M1 Mac Parallels Alternative: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you looking for a reliable alternative to Parallels Desktop for your M1 Mac? If so, you're in luck! In this article, we'll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to create a macOS Ventura 13 VM on an M1 Mac or a macOS 12 VM on an M2 Mac manually.

Manual Installation

Alternatively, you can download the required installation file manually and install multiple new virtual machines from a local file. To do this:

1. Click the '+' icon in the top right corner of your screen.

2. Continue to scroll down and select 'Download macOS' under Free Systems.

3. Click Download and proceed with the installation.

Installing a macOS VM

To install a macOS VM using Parallels Desktop, follow these steps:

1. Launch Parallels Desktop and click on the Control Center icon in the top menu bar.

2. Start the installation process by clicking on the 'Install' button.

Important Notes

* Parallels Desktop will automatically download and install the same version of macOS as your Mac is currently running.

* If you want to install a macOS Ventura 13 virtual machine on an M1 Mac with macOS Monterey, you'll need to upgrade your main macOS to Ventura or upgrade your existing Monterey VM to Ventura.

Apple M Series Chip Support

If you're using an Apple M series chip (macOS ARM VM), you can only create macOS Monterey 12 and newer virtual machines. Unfortunately, Parallels Desktop does not support creating a macOS virtual machine from the app installation image on Mac computers with Apple M series chips.

Parallels Desktop 18 for Mac

With Parallels Desktop 18 for Mac, you can now download and install a macOS VM on Apple M series chips with ease. In collaboration with Apple, Parallels engineers created the world's first prototype of a macOS virtual machine running on an M1 Mac.

By following these steps and notes, you'll be able to create your own macOS VM using Parallels Desktop or explore alternative options for your M1 Mac.

M1 mac parallels alternative