14 DAY TRIAL // Arguably one of the most convenient ways to run Windows on a Mac is to use a virtual machine. Despite Boot Camp offering some advantages, most people still want the best of both worlds, and if the hardware is powerful enough, there’s no reason not to exercise this choice.
As every year goes, Parallels has released a brand new version of its virtualization software aimed at the Windows 10 Technical Preview unleashed by Microsoft. Parallels Desktop 10 makes it ridiculously simple to just download the OS and install it in a VM.
Free to download and use for 14 days
Don’t get your hopes up to be using Windows 10 for free forever. For now, Microsoft only offers a Technical Preview (a beta) that you can test drive, and it expires around April, we hear. Parallels Desktop itself is also only free to use for a limited period - two weeks. After that, you have to buy a license to continue using it.
But considering that Windows 10 is not fully baked anyway, there’s no reason to be disappointed. So all you need to do is to download the free two-week trial of Parallels Desktop and use the Parallels Wizard to install Windows 10 Technical Preview and start using it today.
The press release says something about Office Preview also being available through the wizard, but Microsoft has pulled the download with no word on when it will be making it available again.
“The Parallels Wizard makes it simple to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview directly from within Parallels Desktop, creating a virtual machine to try out everything Windows 10 has to offer, including such features as the new Start menu, Photos, Maps app, Cortana and Windows Store beta which offers Office Preview for Windows 10,” according to the virtualization company.
Run any OS, not just Windows
As you might have already guessed, Parallels Desktop is a universal solution that can emulate other computing environments as well, including Chrome OS, Android, Linux operating systems, older versions of Windows, and even Apple’s own OS X (Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and Yosemite).
To be able to download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview, you need to make sure that you’ve downloaded Parallels Desktop for Mac 10.1.4 build 28883. A licensed copy sells for $79.99 (€70). Students can get it at half price, and users of older versions also get a discount.