VMware Fusion: New features in Fusion 13

Parallels Desktop has long been a step ahead of VMware Fusion for running Windows on a Mac, but Fusion 13 remains a good option.

- CLIFF JOSEPH

For many years Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion fought a long battle to produce the best virtualization software for Mac F users who needed to run Windows software on their Macs (fave.co/3mvFWtl). Every time Apple released a new version of the macOS (fave.co/3nLLdgM), we would see Parallels and VMWare release their own updates, and this competition was great for Mac users as it meant that both programs continued to offer new features and performance improvements every year. In recent years, though, VMWare has seemed to focus more on its high-end corporate products and, since the introduction of Apple Silicon in 2020, Fusion no longer really competes with the annual updates to Parallels Desktop (fave.co/3GeV2dD) anymore.

Both programs work in basically the same way, allowing you to create a virtual machine (VM) that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac application. This virtual machine emulates the workings of a Windows PC, allowing you to install a full copy of Windows (fave.co/3SUfpSL) on the virtual machine and then run any Windows software or games that you need to use. And, crucially, you can run your Windows apps right alongside your existing Mac apps-rather than having to switch back and forth between Mac and Windows as you have to do when using Boot Camp on Intel Macs (and, of course, Boot Camp [fave.co/3SUfpSL] is no longer available on Macs with Apple Silicon at all). Both programs also allow you to create virtual machines that run various versions of Linux too, which is a useful feature for many developers and students.

FUSION 13 MEETS WINDOWS 11