Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac updates summary

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.3.0 (57392)
Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.3.0 (57392) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:
General

• Fixed: The Install Assistant could get stuck near the end of setting up a new Windows 11 virtual machine and never finish. It now completes reliably.
• Fixed: Parallels Desktop incorrectly showed a license expiry warning shortly after a renewal. Your license status now reflects correctly after renewing.
• Improved: The prlctl -i command now returns more useful information, including the virtual machine's IP address, whether network throttling is active, and whether the VM is a clone of another machine.

Windows virtual machines

• Updated: The default Windows 11 image available through Get Windows 11 from Microsoft is now the latest 25H2 build.
• Fixed: Windows 11 installation could stall partway through and never finish.
• Fixed: Dropdown menus in Microsoft Excel did not open when the virtual machine was running in Coherence mode.
• Fixed: Microsoft Outlook Classic crashed after adding an Exchange email account.
• Fixed: Git Bash failed to launch after being installed in a Windows 11 virtual machine.
• Fixed: The MSYS2 installer crashed and could not complete installation inside a Windows virtual machine.
• Fixed: Running graphically intensive applications or games could cause the virtual machine to become unresponsive and freeze Parallels Desktop entirely, requiring a full restart of the Mac to recover.
• Fixed: Windows could crash or display visual glitches caused by an instability in the Windows Desktop Window Manager.
• Fixed: In Coherence mode, windows could appear in the wrong stacking order. For example, a window set to always stay on top could be covered by other windows.

Linux virtual machines

• Fixed: x86 applications running inside Linux virtual machines on Apple silicon Macs behaved unstably and required frequent VM restarts to restore normal operation.
• Fixed: Linux virtual machines lost internet connectivity after switching between network modes (such as Shared and Bridged) or after disconnecting and reconnecting the network adapter. Previously, restoring the connection required restarting the VM.

macOS virtual machines

• Fixed: Parallels Tools failed to install in virtual machines running macOS Tahoe 26.1.
• Fixed: A macOS virtual machine would not start after the host Mac was updated to macOS Tahoe 26.
• Fixed: Encrypted macOS Ventura virtual machines got stuck on the startup screen and failed to boot on Macs also running macOS Ventura.
• Fixed: The prlctl list command did not include the home folder in its folder output.

Enterprise Edition

• New: Administrators can now customize the text shown on the SSO sign-in window, for example, to instruct users to sign in with a specific format of their corporate email address.
• Fixed: Several issues affecting the declarative virtual machine deployment mode have been resolved.
• Fixed: A temporary folder containing an ISO file was left behind inside the Parallels folder after its associated virtual machine was deleted. It is now cleaned up automatically.

What was deprecated in Parallels Desktop 26 Update 3
According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some product features are used very seldom or not at all. To focus our resources on frequently used features and further enhancements, we have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove them from Parallels Desktop for Mac.

Below is the list of features that are no longer supported and will be removed - not in version 26.3.0, but in the future major versions of Parallels Desktop for Mac:

• Mac & Windows integration: "Open in Mac" for HTTP links, "Open in Edge" Safari plugin, "Share On" menu, "Send with Windows Email App", Live screenshot for VM Dock icon.
• VM configuration & disk management: Free Up Disk Space menu, "Reclaim" button & disk bar, Maintenance options, SATA location selector.
• Display & input: Picture in Picture mode, Touch Bar support, Secondary/middle mouse click shortcuts, Lock icon to block UI changes in VM config or Parallels Desktop preferences.
• Devices & account: Virtual printer device, Sign in with Facebook, Virtual machine templates.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.2.2 (57373)
Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.2.2 (57373) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:
General

• Fixes an issue where new virtual machines under Free Systems were not available with prompt "To get the list of available systems, please connect your Mac to the internet" even when an internet connection was available.

Windows

• Fixes an issue where the Japanese keyboard layout was not detected correctly, leading to unexpected input behavior for Japanese users.

