Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac: Updates Summary

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.5 (51577)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.5 (51577) addresses overall stability and security issues, and includes the following fixes and improvements:

• Fixed an issue with Windows Update KB5012170 failing to install in certain situations.

Deprecation of legacy Windows OS support
As Microsoft stopped supporting driver signing for legacy Windows OS versions, it is not possible for us anymore to support Windows OS versions 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1. Moreover, these Windows versions no longer receive maintenance or security updates.
For these reasons, this product update includes the final version of Parallels Tools for legacy Windows OS versions. Parallels Tools enable a smooth experience with Windows on a Mac, and include:

• Automatic Windows installation
• Coherence view mode
• Graphic and gaming acceleration
• Sharing and integration features.

While legacy Windows OS versions will continue to work in future Parallels Desktop updates with the current Parallels Tools version for as long as possible, they will no longer receive any updates or fixes. Parallels recommends switching to Windows 11 for a secure and smooth Windows experience on a Mac in the long term.
For more information about legacy Windows versions support, please visit KB 129252.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.4 (51567)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.4 (51567) addresses overall stability and security issues.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.3 (51565)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.3 (51565) addresses overall stability and security issues.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.2 (51548)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.2 (51548) addresses overall stability and security issues.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.1 (51537)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.1 (51537) addresses overall stability and security issues, and includes the following fixes and improvements:
New

• A new option in the Installation Assistant makes it easier to download and install Windows 11 on a Mac equipped with an Apple M1 chip.
• When you start the PC Health Check app, new dialogs are displayed and provide additional information whether your Intel-based version of Windows 10 can be upgraded to Windows 11.

Issues reported by Parallels Desktop users
Windows

• Resolves an issue with an ARM-based Windows 11 virtual machine not having the MS Store app installed. Learn more at https://kb.parallels.com/en/128520.
• Resolves an issue with a virtual machine having no access to the resources available to the Mac via VPN.

Linux

• Resolves an issue with the Ubuntu screen becoming black after switching to VirGL graphics when registering an old virtual machine in the latest version of Parallels Desktop.
• Updated the ARM-based version of Kali Linux installed in a free system (a pre-configured and ready to use virtual machine) to 2021.3.

Devices

• Resolves a USB devices connectivity issue.

Games

• Resolves an issue with missing terrain textures in Road 96.
• Resolves an issue with the launcher colored blue in Black Desert.

Other

• Resolves an issue with the Use Windows from Boot Camp option missing in Parallels Desktop installed on a Mac with macOS 12 Monterey and equipped with an Intel processor.
• Resolves an issue with manual allocation of CPUs when the Processors menu contained less CPUs than available on the Mac.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.0 (51516)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.1.0 (51516) addresses overall stability and security issues, and includes the following fixes and improvements:
Windows

• To meet the Windows 11 requirements and increase compatibility with Windows 11, a virtual TPM chip is added automatically to new Windows 11 virtual machines. This improvement also simplifies creating new installations of Windows 11, installing Windows 11 updates and upgrading to Windows 11.
• For new Windows 10 virtual machines created on Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip, a virtual TPM chip is added automatically.
• When a TPM chip is added to the virtual machine configuration, Windows Secure Boot is enabled automatically.

Linux
Support for VirGL in Virtio GPU which enables Linux 3D acceleration out of the box in supported Linux distributions, brings visual performance improvements, and allows using the Wayland protocol in Linux virtual machines.

macOS 12 Monterey

• Full support for macOS 12 Monterey as a host operating system.
• Improved support for macOS 12 Monterey virtual machines on Mac computers running Monterey and equipped with the Apple M1 chip:
• Install Parallels Tools in macOS 12 Monterey and copy and paste text between the virtual machine and Mac.
• The default virtual machine disk size has been increased from 32 to 64 GB.

Games
Resolves graphics issues with various Windows games including, but not limited to: World of Warcraft, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Tomb Raider III, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, World of Tanks, and Raft.

Issues reported by Parallels users
Windows

• Resolves an issue with a Windows 10 virtual machine failing to upgrade to Windows 11 and showing the "Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements." error message.
• Improved performance of and fixed a graphics issue with pale text in Kompas 18.1 running in a Windows 10 virtual machine on a Mac equipped with a discrete graphics card.
• Resolves an issue with Caramba and Punto Switcher crashing in a virtual machine after upgrading Parallels Desktop to version 17.
• Resolves an issue with not being able to drag and drop images from the Finder to the Darkroom app.
• Resolves an issue with graphical artifacts and flickering in the Steam version of Eve Online.
• Resolves an issue with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive not starting in Windows on a Mac with the Apple M1 chip.
• Resolves an issue with the "OpenClipboard Failed (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800401D0 (CLIPBRD_E_CANT_OPEN))" message appearing when executing "copy files to clipboard" in Microsoft Visual Studio 2019.
• Resolves an issue with the Mac Files folder being deleted and not appearing on the Windows desktop again after the Parallels Tools reinstallation.

