Parallels Desktop for Mac 19 User's Guide
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  • Parallels Desktop for Mac 19 User's Guide
    • Welcome to Parallels Desktop
      • What You Can Do
      • Editions of Parallels Desktop
      • What's New in Parallels Desktop 19
      • Setting Up Your Mac to Use Windows Applications
      • Other Operating Systems
    • Install or Upgrade Parallels Desktop
      • System Requirements
      • Installing Parallels Desktop
      • Activating and Registering Parallels Desktop
      • Purchasing Parallels Desktop
      • Upgrading Parallels Desktop
        • Installing Software Updates
      • Changing the Language
    • Install or Import Windows
      • Installing Windows
      • Using Boot Camp with Parallels Desktop
      • Importing from an Earlier Version of Parallels Desktop or Another Virtualization Application
      • Downloading and Installing Windows from Microsoft
      • Getting Windows from IT
    • Use Windows on Your Mac
      • Getting Started
        • Launching Windows
        • Opening a Windows Application
        • Installing Windows Applications
        • Shutdown and Suspend Windows
          • Startup and Shutdown Settings
      • Setting How Windows Works with macOS
        • Merging Windows and macOS
        • Setting Windows to Appear in a Single Window
          • Adjusting Window Mode Settings
          • Monitoring Windows in a Scalable Window
        • Running Windows in Full-Screen Mode
          • Adjusting Full-Screen Settings
        • Setting an Application to Open When You Insert a CD/DVD
        • Sharing Items between macOS and Windows
          • Copying and Pasting between macOS and Windows
          • Sharing Files and Folders
          • Sharing iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive Folders with Windows
          • Sharing Windows OneDrive Folders with macOS
          • Sharing Applications
          • Setting Files to Open in Your Preferred Application
          • Setting Internet Links or Emails to Always Open in macOS or Windows
          • Opening the Current Safari Page in Microsoft Edge
          • Emailing macOS Files from Windows
          • Sharing External Storage Devices and Volumes
          • Sharing Windows External and Network Drives with macOS
          • Using a Disk Image with a Virtual Optical Drive
          • Adding Windows Disks to macOS Finder
      • Mouse, Trackpad, and Keyboard
        • Setting Your Mouse or Trackpad to Right-Click and Middle-Click
        • Using Keyboard Shortcuts
        • Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
        • Creating New Keyboard Shortcuts
        • Controlling Windows Input Language In macOS
        • Mouse & Keyboard Settings
      • Connecting External Devices
        • Adjusting Device Settings
      • Connecting Bluetooth Devices
        • Connecting Bluetooth Game Controllers
      • Printing from Windows
        • Sharing a Printer Connected to Your Mac
        • Setting Up a Network Printer
        • Setting Up a USB Printer
      • Using the Built-in or External Webcam
      • Presenting on an External Display or Projector
      • Protecting Your Data
        • Isolating Windows from Mac
        • Working in Windows without Saving Changes
        • Setting Password Requirements
        • Using Apple Touch ID to Log into Windows
        • Encrypting Windows to Protect It from Unauthorized Use
      • Connecting to the Internet or a Network
        • Sharing Network Access Between macOS and Windows
        • Applying Separate Network Settings to Windows
        • Using Host-Only Network Settings
        • Using Wi-Fi with Windows
        • Connecting Windows to a VLAN
      • Optimizing Performance
        • Allocating Specific Amount of Memory to Windows
        • Optimization Settings
        • Pausing Windows When No Applications Are Open
        • Optimizing Virtual Machines for Specific Tasks
        • Use Windows in Travel Mode
        • Scheduling Windows Maintenance
      • Saving Time with Parallels Toolbox
      • Saving a Screenshot from Windows
      • Setting the Appearance of Virtual Machine Dock Icons
      • Allowing Windows Updates While Your Mac is Sleeping
      • Translating Words in Windows
      • Using the Touch Bar in Windows
    • Parallels Desktop Preferences and Virtual Machine Settings
      • Parallels Desktop Preferences
        • General Preferences
        • Shortcuts Preferences
        • Devices Preferences
        • Security Preferences
        • Network Preferences
        • Advanced Preferences
        • Parallels Toolbox
      • Virtual Machine Settings
        • General Settings
        • Options
          • Startup and Shutdown Settings
          • Optimization Settings
          • Sharing Settings
          • Application Settings
          • Full Screen Settings
          • Picture in Picture Settings
          • Web & Email Settings
          • Maintenance Settings
          • Travel Mode Settings
          • More Options
        • Hardware Settings
          • CPU & Memory Settings
          • Graphics Settings
          • Mouse & Keyboard Settings
          • Shared Printers Settings
          • Network Settings
          • Sound & Camera Settings
          • USB & Bluetooth Settings
          • Hard Disk Settings
          • CD/DVD Settings
          • Boot Order Settings
          • TPM Chip
          • Printer Settings
          • Serial Port Settings
        • Security Settings
        • Backup Settings
      • Adding and Removing Devices
        • Support for Virtual and Physical Drives
        • Initializing a Newly Added Hard Drive
        • Connecting a Physical Disk to a Virtual Machine as Internal
    • Advanced Topics
      • Working with Virtual Machines
        • Supported Guest Operating Systems
        • About Virtual Machines
          • Set Where Virtual Machines Are Stored
        • Arranging Virtual Machines
        • Making Virtual Machines Distinctive
        • Changing the Virtual Machine Icon
        • Changing the Virtual Machine Name
        • Cloning a Virtual Machine
        • Backing Up a Virtual Machine
        • Creating and Using Virtual Machine Templates
        • Saving Snapshots of a Virtual Machine
        • Changing Virtual Machine Configuration While in Use
        • Scrolling Horizontally with a Mouse
        • Removing a Virtual Machine
        • Donwloading Pre-Configured Virtual Machines
        • Setting Guest OS Type and Version
        • Changing the Number of Virtual CPUs Allocated to a Virtual Machine
        • Controling Your Virtual Machine's CPU & Memory Usage
        • Using Apple Script with the Guest OS
        • Freeing Up Disk Space
        • Archiving/Unarchiving Virtual Machines
        • Transfering a Virtual Machine to Another Mac
      • Using Other Operating Systems on Your Mac
        • Customizing the Keyboard for a Guest OS
        • Running macOS Virtual Machines
          • Supported Trackpad Gestures
      • Installing and Updating Parallels Tools
        • Parallels Tools Overview
        • Parallels Tools for Windows
        • Parallels Tools for Linux
        • Parallels Tools for Mac
      • Setting File Type Associations
      • Picture in Picture Mode
      • Hiding and Showing Parallels Desktop
      • Removing Parallels Desktop
      • Advanced Settings
      • Shared Network Settings
      • Host-Only Network Settings
      • Creating Custom Host-Only Networks
    • Troubleshooting
    • Parallels Desktop Social Media Pages
    • More Resources
    • Glossary
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On this page
  • Share Printers Connected to Your Mac
  • Set a New Default Printer
  • Show Page Setup Before Printing
  • Add a Printer in Linux

