Best virtual machine software for Mac
Description
Even the most loyal Mac users recognize that Windows still rules the roost in the world of desktop and laptop computers, and there are many important apps that only run on Windows. For example, the Windows version of Microsoft Office includes the Access database that has never been available for the Mac, and there are many professional graphics and video tools that are Windows-only. And, of course, there are all those A-List games that have never even glanced in the direction of us poor, forgotten Mac gamers.
If you need to run Windows software or games on your Macs then this article will reveal the best way to do so.
Read on to discover the best options for running Windows, and Windows apps, on your Mac. You may also like to read our guide to How to install Windows and run Windows apps on a Mac (M-series models). We also cover how to run Windows on an Intel Mac separately.
Best Virtual Machine for Mac 2025: Best VMs to run Windows on a Mac
Read on for the best virtual machines for Mac. Our top choice is Parallels, but we also consider VMware and alternative options, including emulators that let you run Windows apps on a Mac without even installing Windows to Microsoft’s Windows 365 service.
1. Parallels Desktop: Best VM software for Mac
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Pros
- Frequent updates and new features.
- Good performance on multi-core Apple chips.
- Slick, easy-to-use interface.
- Ability to run x86 Windows on M-series Macs.
Cons
- Most editions require a subscription.
- Virtual machines require a lot of memory and processor power.
- Windows On ARM is expensive.
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Parallels Desktop allows you to create a virtual machine on your Mac. The software simulates the physical hardware of a Windows PC and lets you run Windows on your Mac.
One of the benefits is Parallels Desktop allows you to run Mac and Windows apps side by side, without having to reboot to switch between the operating systems.
With Parallels you can keep Windows and macOS completely separate or you can use Coherence mode to fully integrate your Windows apps on your Mac–you can even add them to your Dock.
Parallels also offers a Rollback mode, which is useful for experimenting developers. Nothing is saved, so when you restart the computer the VM will return to it’s original state.
Parallels makes installing Windows really easy. Since Parallels Desktop version 18 it has been possible to download and buy the ARM version of Windows 11 within Parallels. You do need to buy a license for the ARM version of Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise (unfortunately, the cheaper Home edition isn’t supported).
If it’s the old x86 version of Windows you want then Parallels has been working to support this on M-series Macs. The 20.2.0 update in January 2025 introduced the limited ability to create virtual machines (VMs) that run certain versions of Windows that were written for Intel processors (sometimes known as ‘x86_64’, referring to 64-bit software written for Intel’s x86 processors). It’s important to note, though, that there are some major limitations such as a lack of sound and assigning a maximum of 8GB memory to each VM. It’s also slow. But that’s only going to apply to you if you are running an Intel version on an M-series Mac.
Parallels Desktop has a regular update cycle that tends to coincide with Apple’s big macOS updates. Parallels Desktop was updated in September 2025, bringing support for macOS Tahoe and it’s new features. Parallels Desktop 26 includes technical updates that allow it to run smoothly with the new system for handling background processes that has been introduced with macOS 26. It’s also compatible with the latest Windows 11 25H2.
A number of new AI-specific features aimed at developers were introduced with the September 2024 update (Parallels Desktop 20). A ‘Parallels AI Package’ allows developers to create a new virtual machine with a pre-installed set of AI tools and features, including the ability to control Parallels Desktop using plain language commands (more info here).
Read our full
Parallels Desktop for Mac review
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