# Installing and Activating Parallels Desktop

There are three main ways to install Parallels Desktop: fully manually, manually via email invitations, and as part of a mass deployment procedure.

As an organization, you can choose what type of license activation you want to use: a per-device one where you activate each individual installation with a product key, a per-user one that requires [signing in with SSO](https://docs.parallels.com/landing/pd-ag/parallels-desktop-for-mac-enterprise-edition-features/activating-using-a-corporate-account), or a mix of the two which Enterprise Edition also allows.

To learn more, we suggest that you read [Parallels Desktop Licensing Guide](https://app.gitbook.com/o/RCg2gXqdOeirHBikWIH0/s/19bdEvIobLjdIuA0nqs5/).

### Manual Installation by admin

1. Download the installation image from [here](https://parallels.com/directdownload/pd/);
2. Use a license key from the My Account admin dashboard to activate.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Note**: We strongly recommend to use secondary sublicense keys for this type of installation and not sharing your primary license key with end users.
{% endhint %}

### Installation via Email Invitations

You can invite users to install Parallels Desktop directly by sending out invitation emails. Do the following:

1. In your My Account dashboard, go to the Parallels Desktop Enterprise Edition card and click on **Invite Users**;
2. Choose one of the license keys/subkeys available for the product and click **Next**;
3. Fill out the fields in the invitation window:
   1. Choose the language of inviation;
   2. Set the expiration (between 3 days and 1 month);
   3. Add individual email addresses to the group using the **Add** button, or use the **Select File** button to add a CSV list instead;
   4. Click **Send Invitations**. 

As a result of this procedure, your users will receive an email that looks like this:

<figure><img src="https://2497933630-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCH2PH40adGxVh4iotxRv%2Fuploads%2F93iu0MThExqhLNUmdBYB%2FPMA_Invitation_Email.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cba18bab-35c2-4ec8-ba10-13ce3e41ec82" alt="" width="451"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Mass Deployment of Parallels Desktop

To learn about the mass deployment procedure using MDM solutions, refer to [this section](https://docs.parallels.com/landing/pd-ag/mass-deployment-of-parallels-desktop-and-virtual-machines) of the guide.