Although it is not recommended, you can technically create an x86_64 virtual machine directly on your Apple Silicon Mac without the use of an Intel Mac.

Follow these steps:

1. Download an x86_64 ISO image of a compatible operating system. A Windows 10 ISO can be found here.

2. Launch the macOS Terminal and execute the following commands: > prlctl create <vm_name> -d <distro> --cpu-type x86 > prlctl set <vm_name> --device-set cdrom0 --image <x86_iso_path> --connect > prlctl start <vm_name> Note: For a full list of possible options for <distro> variable, run the following command in Terminal and pick the one matching your operating system:

   > prlctl create <vm_name>-d -list For Windows 10, the value of <distro> is win-10.
3. Follow on-screen instructions to proceed with the installation of the operating system.

For the latest compatibility updates and troubleshooting information, refer to this KB article.

To import and launch an x86_64 virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac, follow these steps:

1. On your Intel Mac, choose a virtual machine that runs an operating system compatible with our emulator, as specified in this list.

2. Properly shut down the selected virtual machine. Transferring a virtual machine that's not been properly shut down may result in data loss.

3. Most Linux virtual machines created on Intel Macs will have a virtual bootloader that emulates legacy BIOS, which is not compatible with our emulation functionality. If you would like to transfer a Linux x86_64 machine, you will have to create a new one on your Intel Mac first, following these steps:

   1. Download an x86_64 ISO file for the required Linux distro.

   2. Start Parallels Desktop on your Intel Mac and select File > New...

   3. Click on Install Windows, Linux, or macOS from an image file, select the downloaded ISO file, and click Continue. Alternatively, choose one of the suggested options from the Free Systems section.

   4. Click Customize settings before the installation and select Continue.

   5. Once the configuration window opens, switch to the Hardware tab, and choose the Boot Order item from the left-side panel. Click on Advanced and select the 64-bit EFI option.

      Click OK.

   6. Close the window and proceed with the installation.

4. On your Intel Mac, open the Parallels Desktop Control Center, select the required virtual machine, right-click on it, and click Show in Finder. This will show you the .pvm file of your x86_64 virtual machine.

5. Transfer the .pvm file to your target Apple Silicon Mac, e.g., using an external USB drive.

6. Copy the required .pvm file to your Apple Silicon Mac's folder with Parallels Desktop virtual machines, right-click on it, and choose Open With > Parallels Desktop.

7. The imported virtual machine will initially be designated in the Control Center as Not Compatible. Right-click on it and choose the Start using Emulator option.

   After that, the virtual machine will be designated as an Intel x86 system.
8. Before using the newly imported x86_64 machine on your Apple Silicon Mac, check this list of what to expect.

For the latest compatibility updates and troubleshooting information, refer to this KB article.

Even if you don't have an Intel Mac on hand, you can still create and run an x86_64 virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac, albeit with some limitations. Read this subchapter for more details.

Starting from version 20.2.0, Parallels Desktop for Mac (in Pro, Business, and Enterprise editions) enables you to virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs that were originally created on Intel Macs and include versions of operating systems designed for x86_64 processors. You can also x86_64 virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs.

At this point, the feature may be most useful to advanced users and software developers looking to boot into their existing Windows 10, Windows 11, or Linux virtual machines to extract old data, test a feature, or launch an app that has known issues running on Windows on Arm.

What x86_64 operating systems you can expect to launch on Apple Silicon Macs

You can expect the following x86_64 systems to run on Apple Silicon Macs with Parallels Desktop for Mac 20.2.0 or newer:

• Windows 10 and 11 (except Windows 11 builds 26100 and newer, which require support for SSE 4.2 instruction set)

• Windows Server 2019 and 2022

• Various Linux distros, with the following in mind:

  • The virtual machine must have .

  • Modern distros may experience performance issues.

  • We recommend that you try distros with lightweight environments like XFCE for better performance.

Only 64-bit versions of the supported operating systems can be launched.

Even if you don't have an Intel Mac on hand, you can still create and run an x86_64 virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac, albeit with some limitations. Read for more details.

What to expect when running an x86_64 virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac

1. Really slow speeds:

   • Based on your hardware, expect the boot to take anywhere between 2 and 7 minutes.

   • Overall slow responsiveness, to the point that we don't recommend opening and using more than one application at once.

2. Limited Windows functionality:

   • In its current implementation, our emulator does not support employing more than 1 virtual CPU core. Independent of your previous settings, importing an x86_64 virtual machine to an Apple Silicon Mac system will reduce the core count to one.

   • Assigning more than 8 GB of virtual RAM is not supported.

   • Parallels hypervisor is not supported, and therefore, nested virtualization cannot be used. This may affect certain functionality, e.g., WSL2 in Windows.

   • The resource draw on your Apple Silicon Mac will be significant. E.g., a single-core Windows 10 virtual machine with 4 GB of virtual RAM will occupy around 8 GB of your Mac's physical RAM.

   • No support for external USB devices.

   • No support for sound devices.

   • Updates may fail to install.