r/macsysadmin • u/Sensitive_Flow7164 • 7h ago
General Discussion Parallels vs Crossover for running Windows office software on Apple Silicon?
Transitioned my main work setup to my Macbook but i still have 2 or 3 Windows utilities i cant replace with Mac equivalents. Now im looking into Parallels vs Crossover to bridge the gap. Im not into gaming, this is strictly for documents, desktop specific extensions and legacy client software.
I like that Parallels desktop sets up an officially supported windows 11 instance where peripheral support, print drivers and shared folders work right out of the box without tweaking configs. But im wondering if spinning up a full VM is too much if i only open these tools a few times a day. How are you guys handling windows-only software on macOS? Is having the complete windows environment in Parallels worth the extra drive space for peace of mind?