You can either download Parallels Desktop Lite from the Mac App Store for free or get a paid subscription for the full Parallels Desktop version. Parallels Desktop has a few extra features but both versions allow home users to install Windows on their Macs. Parallels Desktop (PD) for Mac is now at version 13. It costs $80 per year, and there’s student pricing at $40. It’s not hard to install, and it acts pretty much like any other application on your. If you have a Mac with Apple M1 chip, visit this article: KB 125375. This article gives instructions on installing Windows on your Intel-based Mac for the first time to use with Parallels Desktop. Two things are striking with Parallels Desktop 15: the super-smooth installation and the way that Windows and macOS rub along so nicely with one another. Parallels has two basic modes. Parallels is also useful for people who play video games because it lets them pick from the much larger library of Windows titles and play them on a Mac. In this particular case, your mileage may.
Let’s be honest: to the average person, the idea of running two different operating systems at the same time on one computer is pretty weird. This idea naturally leads to questions like these:
- How do I know which one I’m using at any one moment?
- How do I switch between them?
- Which applications do I use?
And of course:
- Why would I want to do that?
As a Parallels Desktop® for Mac user, you can probably answer the last two questions like this:
- Because I need to run some Windows applications, and I have (and love) a Mac®.
But you might not know all the ways you can switch between Mac and Windows, so in this blog post I’ll show you. Which one of these ways you might use depends on how you use Parallels Desktop.
1. Window Mode
In Window mode, Windows runs in a window on your Mac screen.
Running Parallels On Mac
You switch between Mac and Windows just be moving your cursor—what could be easier! See Video 1:
2. Full Screen Mode
In Full Screen mode, both Mac and Windows fill the entire screen. You switch between them with a three-finger swipe on your trackpad. See Video 2 (Note: The hand gesture video insets are from lifehacker.com):
3. Coherence Mode
In Coherence mode, Mac and Windows applications run side-by-side on the Mac desktop. You switch between them just as you would switch between two Mac applications: just click inside the window of the application you want to use. See Video 3:
Using Parallels On Mac Computer
I hope these three ways help you to easily and quickly switch between Mac and Windows whenever you want.
Try Parallels Desktop for free for 14 days!
Guide: How to Use BriefCatch on Mac with Parallels
This guide will show you how you can install the Parallels software and use BriefCatch on your Mac. BriefCatch doesn't have a native Mac installation available and isn't compatible with the Mac version of Microsoft Word.
Learn more about how Parallels works on their website.
Use Parallels to Run BriefCatch on Mac
Problems With Parallels On Mac
- Visit the Parallels website at https://www.parallels.com/
- Be sure to reference their Parallels Desktop and macOS compatibility knowledge base article to ensure Parallels will work on your computer.
- If you haven't tried Parallels yet, you can sign up for their 14-day free trial to see if Parallels works for you. You can also purchase a Parallels license for $79.99 per year.
- Download and install Parallels on your Mac computer. (Reference their Install Windows on your Mac using Parallels Desktop knowledge base article if you're having trouble.)
- Open Parallels to enable your Windows virtual machine.
Note: The remaining steps should be done on Windows through Parallels, not on your MacOS.
- While using Parallels, you must install the Windows version of Microsoft Word. (Note: Microsoft allows up to 5 installations of Word across your devices, so you should be able to download and install Word through Parallels without purchasing a new Word subscription. Access your Microsoft account for more information.)
- Once Word is installed, navigate to our download page and download BriefCatch.
- Ensure Word is closed, then open BriefCatchInstaller.exe to install BriefCatch.
- Once installed, open Word. The BriefCatch tab should appear at the top ribbon. Click it to open the BriefCatch functions.
You can now use BriefCatch on your Mac, as shown below!
Have a question? If you cannot get BriefCatch to work on your Mac with Parallels, or if you're having other issues, please submit a support ticket and we will assist you.