For a large number of Mac users who are still on Intel-based Macs, there’s one very good reason why they’re not switching over to Apple silicon. They do a good amount of work that requires them to switch over to Windows, and Intel Macs are best suited for that.

That changed last week with Parallels Desktop 20.2, which adds preliminary x86 emulation so you can fire up 64-bit versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and

Last week, Parallels released a new update that partially resolves this problem: Users of Parallels Desktop Pro 20.2.0 now have access to x86 operating systems via an "early technology preview" of Parallels' "proprietary emulation engine."

Parallels Desktop 20.2 is out now, with the latest edition including 64-bit x86 emulation for Apple Silicon and more enhancements to make Apple Intelligence Writing Tools work with Windows apps.

Parallels Desktop introduces a new experimental feature that lets you install x86_64 operating systems on your Apple-silicon Mac.

Parallels has added support for x86 emulation in Parallels Desktop 20.2, product manager Mikhail Ushakov wrote in a blog post last week. The “early technology preview” will let you emulate Intel-based hardware on an M1-or-greater Mac, a first for Parallels since Apple’s Arm transition in 2020 — but don’t expect stellar performance.

After the previous Parallels Desktop version brought Writing Tools support for Windows virtual machines, the new update improves it.