# Startup and Shutdown Settings

You can choose how to start and shut down the virtual machine using Startup and Shutdown settings.

To access **Startup and Shutdown** settings:

1. Do one of the following:
   * Click the Parallels Desktop icon in the menu bar and choose **Configure.**
   * If the Parallels Desktop menu bar is visible at the top of the screen, choose **Actions > Configure**.
2. Click **Options** and select **Startup and Shutdown**.

### Set to Start and Shut Down the Virtual Machine Manually

If you want to always start and shut down the virtual machine manually, select **Start up and shut down manually**.

### Configure the Virtual Machine to Start Automatically

If you want to make the virtual machine start automatically when the Mac starts, select **Always ready in the background**.

### Specify More Details on How to Start and Shut Down the Virtual Machine Automatically

If you want to specify not only how the virtual machine starts or shuts down but also the view mode and what happens on closing the virtual machine window, select **Custom** and do the following:

#### Set Whether Windows Starts Automatically

Choose one of the following from the **Start Automatically** menu:

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Windows starts when you [open a Windows application](../opening-a-windows-application), regardless of this setting.
{% endhint %}

* **Never**: Windows never starts automatically.
* **When a window opens**: Windows starts automatically when you open it from the **Control Center**.
* **When Parallels Desktop starts**: Windows starts automatically when you start Parallels Desktop.
* **When Mac starts:** Windows starts automatically when you start the Mac. If you select this option, you can also configure the virtual machine to delay the startup.\
  [**Note:** This feature is available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition only.](#user-content-fn-1)[^1]
* **When the user logs in**: Windows starts automatically when the macOS user logs in to macOS on the Mac startup.

#### Set the Startup View

This setting affects the view mode, in which Windows starts when you start the virtual machine or a guest OS application.

* From the **Startup View** menu, choose **Coherence**, **Window**, **Full Screen**, **Picture in Picture**, **Headless,** or **Same as last time**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Headless mode is available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition only.
{% endhint %}

#### Set What Happens When You Shut Windows Down

Choose one of the following from the **On VM Shutdown** menu:

* **Keep the window open**: If Windows is [set to appear in a separate window](https://download.parallels.com/desktop/v19/docs/en_US/Parallels%20Desktop%20User's%20Guide/32907.htm), the window stays open when you stop or shut down Windows.
* **Close window**: If Windows is set to appear in a separate window, the window closes when you stop or shut down Windows.
* **Quit Parallels Desktop**: Parallels Desktop quits when you stop or shut down Windows.

#### Set What Happens When You Close the Parallels Desktop Window

These settings affect what happens only when Windows is [set to appear in a separate window](../../setting-how-windows-works-with-macos/setting-windows-to-appear-in-a-single-window).

From the **On Window Close** menu, choose **Suspend**, **Shut Down**, **Force to stop**, **Keep running in the background,** or **Ask me what to do**.

### Pause Windows When No Applications are Open

Select **Pause Windows after** and specify a period of inactivity, after which Windows will be automatically paused. Pausing Windows when there are no open applications allows you to [save your Mac's CPU resources](../../optimizing-performance/pausing-windows-when-no-applications-are-open).



[^1]: 
