Parallels Desktop 17 released with support for Windows 11

Parallels Desktop 17 for Mac was released yesterday and it is now optimized for Windows 11 and macOS Monterey. With this support, you can now install the previews of macOS Monterey and Windows 11 to a virtual machine (VM) via the Parallels Desktop 17 Installation Assistant. In addition to Windows 11 support, Parallels 17 comes with performance improvements on M1-based Macs. Find the details below.

Must-have Speed and Performance Updates

Applications running with Parallels Desktop 17 on Mac computers with Apple M1¹ and Intel chip now run remarkably faster and more efficiently. Here are some of our performance improvements:

On all supported Mac computers:

• Up to 38% faster Windows, Linux and macOS resume
• OpenGL graphics perform up to 6 times faster
• Up to 25% faster 2D graphics in Windows

On a Mac with Apple M1 chip:

• Up to 33% faster Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview start
• Up to 20% faster Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview disk performance
• Up to 28% better DirectX 11 graphics performance

On a Mac with Intel processor:

• Up to 60% faster network connection on macOS Big Sur (and newer) virtual machine

Enhanced Windows Gaming Experience: 

The improved display driver in Parallels Desktop 17 delivers a much smoother Windows UI responsiveness and synchronized video playback experience. The new driver boosts the frame rate in many 2D action-platformer games including Foregone, Smelter and many others for a greater gaming experience.

Powerful New Features for Apple M1 chip Mac

With Parallels Desktop 17, Windows 10 recognizes Mac battery status and enables battery saving when your Mac runs low of charge. The new virtual TPM chip enables Windows 10 and Windows 11 to use BitLocker and Secure Boot for a higher level of data protection. Enjoy multichannel sound support and jack presence detection with native drivers in Linux VMs. Conveniently use a Linux virtual machine in a windowed view mode with dynamic resolution support—resize the VM window and Linux will refresh the display for the new resolution automatically.

Coherence Mode Improvement:

A long-time user favorite feature, Coherence Mode is now used by 80% of Parallels Desktop users, enabling them to run Windows applications and Mac applications side by side, without seeing the Windows desktop. Users now enjoy an uninterrupted and distraction-free workflow as all Windows shutdowns, updates and sign-in screens are windowed, enabling the user to minimize them to stay focused and productive.

Source: Parallels