Above: USB support is improved in version 18. Top: Parallels Desktop provides a virtual TPM chip (required by Windows 11). And, as always, Parallels Desktop also allows you to create virtual machines running Arm versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian, as well as maintaining its longstanding compatibility with older Mac systems - such as my aging office iMac - that still run on Intel processors. Parallels claims that this provides up to 96% performance increase over the previous version of Parallels Desktop. However, Parallels has now had two years to fine-tune the performance of virtual machines running on Apple Silicon and, with high-end processors such as the M1 Ultra, Parallels Desktop 18 now allows you to assign up to 62GB of RAM and 18 CPU cores to your virtual machines. Of course, compatibility alone isn't enough if your key Intel apps run too slowly to be of any practical use. The company also offers 'kudos to Microsoft' for achieving compatibility for what it says is '99.99%' of existing Intel software when running on Windows on Arm. Several Arm versions of Linux are also available. You can download and install Windows 11 directly from within Parallels Desktop 18. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader.

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