Enterprise Edition

• Fixes an issue where unattended installation in Declarative Deployment did not properly configure language and keyboard settings for JIS keyboard, requiring additional manual setup.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.2.1 (57371)
Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.2.1 (57371) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:
Windows

• Fixes the issue that prevented QuickBooks Pro Plus 2024 from loading normally after entering credentials.
• Fixes the issue that prevented users from resizing application windows when running Windows 11 virtual machines in Coherence mode.
• Fixes the issue that prevented MSI installation packages from launching correctly from the Shared Downloads folder.
• Fixes the issue that prevented accessing shared files on a Windows 11 virtual machine from the Mac, and vice versa.
• Fixes the issue where the Windows start menu would fail to appear in Coherence mode.
• Fixes various issues with the Windows app folder in the macOS dock.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.2.1 Enterprise Edition

• Fixes the issue that prevented normal application of policies to virtual machines deployed using the Declarative Deployment method.
• Fixes an issue where users could add a second Windows virtual machine even when a deployment policy limits them to a single virtual machine.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.2.0 (57363)
Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.2.0 (57363) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:
General
Fixes the issue that prevented users from changing the virtual hard drive size when creating a new virtual machine on Apple silicon Macs.
Windows

• Adds support for safe, limited keystroke forwarding from a Windows virtual machine to your Mac to enable Dragon Medical One to use macros to control Epic Hyperspace.
• Fixes the issue that caused the game Vampyr on Windows 11 to freeze after 5 to 10 minutes of gameplay.
• Fixes the issue that caused MS Office 365 windows to disappear when a Windows 11 25H2 virtual machine is switched to Coherence mode.
• Fixes the issue that incorrectly triggered the "An older version of Parallels Desktop is running" error message when Parallels Desktop is added to the host Mac's Login Items.
• Fixes the issue that caused GPU usage to spike when switching a Windows 11 virtual machine to Coherence mode.
• Fixes the issue where the Windows start menu would fail to appear in Coherence mode.
• Fixes various issues with the Windows app folder in the macOS dock.

Linux

• Fixes the issue that caused long delays when copying text from a Linux virtual machine and pasting it on your Mac.
• Fixes the issue that prevented Linux virtual machines from accessing the Internet after a Mac reboot.
• Fixes the issue that impeded the time sync function with Smartguard snapshots enabled.
• Fixes compatibility issues between Parallels Tools for Linux and Debian 13.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.2.0 Enterprise Edition

• Introduces Declarative Deployment: the new way to distribute golden images based on the latest standard Enterprise ISO from Microsoft with easy OOBE bypass and straightforward Intune enrollment. Read more here.
• Renames the policy feature that controls copy-and-paste synchronization between the host Mac and virtual machines to reflect that it also controls drag-and-drop.
• Fixes the issue that caused the Parallels virtual machine USB device menu to disappear when any virtual machine settings policy is applied, even if it does not include limitations on connecting external devices.
• Fixes the issue that caused files to disappear when dragged from a virtual machine to the Mac while the Isolate VM from Mac > Control clipboard synchronization policy is set to Mac to guest OS only.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.1.2 (57293)
This update for Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.1.2 (57293) addresses overall stability and performance issues.
Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.1.1 (57288)
This update for Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.1.1 (57288) addresses overall stability and performance issues.
Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.1.0 (57287)
Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.1.0 (57287) update addresses the overall stability and security issues and includes the following additions and improvements:
Windows

• Fixes the issue that caused Windows 11 virtual machines to crash with a BSOD when Norton 360 security software performed a scheduled smart scan.
• Fixes the issue that prevented Bluebeam Revu software users from signing in while in Coherence mode.

Linux

• Introduces the new, driverless version of Parallels Tools for Linux, designed to minimize installation and kernel compatibility issues.
• Adds several updated Linux distros (including Ubuntu 24.04.3, Kali 2025.2, and Debian 12.11) for quick installation on Apple silicon Macs.
• Fixes the issue that prevented virtual machines running Ubuntu 25.04 from sharing connected drives with the Mac.
• Fixes the issue that caused shared folders to appear empty on virtual machines running Fedora 41.
• Fixes the issue that prevented virtual machines running Debian 12 from connecting to the Internet after restarting the Mac.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 26.1.0 Enterprise Edition

• Adds the ability to control virtual machine settings from the Parallels Management Portal. Read more here.

• Adds the ability to activate Parallels Desktop with Single Sign On (SSO) when deployed in Single Application Mode. Note: This capability requires Parallels Mass Deployment package version 26.1.0 or newer.
• Improves the handling of SharePoint links when downloading a Golden Image.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.0.1 (57243)
This update for Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.0.1 (57243) addresses overall stability and performance issues.
Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac 26.0.0 (57238)
The new major Parallels Desktop version 26.0.0 (57238) includes many under-the-hood upgrades aimed at better supporting the latest version of macOS. Parallels Desktop 26 follows Parallels Desktop 20 to bring the version number in line with Apple's new macOS versioning.
The release delivers the following improvements:
All editions of Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac

• Ready for macOS Tahoe 26.

Parallels Desktop 26 supports the upcoming macOS Tahoe 26 as a primary OS on Mac and as a virtual machine, so you can upgrade your Mac computers once the new operating system becomes available.
Look and Feel

• Brings updated icons across the board on Macs running macOS Tahoe 26.

