Parallels vs vmware fusion 2019 manual#
Instead, you have to go through the same manual installation procedure that you would on a real hardware system.
Parallels vs vmware fusion 2019 install#
Unlike Parallels or VMware, VirtualBox doesn't automatically install Windows for you if have an activation code. If you want to run Windows in VirtualBox, the safest method is to install Windows from an installer disk image that you can download from Microsoft. You can get started with VirtualBox by downloading any of the dozens of prebuilt Linux and Unix guest systems from the OSBoxes site.
The problems, which I describe later in this story, were more annoying than fatal, but until Oracle solves them, you should probably choose a commercial alternative if you want to run Windows 10 on your Mac. At the time of this review, however, some VirtualBox features weren't working correctly with Windows 10 and the workarounds that I found on the web didn't solve the problems. In this mode, the Windows desktop becomes invisible and that single Windows app lives in its own frame.Īt least, this is the way VirtualBox is designed to work and how it works with older Windows versions and the Linux versions that I tried. Alternatively, you can run a single Windows application in what VirtualBox calls Seamless mode. You can run a guest machine in a window, so that a full Windows desktop appears in a window on your Mac or you can run a Windows desktop full-screen on a Mac, almost as if your Mac was a true Windows machine. Like other virtualization apps, VirtualBox lets you run one or more guest systems from its VirtualBox Manager menu. VMWare Fusion also costs $79.99 (for the least expensive Basic version), but that gets you a permanent license to the software. A license for Parallels Desktop, by comparison, costs $79.99 per year. Like VMware Fusion, Virtual Box is available in Mac, Windows, and Linux versions, and supports almost any Intel-based emulated system you could want, including ancient ones like DOS and OS/2. That said, this free utility makes up for these shortcomings with speedy performance, access to a vast third-party library of prebuilt VirtualBox emulated systems, and all the flexibility that advanced users could want. Compared with the subscription-based Parallels Desktop and the buy-once use-forever VMware Fusion, Oracle's VirtualBox offers fewer automated conveniences, uses less elegant menus, and lacks as many deep integration features. VirtualBox 6.0 is the no-cost, open-source virtualization app that may be all you need for running Windows or Linux apps on your Mac, especially if you're willing to get your hands dirty.