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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. Parallels Desktop Preferences and Virtual Machine Settings
  3. Virtual Machine Settings
  4. Options

Sharing Settings

PreviousStartup and Shutdown SettingsNextApplication Settings

Last updated 7 months ago

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In the Sharing pane, you can view and configure the virtual machine sharing settings.

To open these settings, choose Actions > Configure > Options, then click Sharing.

Option
Description

Share custom Mac folders with Windows

With folder sharing enabled, you can navigate to any shared macOS folder from within a Windows application. When you open a file (for example, by choosing File > Open in many applications), your shared macOS folders appear as network shared directories labeled "\\Mac".

To enable macOS folders for sharing with Windows applications, do one of the following:

  • To share just the folders in your Home folder, enable Share custom Mac folders with Windows > click Manage Folders... > select the Home folder and click OK. To share all your macOS folders, select the folder with your Mac name and click OK.

  • To share any folder you want, click Manage Folders and click the add (+) button, then choose the folder you want to share. You can add more folders by clicking the add (+) button again. Once you share a macOS folder with Windows you can:

    • Disable the folder sharing by deselecting On.

    • Change the folder name that will be displayed in Windows by double-clicking the folder name in the Name column and typing another name.

    • Restrict writing to this folder by clicking Read & Write in the Permissions folder and choosing Read only. You will not be able to add items to the folder.

Mirror Mac and Windows user folders

You can set macOS and Windows to use the same folders for things like music, documents, pictures, your desktop, and deleted files. So for example, if you save a file to the Documents folder, it will be in the Documents folder whether you're using a macOS application or a Windows application.

To enable this functionality, select Mirror Mac and Windows user folders.

Your macOS Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, Movies, and Downloads folders are merged with the corresponding Windows folders.

If you only want to map some of the folders, click Customize and select the folders you want.

Share cloud folders with Windows

(in macOS virtual machines, this option is called Share cloud folders with virtual machine)

If you're using iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive cloud storage in macOS, you can easily share their macOS folders with Windows. Once sharing is enabled, you can upload, download, and sync files from any of these services from within Windows without duplicating any of their files on your hard disk.

To share macOS iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive folders with Windows, do the following:

  1. If you haven't already, set up iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive in macOS.

  2. Select Share cloud folders with Windows.

  3. Log in to Windows and open Computer. iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive folders are available in the Quick access (or Favorites) section. You can use them to upload and download files to and from the cloud.

Map Mac volumes to Windows

(in macOS virtual machines, this option is called Map Mac volumes to virtual machine)

When you connect an external storage device, such as a USB drive, to your Mac, you can access the contents from macOS applications.

You can set Parallels Desktop to automatically mount storage devices and volumes to Windows. That way, you can access the contents from both macOS and Windows.

The following items can be mounted to Windows:

  • Removable drives: External storage devices, such as USB hard disks and USB flash drives.

  • CD/DVD drives: CD and DVD drives or mounted CD/DVD images.

  • Network folders: Folders shared over the network.

To make these items mount to Windows automatically, select Map Mac volumes to Windows.

When you connect a storage device or volume, it is mounted as a network drive. For example, a USB flash drive plugged in to your Mac will be accessible from both the /Volumes folder in macOS and My Computer in Windows.

Assign a drive letter to shared folders (available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro and Business Editions only)

Select this option to assign a drive letter to all Mac folders shared with Windows. When a Mac shared folder has a letter, you can easily access it in Windows - such folders are displayed in the "This PC" section of "File Explorer".

Allow creating executables (available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro and Business Editions only)

Select this option to create executable files in the Mac folders shared with Windows. When this option is selected, all newly created files become executable.

Enable DOS 8.3 filenames (available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro and Business Editions only)

Files created in macOS don't have DOS 8.3 names, and some Windows applications may work incorrectly with such files. Select this option to create additional DOS 8.3 names for the files located in the Mac folders shared with Windows.

Share Windows

Option
Description

Access Windows folders from Mac

Select this option to allow access to Windows folders from Mac.

Share OneDrive with Mac

If you're using Microsoft OneDrive to store files in the cloud, you can easily share your OneDrive folders with macOS. Then you can upload or download OneDrive files in macOS without duplicating any of the files on your hard disk.

To share your Windows OneDrive folders with macOS, do the following:

  1. If OneDrive isn't already set up in Windows, set it up.

  2. Select Access Windows folders from Mac and Share OneDrive with Mac.

  3. In the macOS Finder, choose Finder > Preferences and select Connected servers.

Once selected, Microsoft OneDrive folders appear as hard disks on the macOS desktop. You can use them to upload and download files to and from OneDrive.

Share Windows network drives with Mac (available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro and Business Editions only)

Once selected, when you connect to a network drive in Windows, these drives become available in macOS. To access them, go to the Finder sidebar > Shared section and click the virtual machine name.

Share Windows-connected drives with Mac

Once selected, when you connect an external drive to Windows, these drives become available in macOS. To access them, go to the Finder sidebar > Shared section and click the virtual machine name.

Share cloud storage