Uninstall Parallels Desktop on MAC – Parallels Desktop for Mac is desktop virtualization software that allows Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Google Chrome OSes and applications to run on an Apple Mac computer. The software integrates the guest OS into macOS, allowing it to mimic native OS performance.
What is Parallels Desktop?
Parallels Desktop is a virtual machine software that allows you to run Windows on Intel Mac and M1 Mac without restarting. It has more than 30 one-click tools that can make every task on Mac and Windows simple and easy.
Nevertheless, it also has some shortcomings that cannot be ignored, such as taking up a lot of space, paying to use, and lack of support for games and multimedia. If you want to uninstall it, please continue reading this blog to learn how to remove it from your Mac manually and automatically.
What is Parallels?
Parallels Desktop for Mac is virtualization software that helps run different operating systems like Windows, Linux on Mac. This app makes integrating Windows into Mac easy. Once you have it, you can use Windows and Mac side by side.
How to Uninstall Parallels Desktop on Mac Manually?
- Click the Parallels icon in the tools bar and choose Quit Parallels Desktop.
- Open Finder, select Applications and locate Parallels Desktop.
- Right-click on its icon and move it to Trash.
- Navigate to ~/Library and go over the subfolders below to move all Parallels Desktop remaining files to Trash:
- ~/Library/Application Support/
- ~/Library/Caches/
- ~/Library/Cookies/
- ~/Library/Preferences/
- ~/Library/Saved Application State/
- Empty your Trash.
How to Uninstall Parallels Desktop on Mac Quickly
You may notice that manually uninstalling Parallels Desktop is tedious and unfriendly for new users. Therefore, we introduce you to a convenient tool – BuhoCleaner. You can use it to delete the Parallels Desktop application and its related files, such as logs, cache, preferences, and support files, in a matter of seconds.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Download and install BuhoCleaner on your Mac.
- Launch it and click on the App Uninstall Tab.
- Click the Scan button, and you’ll see all the apps installed on your Mac.
- Select the box next to Parallels Desktop, click the Remove button, and it will be removed permanently from your Mac.
Conventional Steps to Uninstall Parallels Desktop for Mac
Prior to the removal of Parallels Desktop, you should first log into your Mac with an administrator account, and turn Parallels Desktop off if it is running. To deactivate an app, right-click its icon in the dock and select the Quit option (or choose Parallels Desktop > Quit Parallels Desktop on the Menu bar).
Also, you can access the Activity Monitor (located in /Applications/Utilities/ folder), and see if there is any background process pertaining to the app. If Parallels Desktop cannot be quit normally, you can select the app in Activity Monitor, click the large red “Quit Process” button in the left corner and click the Force Quit button in the pop-up dialog.
How to Uninstall Parallels Desktop on MAC?
Drag Parallels Desktop icon to the Trash
- Open up the Finder, click Applications on the left side, and then select Parallels Desktop.
- Drag Parallels Desktop to the Trash (or right-click on it and then select the Move to Trash option).
- Right-click the Trash icon and select the Empty Trash option to start the uninstall.
This drag-to-delete method works in all versions of Mac OS X. Some apps installed using the Mac package installer will prompt you for a password when you try to move it to the Trash.
Delete Parallels Desktop in the Launchpad
- Open up Launchpad, and type Parallels Desktop in the search box on the top. Click and hold the Parallels Desktop icon with your mouse button until it starts to wiggle. Then click the “X” that appears on the left upper corner of Parallels Desktop to perform the uninstall.
- This tap-and-hold method is applicable for the apps installed through the App Store, and it requires OS X lion or later.
- Once you click the X icon, the uninstallation of Parallels Desktop will be handled immediately, and there is no need to empty the Trash afterward. This way cannot uninstall built-in apps as well.
Launch Parallels Desktop built-in uninstaller
It is worth mentioning that, some applications for Mac come with their own dedicated uninstallers, e.g. Adobe and Microsoft. Those apps will install additional software to provide extended functions or place library files and associated application dependencies elsewhere in OS X. You can manually delete all the accompanying components as well, but it would be better to run the specialized uninstaller to fully remove the application alone with its bundled software or associated items.
- Locate the Parallels Desktop installation file and double click to open it up.
- Select the [uninstaller] in the package and double click to run it.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the uninstalling process.