or users;
• Enable improved visibility into your managed virtual machines.

If your company is interested in this solution, please contact our sales team here.

What was deprecated or removed from Parallels Desktop 20

According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some product features are used very seldom or not at all. We have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove them from Parallels Desktop and focus on frequently used features and further enhancements.

Below is the list of features that are no longer supported and will be removed in the future builds of Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.

On all Mac computers, the following things are no longer supported:

• Network boot for Windows, macOS, and Linux virtual machines

On Mac computers with Intel processors, the following things are no longer supported:

• Support for network and USB emulation that relies on kernel extensions
• Support for macOS 10.5 to 10.8 and Oracle Solaris virtual machines