Disconnecting Network in Hardware Configuration Does not Fully Disconnect the Network.

• Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac
• Pro Edition
• Version 26.1.2 (57293) and Version 20.2.2 (55879) and others.

Problem:
Parallels 26.1.2 with macOS Guest with network configured to "Source: Disconnected" is NOT disconnected from network.
Steps to reproduce:

1. Start up a VM of macOS 13, 14 or 15 with Network Source selected as "Shared Network (Recommended)".
2. Confirm network connectivity by pinging the IP address 8.8.8.8. Also note that "ipconfig en0" shows "status: active".
3. Disconnect the VM from network by selecting "Configure->Hardware->Network->Source: Disconnected".
4. Confirm network is disconnected by trying to ping 8.8.8.8 and observing "Request timeout for icmp_seq 0 .. 1 .. 2 etc". Also note that "ipconfig en0" shows "status: inactive".
5. Reboot VM.
6. Here is where the problem is. Confirm network connectivity by pinging the IP address 8.8.8.8. Also note that "ipconfig en0" shows "status: active".
7. Verify "Configure->Hardware->Network->Source: Disconnected" so should not be able to ping anything.

Alternatively, Shutdown the VM and select "Configure->Hardware->Network->Source: Disconnected" in order to do a textbook Network disconnection. After booting the VM, you will find limited network availability with ifconfig en0 showing "status: inactive".

Was NOT able to reproduce with Windows VMs.

I am coming from VMware where disconnecting the network yielded absolute results. Was hoping for same with Parallels?

Anyone else seeing this problem?

 

I can confirm similar behavior on Parallels Desktop with recent 26.x builds. When a macOS guest is set to "Source: Disconnected," the interface initially drops as expected. However, after a reboot, the adapter sometimes comes back active even though the UI still shows "Disconnected." It looks like the virtual NIC state isn't being consistently reapplied during startup for macOS guests.

I've also noticed that doing a full shutdown (not reboot) reduces the issue, but doesn't always eliminate partial connectivity. Interestingly, Windows VMs don't seem affected, which suggests it's specific to how Parallels handles macOS network services.

Coming from VMware Fusion, I agree the behavior there is stricter and more predictable.

For now, disabling the network adapter entirely (instead of just "Disconnected") seems more reliable.