Parallels Desktop 16.0.1

In August, Parallels released version 16.0 of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization software with support for macOS 11 Big Sur, a refreshed design that’s consistent with Big Sur, and speedier performance: launching up to twice as fast as version 15 and resuming Windows up to 20% faster. The upgrade also improves battery life up to 10% when Windows runs in Travel Mode, enables virtual machines to return unused disk space automatically when shutting down, brings full support for OpenGL 3.3 Compatibility Profile to support more Windows apps, adds a two-finger pinch trackpad gesture to rotate content in Windows 10 apps, and provides a refreshed Dark Mode look with better colors, contrasts, and fonts.

Along with the standard edition, Parallels Desktop is available in a Pro Edition that offers Visual Studio integration, the capability to assign up to 32 virtual CPUs and 128 GB of virtual RAM to each virtual machine, and a rich command-line interface. A Business Edition provides centralized administration, password-free updating, and a Big Sur installation that does not require users to approve the system extension.

Parallels Desktop was recently updated to version 16.0.1 to resolve an issue causing Macs running the Big Sur beta to crash after starting a virtual machine configured to use the Parallels hypervisor, fix a bug that caused visual artifacts, and resolve a crash that occurred in Big Sur after the computer awoke from sleep.

The standard edition of Parallels Desktop costs $79.99 for an annual subscription or $99.99 for a one-time perpetual license. Users with a previously purchased perpetual license can upgrade for $49.99, or upgrade to a Parallels Desktop Pro Edition subscription for $49.99 per year. Parallels Desktop Pro Edition and Mac Business Edition are available only via annual subscriptions ($99.99 and $119.99 a year, respectively). A free 14-day full-featured trial is available. ($79.99 annual subscription for standard edition [$49.99 upgrade], $99.99 annual subscription for Pro Editions [$49.99 upgrade from standard], 199 MB, release notes, macOS 10.13.6+)