Parallels Desktop for Apple Silicon emulates Intel VMs – but lame

With the latest version 20.2.0 of the VM tool Parallels Desktop from Corel subsidiary Parallels, it is now possible for the first time to run virtual machines on Apple Silicon that are actually intended for x86 systems. However, this does not work with the standard or App Store version of the application. According to the manufacturer, there are also limitations in terms of performance and functions.

Initially rather experimental

ARM machines with Apple Silicon were already able to handle code intended for Intel machines: Using Apple's integrated Rosetta 2 engine, it was possible to run macOS programs for x86 on ARM machines from 2020. However, this did not apply to virtual machines. As a result, Parallels Desktop previously only allowed Windows or Linux for ARM (plus the ARM version of macOS) to be used in VMs. The new feature is correspondingly interesting. Existing VMs for Intel can now be used or "revived" on modern Macs for the first time.

In a support document, Parallels explains what this means in concrete terms: The company refers to an "x86 emulator". Windows 10, 11, Windows Server 2019 and 2022 as well as Linux VMs for Intel are currently supported. These must be intended for UEFI BIOS, legacy BIOS VMs do not work. It is also possible to create new VMs from an Intel ISO. However, Parallels warns that the result can potentially be "slow, very slow". At the moment, its use is therefore only recommended in exceptional cases. Booting alone takes up to seven minutes and the operating system is not very responsive. If possible, apps should be started individually. "Unexpected Windows behavior" may occur. Creating new Intel VMs also takes a long time, a Windows VM around 30 minutes, Linux even two hours.

Restrictions with Intel VMs

There are also various restrictions in terms of features. BSD systems are generally excluded, USB devices do not work at all. There is no sound and Windows updates from the VM sometimes do not work. Only 64-bit VMs are supported. The slowness is also due to the fact that only one virtual CPU (vCPU) can be used, and no more than 8 GB of RAM can be allocated. The Parallels Hypervisor does not work, so WSL2 cannot be used. Finally, old snapshots of Intel VMs can only be used if the VM was shut down afterwards.

The feature should also only be tried out on fast Macs. Emulation eats up a lot of resources. For example, the memory requirement of an Intel Windows 10 VM with 4 GByte doubles to 8 GByte in real terms. Further information, including tips in the event of problems, can be found in the documentation. It can be assumed that the emulator will improve with the next versions. At the moment, however, it can be helpful for accessing previously inaccessible data without having to use an x86 computer.

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