Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 is Ready for macOS Sequoia and Windows 11 Version 24H2

Parallels is releasing today Parallels Desktop for Mac 20, the latest version of its virtualization solution that lets Mac users easily run Windows 10 and Windows 11 in a virtual machine. On Apple Silicon Macs, Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 is ready for the upcoming release of macOS Sequoia (coming September 16) and Windows 11 version 24H2 (coming later this fall), and it remains the only officially supported solution for running the ARM version of Windows 11 on Apple Silicon Macs.

This year, the new Parallels Desktop for Mac release is embracing the AI era with a new Parallels AI package, which offers a virtual machine pre-loaded with all the tools developers need for AI development projects. This new Parallels AI Package is included for free in the Parallels Desktop for Mac Business and Enterprise editions, and Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro users can also get it at no additional cost until the end of the year.

“As PCs become more AI-capable, we believe AI will soon be standard on every desktop. This shift challenges developers to update their applications to fully leverage AI-enabled PCs,” said Prashant Ketkar, CTO at Parallels. “That’s why we created the Parallels AI Package: to equip development teams—whether experts or beginners—with accessible AI models and code suggestions. This enables ISVs to build AI-enabled applications in minutes, significantly boosting productivity for every software development team using a Mac.”

Later this year, Parallels Desktop for Mac will also make the Apple Intelligence features coming with macOS Sequoia 18.1 available for Windows apps. Parallels Desktop for Mac supports running Mac and Windows apps side by side with Coherence Mode, and Apple’s Writing Tools will be available system-wide to help users rewrite, proofread, and summarize text in any app.

For Windows 11 version 24H2 VMs running on Apple Silicon Macs, Parallels also promises an “up to an 80% performance boost for some workloads.” That’s thanks to Microsoft’s more efficient Prism emulator for legacy x86 apps, which made its debut on the first Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs in June.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 20 also introduces a new shared folders technology that will improve performance and compatibility with Windows applications. The company also mentioned that operations on Mac files should now be up to 4x faster in Linux virtual machines.

Parallels Desktop for Mac is available at $129.99/€129.99/£104.99 for a perpetual license, but the upgrade for any previous version of the app will cost just $69.99/€69.99/£54. Subscription versions start at $99/€99£89.99/year for the Standard Edition, and you can find pricing details for the Pro, Business, and Enterprise Edition on the company’s website.