How to uninstall Parallels Desktop on a Mac

Before removing Parallels: back up the virtual machine

A virtual machine can contain a complete Windows installation, apps and documents that exist nowhere else. Copy important guest files to an independent backup and verify them before deleting anything. A shortcut to a Windows app is not a backup of its files.

Shut down the guest operating system fully. Parallels’ migration instructions distinguish shutting down from clicking the red window button. Do not copy a VM that is still running or assume that a suspended state is equivalent to a clean shutdown.

Keep the complete .pvm package if you want a reusable VM backup. Parallels documents common locations in a Parallels folder under your home folder, under Documents or at /Users/Shared/Parallels. Those are possibilities, not an instruction to delete every folder named Parallels.

For Business Edition, arrange license deactivation with the license administrator before uninstalling. Record any guest encryption or TPM-related requirements. Parallels has separate guidance for moving a VM with a TPM. Also keep app license information you may need inside Windows. We did not run, shut down or remove a VM to prepare this article.

Choose which part to remove

If your goal is an upgrade, Parallels says the newer installer replaces the current app; uninstalling first is not normally required. If your goal is space, inspect the VM size rather than assuming the app bundle is the main consumer.

Keep or remove a virtual machine first

1. Shut down the VM. Finish work in Windows and use its shutdown command. Keep Parallels available for the management step, but do not start the guest again.
2. Open Control Center. Use the Parallels menu bar icon and choose Control Center.
3. Select the intended VM. Right-click it and choose its Remove command. Check the name and location when several machines exist.
4. Choose Keep files to preserve it. The entry disappears from Control Center, but its files remain where they were.
5. Choose removal only with a verified backup or no need for the data. The vendor’s Move to Trash warning says you may not be able to restore the VM afterward. Do not rely on Trash as your only recovery plan.

This differs from deleting a small ordinary document. Read the actual confirmation and do not continue merely to make the Control Center list empty. For a company-provided VM, ask the administrator about retention and deactivation before removal.

Uninstall the Parallels Desktop app

Once every VM is shut down, quit Parallels Desktop. Open Finder’s Applications folder and move Parallels Desktop to the Trash. This is the vendor’s ordinary uninstall procedure for Standard, Pro and Business editions.

If macOS reports that it is in use, check whether a guest or helper is still active. Do not force deletion while a virtual disk is being written. The app removal troubleshooting guide covers ordinary in-use errors.

Review the Trash before emptying it. The vendor includes emptying as the final step, but it also removes other items already there. Confirm the backup and the VM decision first. Uninstalling the Mac app does not itself delete the Windows files in a retained VM.

Licenses and subscription renewal are separate

For Standard or Pro, Parallels’ transfer guide says activation on a new Mac can offer Activate on This Mac and deactivate the old copy. Business licensing has separate portal and administrator procedures. Do not assume deleting an app automatically frees every type of license seat.

If you want to stop a direct subscription renewing, use the subscription in your Parallels account and its Manage Subscription cancellation route. Check the resulting renewal status. An App Store subscription is managed through Apple’s subscription controls instead.

Removing software is not a refund request or account closure. Keep the confirmation and make sure you used the billing provider shown on the subscription. For a business deployment, leave license changes to the license administrator.

If space or file associations remain

Locate the retained VM package before deleting more app support files. A .pvm can remain in a custom directory or shared location. System Data is a broad category, so its total alone does not identify which VM is using storage.

Parallels also documents changing a file association after uninstall: select a file in Finder, use Get Info, expand Open with and select an installed app. Change All affects that file type. This changes which app opens a file; it does not reclaim the VM’s space.

Do not remove shared folders just because they contain Windows shortcuts. Those folders can contain ordinary Mac documents. Keep the distinction between a package, an alias and the original document.

Where Tend fits

Tend’s free Space Map can measure VM data inside your home folder. Shared locations such as /Users/Shared and other users’ homes are outside that scan. Use the storage guide to review the whole volume through macOS.

Tend Pro can move eligible selected files to Trash after review, but it does not shut down a guest, verify a VM backup or manage Parallels licensing. Use Parallels’ VM controls for the choice that determines whether Windows data is kept.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Parallels, uninstall Parallels Desktop and remove or keep a virtual machine.
• Parallels, move Parallels to a new Mac and Business Edition deactivation.
• Parallels, manage subscription renewal and App Store edition subscription distinction.

Sources checked 23 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.