Configure Parallels Desktop
- macOS onlyThis script improves your privacy on macOS
- Multiple actionsThis page belongs to a category, containing some changes with similar goal.
- Impact: Minimum
System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: Low
This action improves privacy with minimal impact when you run the recommended script.
- Bash (Shell script)These changes use macOS system commands to update your settings.
- 3 scripts
- 1 categories
- Administrative (sudo) access requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
- Fully reversible
You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.
The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.
Overview
Parallels Desktop for Mac is software providing hardware virtualization for macOS 1.
When you use it, it collects and shares your personal data to third parties 2. Personal data include IP address of your device, your broad geographical location (country, state (if applicable), and city) and used product 2.
It includes third-party advertisements 3 and automatic check for updates 4 by default. Both of these behaviors communicate with online services that reveal personal data about you.
Sources
- Parallels Desktop for Mac - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org. (2022).
Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallels_Desktop_for_Mac
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221012155943/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallels_Desktop_for_Mac - Privacy Statement. parallels.com. (2022).
Original: https://www.parallels.com/about/legal/privacy
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221012155829/https://www.parallels.com/about/legal/privacy/ - How do I turn off notifications in Parallels Desktop and Parallels Access?. Knowledge Base. parallels.com. (2022).
Original: https://kb.parallels.com/114422
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221012151800/https://kb.parallels.com/114422 - Automatic Updating. Parallels Desktop Users Guide. download.parallels.com. (2022).
Original: http://download.parallels.com/stm/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22220.htm
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221012151953/http://download.parallels.com/stm/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22220.htm
Apply Now
Choose one of two ways to apply:
- Normal
- Maximum
Normal — Everyday Privacy (Enterprise-Grade)
- Recommended for all
- Safe for daily use
- No impact on system stability
Read more about Normal and other protection levels
Maximum — Strongest Possible Privacy (Military-Grade)
- Military-grade privacy protection
- Major system impact
- Consider having Time Machine backup.
Read more about Maximum and other protection levels
Help
How to apply or restore "Configure Parallels Desktop" using script
- ≈ 3 min to complete
- Tools: Web Browser
- Difficulty: Medium
- ≈ 6 instructions
- 1
Choose protection
Choose one of the options with different impact levels:
Normal
Some safe changes minimal system impact.Maximum
Some impactful changes with high system impact.
- 2
Download
Download the script file by clicking on thebutton above.
Use button above to restore changes. - 3
Keep the file
If warned by your browser, keep the file. - 4
Open
Open the downloaded file. - 5
Exit
Once it's done, press any key to exit the window. - 6
Restart
Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.
Apply with privacy.sexy
Guided, automated application with safety checks- Recommended for most users
- Includes safety checks
- Shows the code
- Free
- Open-source
- Popular
- Offline/Online usage
Help
How to apply or restore "Configure Parallels Desktop" using privacy.sexy
- ≈ 3 min to complete
- Tools: privacy.sexy
- Difficulty: Simple
- ≈ 4 instructions
- 2
Choose script
- Search for the category name: Configure Parallels Desktop
- Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.
Applying Normal to limit the impact.
- 3
Run
Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.
Explore This Guide
- 3 Privacy settings
- 1 Main categories
- These settings are organized into 1 main categories for easy navigation.
- Each main category contains subcategories, helping you find specific settings you might want to adjust.
- 1 Total categories
Choose what to protect based on your needs: Click any option to learn more about what it does. Each change can be applied and reversed individually.
- Some settings and commands may require technical knowledge to apply correctly.
- Most users find the Normal protection above sufficient.
Disable Parallels Desktop automatic updates
Parallels Desktop by default checks for updates frequently and automatically downloads them. This reveal personal data about you without your control.
Disable Parallels Desktop advertisements
Parallels Desktop in-product notifications to show ads from Parallels or other third party companies. The main setting is "ProductPromo.ForcePromoOff" that you can check using: 1. "defaults read 'com.parallels.Parallels Desktop' 'ProductPromo.ForcePromoOff'" 2. "defaults read 'com.parallels.Parallels Desktop' 'WelcomeScreenPromo.PromoOff'" By default, on clean installations the value is "0" which is equivalent of "no". There is also "WelcomeScreenPromo.PromoOff" setting that's pre-configured to ...
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Wider Goal
The guide below includes this guide to achieve a wider goal.See other more general settings that includes this one as one of its actions.
These plans combine multiple privacy settings, including this one, for stronger protection.
Configure programs — This inventory lays out the steps for how. Alongside this, process to revert the last operation is detailed below. Unintended consequences of ...
Same Goal
Other guides in Configure programsSee settings that are in the same category as this guide.
Using other actions in the same category may help you achieve your goal better.
About the Creators
These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:
Reviewed By
This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:Expert review by undergroundwires
- Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
- Assessed system impact and user privacy risks
Public review by large community
- Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
- Millions of end-users tested across different environments
History
We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.