Why ist Citrix Receiver so slow at Parallels Windows?

[MarcusH8]

Try to edit configuration file manually:

1. Open VM file in Finder with "Show Package Content"
2. Edit config.pvs file.
3. You should disable 3d acc.
Here is the part of my file for VM with disabled 3d acc:
<Video dyn_lists="" VideoMemorySize_patch="1">
<Enabled>1</Enabled>
<Type>0</Type>
<VideoMemorySize>0</VideoMemorySize>
<EnableDirectXShaders>1</EnableDirectXShaders>
<ScreenResolutions dyn_lists="ScreenResolution 0 DynamicResolution 0">
<Enabled>0</Enabled>
</ScreenResolutions>
<Enable3DAcceleration>0</Enable3DAcceleration>
<EnableVSync>1</EnableVSync>
<MaxDisplays>0</MaxDisplays>
<EnableHiResDrawing>1</EnableHiResDrawing>
<UseHiResInGuest>1</UseHiResInGuest>
<HostScaleFactor>2</HostScaleFactor>
<NativeScalingInGuest>0</NativeScalingInGuest>
<ApertureOnlyCapable>1</ApertureOnlyCapable>
</Video>

Also, FYI I have created a case to support (#2959378). Unfortunately support team unable to provide JIRA ID for me - so it is impossible to track, when the issue will be fixed.
Also, no ETA had been provided.

Have you heard anything about your support case?
/Marcus

 

[JamesBeaumont]

Have you heard anything about your support case?
/Marcus
View attachment 18621

Disabling 3d acceleration makes Citrix Workspace usable for me too, so this is great and thank you Roman57, but latency is not great. I'm assuming this is due to no 3d acceleration. So I'd also be very interested if Parallels has responded and whether there's a fix likely. For reference Citrix for Mac has much better latency for me, but I much prefer to run under parallels for 2 reasons: 1) I can connect a Windows keyboard direct to the VM which gives me all the right shortcuts on my Citrix session and 2) I use 3 monitors and parallels allows me to switch spaces (between Mac and Windows/Parallels) for each monitor independently whereas Citrix for Mac switches all 3 monitors which I find much less flexible.

 

[WilliamG17]

Have run into this in the past a number of times. Best way to fix is to disable Hardware Acceleration in the Citrix Workspace App:

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX238334

From the article - set this in the Registry:

Registry Path : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Citrix\ICA Client\Graphics Engine
Name: HWacceleration
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 0

 

[RomanS7]

Have you heard anything about your support case?
/Marcus
View attachment 18621

If anyone, that affected by this issue, write to the support - they will increase the severity of the case and (I believe) the issue will be resolved much sooner.

 

[JamesBeaumont]

Wondering if anyone has any updates on this issue? I still get the problem on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs - have to disable 3d acceleration to make my Citrix session usable, but that introduces an annoying latency. I have raised with Parallels support twice, but nothing helpful back yet - have just raised again with them.

 

[JamesBeaumont]

Parallels support got back to me with "we have been approached by several customers with this issue and disabling 3D acceleration is the only way to improve the performance of a Citrix application." Disappointing, and I'll just have to live with it.

 

[SalmanA4]

Same issue here despite the solutions on this thread. They keep telling me to reset my network settings and put it into bridged mode which hasn't helped.

 

[MICHAELW65]

FIX: I'm running MacOs Monterey, Parallels with Windows 11. Citrix workspace
Prior to fix Citrix environment had lots of latency issues. Really unusable.

1. Within Windows 11, Download DirectX SDK, and install
2. Run DirectX Control Panel
3. Choose Direct3D 10x/11
4. Under Scope: Edit List ...
5. Add C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\Receiver\Receiver.exe
6. Choose Direct3D 9
7. Choose Software Only
8. Hit OK and reboot.
9. Now my Citrix is running well under the Windows 11 Parallels environment.

I hope that helps!!

MW

 

[Nazeemabanu@P]

FIX: I'm running MacOs Monterey, Parallels with Windows 11. Citrix workspace
Prior to fix Citrix environment had lots of latency issues. Really unusable.

1. Within Windows 11, Download DirectX SDK, and install
2. Run DirectX Control Panel
3. Choose Direct3D 10x/11
4. Under Scope: Edit List ...
5. Add C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\Receiver\Receiver.exe
6. Choose Direct3D 9
7. Choose Software Only
8. Hit OK and reboot.
9. Now my Citrix is running well under the Windows 11 Parallels environment.

I hope that helps!!

MW

We really appreciate your contribution. Thanks.

 

[Salman2]

FIX: I'm running MacOs Monterey, Parallels with Windows 11. Citrix workspace
Prior to fix Citrix environment had lots of latency issues. Really unusable.

1. Within Windows 11, Download DirectX SDK, and install
2. Run DirectX Control Panel
3. Choose Direct3D 10x/11
4. Under Scope: Edit List ...
5. Add C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\Receiver\Receiver.exe
6. Choose Direct3D 9
7. Choose Software Only
8. Hit OK and reboot.
9. Now my Citrix is running well under the Windows 11 Parallels environment.

I hope that helps!!

MW

This is the fix we've all been waiting for. You're a hero. Accuro EMR on Citrix and Dragon Medical One working just as well as booting into BootCamp now with Parallels. You should get paid for this...

 

[Phil P]

FIX: I'm running MacOs Monterey, Parallels with Windows 11. Citrix workspace
Prior to fix Citrix environment had lots of latency issues. Really unusable.