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  1. Parallels Desktop for Mac 19 User's Guide
  2. Use Windows on Your Mac
  3. Printing from Windows

Sharing a Printer Connected to Your Mac

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You can use any printer connected to your Mac to print from your Windows applications.

Note: This functionality is also available in Linux with .

To print a document from a Windows application:

  • Open the document and simply print it the way you normally would (for example, choose File > Print).

In the print window, you can choose any printer that's connected to your Mac.

Share Printers Connected to Your Mac

  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 Hardware and select Shared Printers.

  3. Select Share Mac printers with Windows.

Set a New Default Printer

By default, Windows is set to use the same default printer as your Mac. To use a different default printer for Windows.

  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 Hardware and select Shared Printers.

  3. Deselect Synchronize default printer.

Now, you can set a new default printer in Windows the way you normally would.

Show Page Setup Before Printing

When you choose to print a document from Windows, you first need to set how the document will be printed. You usually have to specify various printing settings, such as orientation, page size, whether to print the document on one or both sides, etc. Once everything is ready and you click Print in Windows, the macOS window with printing settings appears as well. It's done by default for you just to ensure that the document will be printed exactly the way you want.

To make the documents print without showing this macOS page setup window:

  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 Hardware and select Shared Printers.

  3. Deselect Show page setup options before printing.

Add a Printer in Linux

The procedure of adding a printer in a Linux guest operating system depends on the Linux distribution. In this example, we describe how to add a printer to a virtual machine running RHEL 5.4 Server. However, you can use these guidelines as general instructions on how to add a printer to a Linux virtual machine:

  1. Start the Linux virtual machine and log in when the guest operating system boots up.

  2. Start the system-config-printer administration tool by doing one of the following:

    • Click System > Administration > Printing; or

    • Start the Terminal and enter the following command:

      system-config-printer
  3. In the displayed window, click New Printer.

  4. In the next window, you must type a printer name. Under this name, the printer will be displayed in your Linux guest operating system. You can also enter the printer description and location. When ready, click Forward.

  5. Now you have to specify how your Mac printer will be shared with the virtual machine. As the printer is connected to the virtual machine printer port, select LPT #1 (or another port to which the printer is connected) and click Forward.

  6. Then specify the printer manufacturer and model. No matter what printer you have, choose either HP Color LaserJet 8500 PS or Apple Color LW 12/660 PS. When ready, click Forward.

  7. Click Apply to finish setting up the printer.

Now the printer is properly configured, and you can use it to print documents from your Linux virtual machine.

Parallels Tools installed