Parallels virtual machine for macOS is completely isolated from host machine

I need to set up a virtual machine using Parallels on my Mac to have macOS as a guest machine. I want to have it be able to share the host file system and clipboard. I would also prefer to be able to restore a configuration from Time Machine or the host Mac.

None of the above procedures work. The VM is completely isolated from the host.

Some things I have tried:

1. Install Parallels Tools. That does not work. The procedure asks for the Parallels Tools CD. There is not anything I can find like that. I found some advice saying that the file is located at /Applications/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/Tools/prl-tools-mac.iso. But there is no such Parallels Desktop.app.
2. I did find that prl-tools-mac.iso is apparently mounted on the VM CD device. But cannot find any way to access it.
3. Using Migration Assistant to load a configuration from the host fails, because the Migration Assistant cannot run on both the host and VM at the same time. Migration Assistant on the host requires that all applications including Parallels be shut down.
4. Using Migration Assistant to load a configuration from a Time Machine Backup:
   
   • It cannot find Time Machine backups on an external drive attached to the host. It cannot even see the external drive.
   • I ejected the drive from the host and reconnected it--the setting in the VM is that it should ask me which to attach to, the host or the VM. It just attaches to the host.
   • Trying to access the host file system from the VM fails because it will not accept the username and password.

It seems there is some missing piece that prevents the sharing of anything between the VM and the host.
The VM Configure > Options > Sharing are set to All Disks and Map Mac volumes to the virtual machine. And in More Options, Share the Mac clipboard is checked.
So it appears that all the settings are in place, yet the VM is 100% isolated.
What am I missing?

 

A common theme of the problem was that because Parallels Tools was not installed, access to the host could not be established, and the screen resolution only offered 1024 x 768, which I had not mentioned.

I really needed to get Parallels Tools installed, but the inability to mount the virtual CD was blocking that. I found a Parallels knowledge base article that said the system automatically mounts it. Specifically, it said "When macOS boots up, choose Actions > Install Parallels Tools. The Parallels Tools ISO image gets connected to the virtual machine CD/DVD drive. The guest OS mounts it automatically." This was not happening.

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macos macos-mojave parallels

 

A common theme of the problem was that because Parallels Tools was not installed, access to the host could not be established, and the screen resolution only offered 1024 x 768, which I had not mentioned.

I really needed to get Parallels Tools installed, but the inability to mount the virtual CD was blocking that. I found a Parallels knowledge base article that said the the system automatically mounts it. Speciically it said "When macOS boots up, choose Actions > Install Parallels Tools. The Parallels Tools ISO image gets connected to the virtual machine CD/DVD drive. The guest OS mounts it automatically." This was not happening.

On a hunch, I told the CD device to unmount the prl-tool-mac.iso using the Disconnet choice on the dialog shown in the screen shot:

Here are my steps:

1. Keeping the configuration window open, I first shut down the VM (because some things cannot be changed until the VM is shut down). I don't know if this was necessary, but it is the way I did it.
2. Then I disconnected the ISO image.
3. Then reconnected the ISO image.
4. Then started the VM.

This time the CD device was there right on the desktop, and I was able to click it to install Parallels Tools.

After getting Parallels Tools installed, all the problem listed in my original question went away: - the guest could see the host file system; - drag and drop between the guest and host is possible; - clipboard can be shared between the two - and probably several other actions that I did not try would also be available, such as restoring from a Time Machine backup or cloned image; - screen resolution went to normal.

To summarize, if the Parallels Tools CD image does not mount, disconnect it and reconnect it, with the possible requirement for the additional intervening steps described above.

 

Hugo62: I successfully installed the Parallels Tools on both the Host and the Virtual MacOS, but when I tried to restore from the Time Machine backup of the Host, the VM couldn't find the sparsebundle on the NAS. It connected to the NAS volume, but the sparsebundle did not show up in the window. Did you succeed in doing this?