Linux

• Resolves some kernel video driver issues that caused graphical artifacts or slowed down Linux virtual machines.
• Resolves an issue with Parallels Tools not installing in a Kali Linux 2021 virtual machine having libGL for i386 installed and running on a Mac equipped with the Apple M1 chip.
• Resolves an issue with the Linux Mint virtual appliance description mentioning a wrong version of Mint available for download.

macOS
Resolves an issue with an unclear error message appearing when trying to create a macOS virtual machine from the Recovery partition if it is in use by another process.

Other

• Resolves an issue with not being able to register a packed virtual machine if its name or description contains some Unicode characters.
• Resolves an issue with sound sometimes disappearing on a Mac after running a virtual machine.
• Resolves an issue with some UASP storages connecting to macOS, Windows 7 and Windows XP virtual machines but not appearing in these guest operating systems after upgrading a Mac to macOS 11 Big Sur.
• Resolves an issue with not being able to deploy Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition via JAMF using a zipped .pkg file.
• Resolves an issue with not being able to open subfolders stored in shared folders if subfolder name contains the Unicode characters that look differently in the precomposed and decomposed states.
• Resolves an issue with not being able to open subfolders stored in shared folders if subfolder name starts the same way as the folder containing it.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.0.1 (51482)
This update for Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac 17.0.1 (51482) addresses overall stability and security issues and includes the following fixes and improvements:

• Improved compatibility with Windows 11.
• Resolves an issue with a Windows virtual machine sometimes not occupying all Mac displays after switching to Full Screen.
• Resolves an issue with missing textures in games such as Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, WoW 3.3.5, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, etc.
• Resolves a permission issue with unpacking a virtual machine.
• Resolves an issue with a macOS virtual machine using the VirtIO network adapter and losing or having no network connection on Mac computers with macOS 10.15 Catalina or earlier.
• Resolves an issue with a mouse configured to function in the PS/2 mode and not responding properly in the Window view mode.
• Resolves an issue with a virtual machine using a mouse in the PS/2 mode and not switching to Coherence.
• Resolves an issue with Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac Business Edition not activated automatically after the installation in macOS 12 Monterey via an email invitation.

Parallels Desktop for Mac Version 17.0.0 (51461)

Performance
For all supported Mac computers:

• Automatic CPU and memory allocation. Parallels Desktop evaluates your Mac's hardware and automatically allocates as many resources to your virtual machine as needed to provide the best possible experience with Windows. If you then transfer this virtual machine to another Mac, Parallels Desktop will allocate CPU and memory based on the new hardware configuration.
• Virtual machines resume up to 38% faster now.

For Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip only:

• Windows 10 and Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview start up to 33% faster.
• Up to 20% faster disk performance for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview.

For Mac computers with an Intel processor only:

• Up to 60% faster network performance in virtual machines with macOS 11 Big Sur or later.

Graphics
For all supported Mac computers:

• Improved display driver delivers much smoother Windows UI responsiveness and synchronized video playback experience. The new driver boosts frame rate in many Windows games for a greater gaming experience and provides better synchronization with the Mac's display.
• Up to 6 times faster OpenGL graphics performance.
• Up to 25% faster graphics performance in Windows virtual machines.

For Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip only:

• Added support for the dynamic resolution in Linux virtual machines, so it becomes much more convenient to use them in the Window view mode. When you resize the virtual machine window, Linux adjusts the screen resolution automatically.
• Up to 28% faster DirectX 11 graphics performance.

Ready for macOS 12 Monterey
As a main operating system:
When macOS 12 Monterey is officially released, you can upgrade your Mac computers both with the Apple M1 chip and an Intel processor. Parallels Desktop 17 fully supports this new operating system.

As a virtual machine:
In collaboration with Apple, Parallels engineers created the World's first prototype of a macOS 12 Monterey virtual machine running on a Mac with the Apple M1 chip. To use this virtual machine, you need a Mac with macOS 12 Monterey or later. Since it is an experimental support for Monterey virtual machines on M1 Macs, please note that productivity and integration features are not available yet.

If you have a Mac with an Intel processor, create and use macOS 12 Monterey virtual machines without any limitations.

