How to Uninstall Parallels

Virtualization is a huge convenience, no matter what hardware and operating system you may run by default. Virtualization platforms offer a lot of capabilities that can be useful to both home users and professionals. Whether the end goal is creating a security sandbox, testing applications or simply accessing software that requires an operating system other than your default, virtual machines are a great tool.

Parallels is one of the popular virtualization platforms for Mac computers. It allows Mac users to run a Windows install on their Mac computer without the need to perform dual-booting or hard system resets to access Windows functionality and applications. The software also has integration for key Microsoft applications such as Office 365.

If for some reason you don't need to run or use Parallels on your Mac anymore, you might want to uninstall the app to free up disk space and reduce clutter. Despite the advanced functionality of Parallels, the process of uninstalling it is the same as it is for the majority of Mac apps.

To uninstall Parallels from your Mac computer, follow those simple steps:

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   Make sure Parallels has been closed completely. Shut down any running virtual machines and exit Parallels.

2. Click on your Applications icon on your system dock to open the Applications folder.

3. Find and click the Parallels icon, then drag and drop it onto your Trash.

4. Click your Trash and select “Empty” to remove the app completely.

5. Reboot your Mac to complete uninstallation.

Bear in mind that uninstalling Parallels will not automatically remove any Windows files and applications that you created or installed when you were using virtualized Windows on your Mac.

In order to clean those as well to free up the significant amount of hard drive space they might occupy, you will need to first remove and delete any virtual machines from inside Parallels.

You can do that by selecting "Control center" from the Parallels menu, then right clicking on any virtual machine you want to delete and selecting "Remove [machine name here]". If you do not plan to use Parallels again in the foreseeable future, it is recommended to first remove all virtual machines you have created to free up disk space.