1. Within Windows 11, Download DirectX SDK, and install
2. Run DirectX Control Panel
3. Choose Direct3D 10x/11
4. Under Scope: Edit List ...
5. Add C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\Receiver\Receiver.exe
6. Choose Direct3D 9
7. Choose Software Only
8. Hit OK and reboot.
9. Now my Citrix is running well under the Windows 11 Parallels environment.

I hope that helps!!

MW

This should work better than the originally discussed method that disables 3d rendering for the VM entirely. Instead, this method would only disable 3D rendering for the Citrix app.

However, DirectX SDK is deprecated in Windows 11. Here's a modern way:

1. (Unsure if required) Download and install Windows SDK https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/windows-sdk/
2. Within Windows 11, download Graphics Tools
   • System Settings > Apps > Add an optional feature (View features) > Graphics Tools
3. Start > Run > dxcpl.exe
4. Scope > "Edit List..." and add:
   • "C:\program files (x86)\citrix\ica client\receiver\" (Yes, may as well add the whole directory. This requires the "\" at the end)
   • "C:\program files (x86)\citrix\ica client\"
5. Set Feature level limit: 11_1 (Parallels 18 does not support DirectX 12)
6. Check "Force WARP" (This forces software rendering)

I haven't had much luck either way, but I figured as long as I was trying it out, I would share the steps I took.

 

[Salman2]

FIX: I'm running MacOs Monterey, Parallels with Windows 11. Citrix workspace
Prior to fix Citrix environment had lots of latency issues. Really unusable.

1. Within Windows 11, Download DirectX SDK, and install
2. Run DirectX Control Panel
3. Choose Direct3D 10x/11
4. Under Scope: Edit List ...
5. Add C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\Receiver\Receiver.exe
6. Choose Direct3D 9
7. Choose Software Only
8. Hit OK and reboot.
9. Now my Citrix is running well under the Windows 11 Parallels environment.

I hope that helps!!

MW

Unfortunately this miracle fix doesn't work on windows 11. I made the mistake of upgrading, now everything is broken again. I'm going to have to find a way to go back to windows 10 tonight.

I tried the fix by Phil above, also no luck.

 

[MelissaM1]

Has anybody figured out a recent solution to this? My Citrix Workspace is totally unusable on my M1 Macbook Air running Ventura 13.2 and Parallels 18.1.1. I tried the fix above, but no luck.......I can't believe nobody else needs to use Citrix to access corporate resources.

 

[SebastianJ2]

We are facing the same issue. I do not know if it helps someone but for me it helps to use an older Version of Citrix Receiver. With Version 4.6 it works fine for me. How ever i do not know if this version still can be downloaded from the officially Citrix site.

 

[Parallels User]

Hi, just bumping this post - I am using Mac OS 14.1 (Sonoma), Windows 11 Pro (2023-10 update), and Citrix for Windows 11 version 23.9.0.99 (2309). Citrix is unusable. Thank you!

 

[AlessandroL8]

Same issue here with macOS 14.3.1, Windows 11 and Citrix Receiver 23.11. Scrolling in a Citrix web browser is unusable. The funny thing? The same configuration works well (performance wise) with UTM.

 

[GuyA1]

Have run into this in the past a number of times. Best way to fix is to disable Hardware Acceleration in the Citrix Workspace App:

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX238334

From the article - set this in the Registry:

Registry Path : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Citrix\ICA Client\Graphics Engine
Name: HWacceleration
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 0

I can definitely confirm that this solution works seamlessly on Parallels with Windows 11 on MacBook Pro M1.
Many thanks to WilliamG17 for providing such an effective fix!
Additionally, if the registry path doesn't exist, simply create it.

 

[RodolfoM2]

I can definitely confirm that this solution works seamlessly on Parallels with Windows 11 on MacBook Pro M1.
Many thanks to WilliamG17 for providing such an effective fix!
Additionally, if the registry path doesn't exist, simply create it.

Thank you so much! I had been struggling with this for months! The step where you have to create the path in the Registry was the part I was missing!

 

[HenryB12]

The fact that Windows itself runs smoothly in Parallels does not necessarily mean Citrix will perform well inside the VM. In this situation, the problem is likely related to the way Citrix is handling graphics, network traffic, and input redirection through multiple layers.

Your setup is essentially:

macOS → Parallels → Windows VM → Citrix Workspace/Receiver → Remote Windows session

That adds another layer between your mouse/keyboard actions and the remote Citrix session. Citrix sessions can also be very sensitive to latency, packet loss, VPN connections, and graphics acceleration. A small delay in the connection can become much more noticeable when the remote session is displaying menus and scrolling.

I would check the following:

• Update Parallels Desktop, Windows, and Citrix Workspace/Receiver.
• Test the Citrix session without VPN, if possible.
• Compare Wi-Fi with a wired Ethernet connection.
• Check whether the Citrix session uses HDX graphics acceleration or a graphics-heavy policy.
• Try disabling or changing hardware acceleration in Citrix, if that option is available.
• Make sure Parallels is using the correct network mode and test both Shared Network and Bridged Network.
• Check whether the issue occurs with a different Citrix desktop or application.
• If possible, test Citrix Workspace directly on macOS instead of running the Windows Citrix client inside a Windows VM.

Since Boot Camp works well on the same hardware and ordinary Windows applications work well in Parallels, I would not immediately blame the Windows VM's general performance. The problem is more likely to be specific to the Citrix session, its graphics protocol, network latency, or the extra virtualization layer.

A useful test would be to run the same Citrix session directly from macOS and compare it with Citrix running inside Parallels. That should help determine whether the bottleneck is the Citrix client, the network, or the Windows VM configuration.