Windows on Mac

• Enables Windows to accurately assess the available disk space on your Mac, helping you avoid harming your Mac's responsiveness by installing overly large Windows software.
• Improves the behavior of full-screen Windows apps in Coherence mode, enabling your Mac to go to sleep mode normally.
• Fixes the issue that caused Persona 5 Royal to crash on launch in Windows 11 virtual machines.

Linux on Mac

• Apple silicon Macs: Adds out-of-the-box support for new Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 24.04.2, Fedora 42, Debian 12.6, and Kali 2024.2.
• Intel Macs: Adds out-of-the-box support for new Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Debian 12.6, and Mint 21.3.
• Fixes the issue that prevented Parallels Tools for Linux from installing correctly on CentOS 10 running on Intel Macs.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac Business & Enterprise Edition

• Adds the ability for system administrators to manage and monitor virtual machine software updates using Jamf scripts.
• Regenerates unique identifiers for virtual machines deployed from Golden Images to ensure smooth Intune enrollment.

What was deprecated or removed from Parallels Desktop 26
According to the statistics from the users who participate in the Parallels Customer Experience program, some product features are used very seldom or not at all. We have decided to either stop supporting them or completely remove them from Parallels Desktop and focus on frequently used features and further enhancements.
Below is the list of features that are no longer supported and have been removed in Parallels Desktop for Mac 26:

• Installing Parallels Desktop on Macs running macOS Monterey 12.
• Shared Bluetooth functionality. Bluetooth devices (e.g., keyboards, mice, or game controllers) connected to your Mac will continue to work normally in virtual machines.
  Note: To connect a Bluetooth device directly to a virtual machine, consider using a USB Bluetooth dongle.
• USB and network kexts (kernel extensions). This deprecation affects virtual machines that run on Intel Macs using Parallels hypervisor; such machines will continue supporting USB and network adapters in kextless mode.
• Deferred activation.
• Designating a custom update server in the deployment package settings.
• Synchronization of virtual machine color tags between the Parallels Desktop Control Center and macOS Finder.
• The option to install Parallels Toolbox for Windows in a Windows virtual machine using the Parallels Desktop menu.

 

Hi, not seeing any updates when checking in the app. Using version 20.4.1 right now on Apple Silicon. Is this an update expected to be available soon using this method?

Also, I don't see any documentation indicating whether or not upgrading via DMG is supported or what that procedure is like. Any guidance on this?

 

After updating to Parallels Desktop version 26.0.0, Parallels Tools created a file named "Mac disk" on the D drive of my Windows 11 virtual machine. I can't delete the file because Parallels Tools is blocking access. If I uninstall Parallels Tools, the folder disappears.
What's going on? Why is the folder being created? I haven't configured any shared folders in Parallels for Windows.
How can I permanently remove the folder? It's bothering me.

 

The problem with the "Mac disk" file also exists in version 26.0.1 (57243).

 

Since this update, the command CMD+OPTION don't work any more. I have always switch to my Mac desktop and back to parallels that the command work and show the menu bar in the top.

 

Am using Parallels Pro 26.0.1 (57243) and while the Documents, Downloads, Music, Movies etc folders are shared across to the Win 11 VM, the ability to include all or any home folders (from mac) is no longer present. I can add them as network drive but then some apps do not like to index or work with network mounted folders.

Is there ANY way to edit some configuration and include 1-2 Mac folders and have them appear like the default Documents, Downloads etc in the Win11 VM ?

 

I downloaded the update and it will not activate.

 

Yes, BEWARE, you may lose access to Parallels after this upgrade. I cannot activate either.

 

HI -- I have a M2 CHIP MAC, using Parallels 11, 57243 (26.0.1) Two questions:

1. When I tried to update my software to 26.1 -- parallels says that I have the latest software. Can I get the latest software?

2. These M2-chip MACS can not utilize Windows FAX & Scan software. Yes, one can use the SCANNING, but I want the FAXING. Is there a way to use this program?
a. Is there a workaround for the M2 Chip Macs?
b. Is there a workaround for the M3 or M4 Chip Macs
THANKS

 

I updated half an hour ago and it will not activate also

 

It look like the update is pulled. i reverted to previous version after activation issues and now it says there is no new version

 

I have also updated to 26.1.1 and VM fails to start. Technical report has been sent to Parallels. Tech report ID 503195579

 

I updated to 26.1.1 on 10/8, and now it won't start up, can't even get the dashboard. I just see the attached "Starting..." message.
Any ideas on how to fix this?