Ready for Windows 11
This new operating system from Microsoft is expected this fall. When it is officially released, install and use Windows 11 in Parallels virtual machines on Mac computers both with the Apple M1 chip and an Intel processor. If you want to try it earlier, you can already install and work with Windows 11 Insider Preview.

Usability

• The improved Devices menu now shows the same devices' names as in macOS:
• for USB drives - the same name as in the Finder;
• for printers and scanners - the same name as in the macOS System Preferences;
• additional numbering (#2, #3, etc.) is used only if there are two identical devices connected to the Mac.
• The Free Up Disk Space assistant shows how much space is taken by the virtual machine snapshots allowing you to manage your disk space better.

Integration

• Drag and drop text and images from macOS to any Windows application and vice versa. If you're using a Mac with macOS 12 Monterey, you can drag and drop any content from Windows applications to Quick Note the same way as from macOS apps.
• Copy formatted text in macOS and paste it as plain (without formatting) in virtual machine applications using the "Command + Shift + Option + V" keyboard shortcut.
• Improved experience in the Coherence view mode. Various system windows (e.g., when you sign in to Windows, Windows is installing updates, restarts or shuts down, etc.) that were displayed full screen now appear minimized and no longer distract your attention from important tasks.
• Improvements for the keyboard layout. You can now remap AltGr to the Mac's Option key and use the left Option button for entering accented language characters and special symbols.

Devices
For all supported Mac computers:

• Support for USB 3.1. Connect even more USB devices to your virtual machines, including Samsung T7 Touch and Pro Elite portable SSDs, and more.
• Multimonitor support for Linux. You can now use Linux virtual machines in the Full Screen view mode on multiple displays.

For Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip only:

• Support for the battery device in Windows 10 and Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview virtual machines. Now Windows detects when your Mac is running out of battery and enables the power saving mode automatically.
• Support for a virtual Trusted Platform Module chip (vTPM) and Secure Boot in Windows 10 and Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview virtual machines.
• Support for the serial port device both in Windows 10 and Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview and Linux virtual machines. You can add up to 4 serial ports in each virtual machine.
• Support for the sound device in Linux virtual machines.

For Mac computers with an Intel processor only:
Support for a new VirtIO network driver in macOS 11 Big Sur and later virtual machines. It provides a more stable network connection and up to 60% faster Internet speed.

Other

• Updated the operating systems installed in free of charge and available to download virtual machines (also known as virtual appliances or free systems) to the latest versions.
• Updated and refreshed the Virtual Machine Configuration and Parallels Desktop Preferences dialogs to match the new macOS design.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac Pro Edition only
For all supported Mac computers:
Create an independent and fully identical virtual machine based on a linked clone.
Updated Parallels Desktop plugin for Visual Studio to debug code in a standalone virtual machine. The new plugin can be used on Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip and is much easier to install in Visual Studio 2019 or later.

For Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip only:
Now you can set a custom serial number or BIOS version in virtual machines.

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac Business Edition only
Universal binary for Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip or an Intel processor allows IT administrators to create one package for both platforms and use configuration profiles to provide a proper Windows virtual machine image.
IT administrators can now create a configuration profile in Parallels My Account to provision an ARM-based version of Windows to Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip.

What was Deprecated or Removed from Parallels Desktop 17
According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some of the product features are used very seldom or not used at all. We have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove from Parallels Desktop and focus on more important features and further enhancements.

Please see below which features were removed and which deprecated. Removed features are no longer available in Parallels Desktop 17 while deprecated ones continue working though they are not supported anymore and will be removed in the next product versions.

All the features mentioned below are not business-critical, so these changes will have no impact (or very little) on your work.

Removed features:

• Converting a virtual disk to plain format. The "Expanding disk" checkbox (enabled by default) was removed from the virtual machine configuration because of very low usage. Though, it is still possible to convert a virtual disk to a plain disk using the Parallels command-line tool prl_disk_tool in the Terminal.
• Splitting a virtual disk into 2 GB files. The "Split the disk image into 2 GB files" checkbox was removed from the virtual machine configuration because of very low usage. But it is still possible to split the disk image using the Parallels command-line tool prl_disk_tool in the Terminal.

Deprecated features:
Graphics memory selector for Windows 8 and later. It was removed from the virtual machine configuration for the operating systems that support automatic graphics memory allocation. Pre-allocating graphics memory is not efficient because Parallels Desktop has no access to it and uses the Mac's system memory (RAM) instead. For more details, please read https://kb.parallels.com/124575.