Install and activate Parallels Desktop on Mac

Parallels Desktop runs Windows and other systems on a Mac. Your order contains a licence key for it; the program itself comes from Parallels. Follow these steps to install it and attach the key to your Parallels account.

What you received

Your order confirmation email contains an activation key. Parallels keys have 30 characters in five blocks of six; this guide writes a key as XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX. The same key is in My Library in your Lizensa account. The order has no installer.

The product name tells you the edition and the term:

• Parallels Desktop Standard and Parallels Desktop Pro with no term in the name are perpetual licences.
• Standard comes as a subscription for 12, 24 or 36 months. Pro comes for 12, 24 or 36 months.
• Parallels states that a subscription upgrades to the latest version at no extra charge as long as it is valid. A full licence needs one key for the version you install.

Windows inside the virtual machine needs its own licence. A Parallels key does not include one.

Before you start: check your Mac

Parallels names these requirements for Parallels Desktop 27:

• A Mac with an Apple silicon chip. Intel Macs are supported up to Parallels Desktop 26.
• At least 8 GB of RAM.
• 600 MB for the application, plus at least 16 GB for a Windows virtual machine.
• macOS Sonoma 14.7, Sequoia 15.5, Tahoe 26 or newer.

If you own an Intel Mac, ask our support which version fits your key and your Mac before you install. Parallels lists the details on its page System Requirements.

Get the software

1. Open Parallels' download page for Parallels Desktop.
2. Download the installer.
3. Wait until the download finishes. Find the file in your browser's download list.

Download only from Parallels. Lizensa supplies the key, not the software: your order email and My Library contain the key.

Install

1. Open the downloaded installer and follow its instructions.
2. macOS may ask you to confirm that you want to open an app from the internet. Select Open.
3. If macOS asks for your password or for a permission, check Parallels' official instructions before you allow anything.
4. Start Parallels Desktop.

Activate

Parallels links a key to a Parallels account. You need that account first.

1. When Parallels Desktop asks you to sign in, follow the on-screen steps to sign in to your existing Parallels account or to create a new one.
2. After you sign in, Parallels Desktop prompts you to activate. Enter your key from the email.
3. Select Activate.

The key is registered under the account you were signed in with. To change the account, open the Parallels Desktop menu, choose Account & License and sign out of the current account, as Parallels describes.

Already used the trial? Open the Parallels Desktop menu in the menu bar and choose Account & License. Select Enter a key, type the key and select Activate. Parallels also lets you register a licence online at my.parallels.com in the Register Key window.

Parallels' own guide: Parallels Desktop for Mac registration and activation.

Check it worked

1. Open the Parallels Desktop menu and choose Account & License.
2. Check that the licence matches your order. A subscription runs for the term in its product name.
3. If the licence does not match, contact our support with your order number.

If something goes wrong

The key is already registered in a different account. Parallels reports this when the key belongs to another Parallels account, for example one you created earlier. Sign in to that account at my.parallels.com and look under your licences. Use that account in Parallels Desktop.

The program does not ask for a key after you reinstall. Sign in to the Parallels account that contains the key. Parallels then shows your licence list. Double-click the licence you want to use.

You do not know which key belongs to which account. In your Parallels account, open Active subscriptions and permanent licenses under Parallels Desktop for Mac. The licence keys are listed there. In Terminal you can also run the command below. For Parallels Desktop 15 and later it shows partial keys.

prlsrvctl info --license

An upgrade licence asks for two keys. Parallels states that an upgrade licence needs the key for the new version and a key from an earlier one. A full licence needs only one key. If the key from your order is a full licence, you enter that single key.

The key does not fit your version. Check that your licence covers the version you are installing. If you cannot tell which version your key belongs to, contact our support with the order number.

Still stuck? Contact our support with your order number and the message you see.