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  • Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 User's Guide
    • Welcome to Parallels Desktop
      • What You Can Do
      • Editions of Parallels Desktop
      • What's New in Parallels Desktop 20
      • What Versions of Windows You Can Install
      • 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
        • 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 Apple Writing Tools 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
          • Sharing Settings
          • Application Settings
          • Full Screen Settings
          • Picture in Picture Settings
          • Web & Email Settings
          • Maintenance 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
        • Using Apple Script with the Guest OS
        • Freeing Up Disk Space
        • Archiving/Unarchiving Virtual Machines
        • Transfering a Virtual Machine to Another Mac
        • Importing and Running x86_64 (Intel) Virtual Machines on Apple Silicon Macs
          • Launching and Running an x86_64 Virtual Machine on an Apple Silicon Mac
          • Creating a New x86_64 (Intel) Virtual Machine on an Apple Silicon Mac
      • Using Other Operating Systems on Your Mac
        • Customizing the Keyboard for a Guest OS
        • Running macOS Virtual Machines
          • Signing into Apple Account on macOS Virtual Machines
          • Connecting USB Devices Directly to Your macOS Virtual Machine
          • 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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  1. Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 User's Guide
  2. Advanced Topics
  3. Installing and Updating Parallels Tools

Parallels Tools Overview

PreviousInstalling and Updating Parallels ToolsNextParallels Tools for Windows

Last updated 1 year ago

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Parallels Tools are a suite of special utilities that help you use your virtual machines in the most comfortable and efficient way. With Parallels Tools, you can move the mouse seamlessly between the virtual machine and your Mac, change the virtual machine's screen resolution by simply resizing its window, synchronize your virtual machine's time and date settings with the time settings of the host computer, share your Mac's disks and folders with its virtual machines, copy text and drag and drop objects from macOS to a virtual machine and vice versa.

Parallels Tools are available for the most popular Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems, and include the utilities listed below. All utilities supported by your guest OS are installed in your virtual machine as a single package when you install Parallels Tools.

Utility
Available for
Description

Mouse Synchronization Tool

Windows

Linux

macOS

Mouse Synchronization Tool captures the mouse input in the virtual machine each time the pointer moves over its window and automatically releases the input when the pointer moves outside the window.

Time Synchronization Tool

Windows

Linux

macOS

Time Synchronization Tool enables you to customize your virtual machine time settings. You can:

  • Automatically synchronize the time settings of your virtual machine with your Mac time settings.

  • Set up and maintain the time difference between your Mac and your virtual machine.

Drag-and-Drop Tool

Windows

Linux

Drag-and-Drop Tool allows dragging and dropping files between your virtual machines and macOS.

Clipboard Synchronization Tool

Windows

Linux

macOS

Clipboard Synchronization Tool enables you to easily exchange texts between:

  • the virtual machine and your Mac.

  • different virtual machines irrespective of the guest operating systems installed in them.

To copy and paste text, you should use the standard procedure for the current operating system. For example, to copy some text in the Windows guest OS, select the text, and press Ctrl+C. To paste this text in macOS, press Cmd+V, or select Paste from the shortcut menu.

Dynamic Resolution Tool

Windows

Linux

macOS

Dynamic Resolution Tool enables you to work with dynamic resolution. When you resize the guest OS window by dragging its lower right corner, the guest OS window resolution changes automatically.

Shared Folders Tool

Windows

Linux

macOS

Shared Folders Tool enables you to share Mac folders with the virtual machine and vice versa. With this tool, you can access your Mac folders from the virtual machine.

Coherence Tool*

Windows

The Coherence tool allows you to launch and use your Windows applications as if they were Mac applications. It hides the virtual machine's main interface, leaving only guest OS and Mac applications visible.

Shared Profile Tool

Windows

Linux

Shared Profile Tool enables you to share your Mac desktop, pictures, documents, downloads, music and videos with your virtual machine, which allows you to access them right from the guest OS.

Shared Applications Tool*

Windows

Linux

Shared Applications Tool enables you to specify default applications for certain types of files, so that you can open some types of files in Windows or Linux applications by default, and others - in macOS.

Shared Internet Applications Tool

Windows

Shared Internet Applications Tool enables you to specify default Internet browsers, including those installed in the virtual machine, for different types of Internet pages. For example, you may set the Internet pages to open in your default macOS Internet browser, and FTP pages to open in your virtual machine Internet browser.

SmartMount

Windows

Linux

SmartMount automatically detects volumes connected to your Mac and makes them available to the virtual machine as well.

Printing Tool

Windows

Linux

Printing Tool allows you to synchronize the host and guest OS printers.

Tray Integration Tool*

Windows

Tray Integration Tool allows you to use Windows tray icons in the Mac menu bar.

Note: the features marked with * are not available in the App Store Edition. For more information on the differences between the Standard and App Store editions, follow this .

Parallels Tools are located on disc images that are installed together with Parallels Desktop. There is a separate Parallels Tools disc image for each type of the supported guest operating systems.

  • prl-tools-win.iso - disc image with Parallels Tools for Windows guest operating systems.

  • prl-tools-lin.iso - disc image with Parallels Tools for Linux guest operating systems.

  • prl-tools-mac.iso - disc image with Parallels Tools for macOS guest operating systems.

These disc images can be found in the following location on your Mac: /Applications/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/Tools.

Note: The aforementioned disc images are for Intel Macs. If you have an Apple Silicon Mac, the same folder contains disc images which are designated as -arm.

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