Running macOS Virtual Machines

You can install a copy of macOS in a virtual machine and use it as a guest operating system. This can be useful, for example, if you want to test software in another version of macOS or without having to log in and out of your main account.

Note: In the App Store Edition, this feature is only available on Intel Mac machines and not on Apple Silicon Macs. For more information on the App Store Edition, follow this link.

To install macOS in a virtual machine:

1. Open Parallels Desktop and choose File > New or use the + button in the top right corner of the Control Center.

2. This step is different between Intel Macs and Apple silicon Macs: Note: Parallels Tools for Mac need to be installed manually. Read more here.

   • For Apple silicon Macs: Under Free Systems, select Download macOS, click Continue, and follow the onscreen instructions. This process installs the version of macOS in line with your Mac's version of macOS.

   • For Intel Macs: Under Free Systems, scroll horizontally to select Install <macOS version> Using the Recovery Partition, click Continue, and follow the onscreen instructions. This method installs the indicated version of macOS using the contents of the system recovery partition on your Mac's hard drive.

3. If you wish to install another version of macOS, use the Install Windows, Linux, or macOS from an Image File option and follow the onscreen instructions. This method also supports drag'n'drop. Note: This option may be useful when you want to install a version of macOS that is different from the one your Mac is running, e.g., a macOS Sonoma 14 virtual machine on a Mac running macOS Sequoia 15. However, to install a NEWER version of macOS in a virtual machine on a Mac running an older version of macOS, you will first need to update Xcode libraries on your Mac to the version corresponsing to the NEWER version of macOS that you wish to run as a virtual machine. E.g., to attempt to create a macOS Tahoe 26 virtual machine on a Mac running macOS Sequoia 15, you will first have to update Xcode to version 26.

Note: Starting from Parallels Desktop version 19, you can use .ipsw files to set up macOS virtual machines on Apple silicon Macs. To install from a .ipsw file, double-click on it, choose the name of your new virtual machine, and click Create.

For information on creating a macOS machine using the command line interface, refer to the respective section of Parallels Desktop Developer's Guide.

Several limitations remain for macOS virtual machines, some of which are specific to CPU architecture. For example, Coherence mode is not supported for any macOS virtual machines.

You can also copy and paste text and drag and drop files between host and guest macOS, just as you can when using Windows as a guest OS, but only on Intel-based Macs.

Warning: Due to the limitations of Apple's own virtualization framework, signing in with an Apple Account or connecting your macOS virtual machines to iCloud for backup, sync, or remote management (System Settings -> Apple ID in macOS Sonoma 14 or earlier, or System Settings -> Apple Account in macOS Sequoia 15 or later) is not supported on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sonoma or earlier.

For the latest limitations of macOS virtual machines running on Apple Silicon Macs, check this KB article.

You can set whether function keys and other system shortcuts trigger actions in the host or guest version of macOS.