Parallels Desktop allows you to share folders between the macOS and Windows file systems, so you can easily open macOS files from Windows applications and Windows files from macOS applications.
Note: These instructions also apply to sharing folders between macOS and Linux.
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:
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.
Click Options and select Sharing > Share Mac.
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 custom 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.
Note: 1. To enable folder sharing, the Isolate Windows from Mac option must be disabled on the Security tab of the Configuration dialog.
2. If you're running Linux, shared folders are mounted to the /media/psf or /mnt/psf directory.
By default, macOS and Windows 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.
Note: In Parallels Desktop for Mac 20, Shared Profile Folders (user folders like Documents, Downloads, etc.) are connected as symbolic links, a.k.a. symlinks. This implementation improves compatibility with various Windows apps.
To manage this feature, do the following:
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.
Click Options and select Sharing.
Click the Share Mac tab and 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.
The way shared folders and shared user folders are connected between Mac and Windows affects the way the files are deleted, and what system messages are shown.
Warning: We recommend that you always read the system messages carefully when deleting any files.
This table shows the difference in file deletion dialogs and their meanings in different scenarios between Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 and earlier versions.
You can show an item from Windows in the macOS Finder.
In Windows, right-click (or Control-click) a file or folder and choose Show in Finder from the shortcut menu.
From the Finder, you could, for example, apply a color label to an item or easily drag it to another location in the Finder.
Note: You can only perform these actions with files stored in shared folders.
You can quickly preview a file or set of files using the macOS Quick Look functionality.
In Windows, select a file or set of files to preview and press the Space key.
If you're using a touchpad, select a file and use the three-finger tap gesture (or force-press gesture on newer Macbooks).
Note: You can only perform these actions with files stored in shared folders.
If you need to quickly access to Windows disks, you can add them to the Finder or desktop. Do the following:
Note: To add Windows disks to macOS Finder or desktop, the virtual machine must be running, and the Connected servers option must be selected on the General tab of Finder Preferences.
Open the Finder and select All in the Shared section.
Find and expand your virtual machine.
Double-click the disk you want to add to the Finder or desktop. The disk gets mounted and shown on the desktop. Then you can do the following:
To add the disk to the Finder, drag it from the desktop to the Favorites section in the Finder.
To make the disk display on the desktop, create an alias for it. Right-click the disk and select Make Alias.
| Action | Parallels Desktop 20 | Parallels Desktop 19 and older |
|---|---|---|
Deleting a file on Mac from Finder
The file is moved to macOS Trash and will not show in Recyle Bin in Windows.
The file is moved to macOS Trash and will not show up in Recyle Bin in Windows.
Deleting a Windows file that is not in a shared folder (e.g., C:\Users\{username}) from the Windows machine
The file is moved to Recycle Bin in Windows and will not show in macOS Trash.
The file is moved to Recycle Bin in Windows and will not show in macOS Trash.
Deleting a file from a Shared Profile folder (Documents, Downloads, etc.)
Windows shows a warning message saying the file will be permanently deleted. Once confirmed, Parallels Desktop shows another warning message saying the file will be moved to macOS Trash. Once confirmed, the file is moved to macOS Trash and will not show in Windows Recycle Bin.
Windows displays a warning message that the file will be permanently deleted. Once confirmed, the file will not show in Windows Recycle Bin or macOS Trash.
Deleting a file from any other folder shared between Mac and Windows
Windows shows a warning message saying the file will be permanently deleted. Once confirmed, Parallels Desktop shows another warning message saying the file will be moved to macOS Trash. Once confirmed, the file is moved to macOS Trash and will not show in Windows Recycle Bin.
Windows displays a warning message that the file will be permanently deleted. Once confirmed, the file will not show in Windows Recycle Bin or macOS Trash.