The latest version of Parallels Desktop, Update 19, which was released last summer and is compatible with macOS 14 aka Sonoma, also has problems with macOS virtual machines on Apple Silicon computers. The List of restrictions is long and can prevent the function from being used meaningfully.
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Windows runs noticeably smoother
Parallels Desktops already allowed macOS to be virtualized on Intel Macs. This is very useful, for example, if you still want to use older versions – or if you want to test a newer macOS variant without using it as the main operating system. Although the support was always worse than Windows virtualization, it was still usable in everyday life.
With the transition to ARM chips, Parallels Desktop also had to adapt. The problem: Despite the fact that Apple silicon Macs have been around for almost four years now, key functions are still missing. Parallels (or its mother Alludo (formerly Corel)) seems to be more interested in the ARM version of Windows. Whether this will change in the foreseeable future remains unclear.
What the macOS VMs cannot do
According to Parallels, for example, you cannot currently use any USB devices in macOS VMs – they simply do not appear (under Windows: no problem). Only mouse/trackpad and keyboard are supported on internal hardware; neither external media nor webcams can be used. You cannot use drag & drop from the Mac. The time including time zone (or any location data at all) is not transferred and also not synchronized. The Parallels desktop snapshot feature is missing for macOS VMs as is the popular one Coherence mode, which integrates a VM with the host Mac. If you want to use an Apple ID in the macOS VM, for example to access iCloud, this is not possible – Parallels does not say why exactly. Finally, there are a number of third-party apps that won’t run in the VM because of compatibility issues.
Parallels blames Apple itself for most of its problems. You are forced to use ARM Macs, Apples Virtualization framework to use. Much more is possible on Intel machines. Parallels recommends dealing with third-party apps if you have difficulty directly to Apple Support to turn.
(bsc)