Meet an experienced manager with technical expertise in the areas of GIS, international development, and humanitarian aid, John Steed, the director of geospatial services for Tesla Government Inc. runs ArcGIS on Mac using Parallels Desktop for Mac.
ArcGIS is a powerful leader in the Windows software sphere for creating maps, web applications, 3D, and data-driven collection maps based on geographic information systems of the world. John has brought the Windows exclusive application ArcGIS to the Mac.
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x; Mac OS X Leopard Server 10.5.x; and many more. — Only the version downloaded with help of the Installation Assistant with Parallels Desktop. — Parallels Tools are not available for this operating system. Hide all supported guest operating systems; See all supported guest operating systems.
- How to back up your Mac. How to run Windows on Mac using Parallels Desktop 15. Of course, you'll need Parallels Desktop and Windows 10 in order to download and install them. Parallels Desktop costs $80 for a standard license. The Pro Edition and Business Edition are both $100 per year.
John has brought the Windows exclusive application ArcGIS to the Mac. Tech Specs: OS X: Yosemite 10.10.5 CPU: 15” MacBook Pro Retina 2.6GHz processor, 16 GB of RAM Parallels Desktop for Mac running Windows 10 with two processors with 8192 MB of memory allocated as seen below. Parallels Remote Application Server; Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition; Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition; Parallels Mac Management for SCCM; Parallels Desktop for Mac; Parallels Toolbox for Mac & Windows; Parallels Access.
Tech Specs:
OS X: Yosemite 10.10.5
CPU: 15” MacBook Pro Retina 2.6GHz processor, 16 GB of RAM
Parallels Desktop for Mac running Windows 10 with two processors with 8192 MB of memory allocated as seen below:
John has been using Parallels Desktop, solely for ArcGIS, since graduate school. It has been absolutely necessary for his work. Once he switched to Mac, he realized how well the Mac operating systems works and the quality of the hardware. Parallels Desktop has allowed John to continue to rely on Mac, while being able to use the most robust and longest-standing GIS software on the market.
In his own words:
“Since I started using Parallels, I have witnessed the improvements that the software has made and how it has kept up with changes in Apple’s hardware and operating systems. I am now director of GIS services for a small company. I encouraged the company to continue to use Mac for our GIS team and to use Parallels to bridge the Windows-Mac gap.”
Below is a screenshot example of how John uses Windows 10 as a virtual machine in Parallels Desktop to run ArcGIS on his Mac:
(Click to enlarge)
Disclaimer: The above is not a “final product” to John’s work standards and was used for educational purposes. “I generally use ArcGIS to make the maps and then export them to Adobe Illustrator to finish them. Therefore, the above is not a final product.” – John
Running Windows-only applications that allow you to complete the task at hand without owning multiple machines is one of the many benefits of running Windows on Mac with Parallels Desktop. Not only do you have powerful access to the best of both worlds, but you can do it all without restarting your machine, saving you both money and time.
Need Microsoft Windows operating system? Buy directly below:
Interested in running Windows-specific applications on your Mac? Try Parallels Desktop for free for 14 days: Try Now!
Guest support blog post by: Ivan Latyshev
It’s hard to keep up with technology nowadays. New software is released seemingly every day, making it difficult to keep up with upgrades on all your devices. And what if you skipped a version or two of the software you use on a regular basis? No wonder many users are hesitant to move to the latest versions right away.
So let me walk you through upgrading Parallels Desktop 9 (or earlier versions) to Parallels Desktop 12 in this blog post. If you have want to update to our latest version, Parallels Desktop 13, please click here.
Keep in mind that the full Parallels Desktop 12 license you purchase when upgrading from Parallels Desktop 9 or earlier versions contains the same new features and performance improvements that users of Parallels Desktop 10 and 11 receive in their Parallels Desktop 12 upgrade.
As for your old virtual machines, they’ll be safe. Good news, right? No visible changes will be made apart from the usual Parallels Tools updates.
There’s one more thing you should check before we get started: Make sure your computer’s hardware and software are compatible with Parallels Desktop 12.
Here are the system requirements:
Hardware:
- A Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core M, or Xeon processor
- 4 GB of memory (8 GB recommended)
- 850 MB of disk space on the boot volume (Macintosh HD) for Parallels Desktop installation
- Additional disk space for virtual machines (SSD drives recommended for better performance)
- Internet connection
Software:
- macOS Sierra 10.12
- OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 or later
For the full list of Parallels Desktop system requirements, please visit kb.parallels.com/123893.
Alright, good to go? Let’s rock.
In the example below, I will walk you through upgrading Parallels Desktop 9 to Parallels Desktop 12, but the process is similar if you are upgrading from Parallels Desktop 8, 7, etc.
The first image demonstrates your current look. Nothing new, right?
Now, let’s purchase and download Parallels Desktop 12. Here’s the link: parallels.com/products/desktop/buy/(pick New License).
Then choose the edition depending on what you use Windows for.
If you don’t know which one to choose, here is an article about the differences between the Standard and Pro editions: kb.parallels.com/123296
As for the Business edition, it’s for…business, you know?
Then you’ll need to choose either a 1-Time Purchase (perpetual license) or 1-Year Subscription plan (subscription license). And again, I’ve got an article for you about the pros and cons of each option: kb.parallels.com/en/122929
The final step is to choose the number of license keys for all your family and friends.
At the end, hit the green “Buy Now” button, which will redirect you to the shopping cart.
Parallels For Mac 10.10.5 Pro
When completed, you’ll get an e-mail with the purchase order and the link to download the software. Simply download it and proceed with the installation.
When you get to the point where you are prompted to activate the product, copy/paste the key from the e-mail you received and click “Activate.”
Note: It will be much better if you shut down Windows before installing the new version. But if you forgot to do so and left it in a suspended state, no worries—the Parallels Tools installation will begin once Windows is resumed.
That’s it! Enjoy the cool design changes, Retina display resolution improvements, and other wonderful features.
Here is the full list of Parallels Desktop 12 features for your reference:
Thanks for reading, and comment below if you have any questions!
Mac Parallels Windows 10
Try Parallels Desktop for free for 14 days!