Will Parallels Run on 15" MacBook Air?

Yes, all Mac models with Apple Silicon are compatible with Parallels Desktop. https://kb.parallels.com/en/129009

Be aware that using Parallels Desktop on any Mac model introduced in Late 2020 or later requires a specific version of Windows 11 for ARM. This version may experience performance issues -- on any Mac model -- when running Windows games or other intensive programs. If your daughter needs to run a specific Windows program, make sure that it runs on Windows for ARM when considering your purchase. Options for using Windows 11 with Mac® computers with Apple® M1® and M2™ chips – Microsoft Support

"Will Parallels Run on 15" MacBook Air?: My daughter is considering a Mac that she'd need to also run Windows on for certain work-related tasks. Is the MacBook Air capable of running Parallels in order to run Windows applications on it? (Not sure if it has enough horsepower, but don't want to recommend a MacBook Pro if it's not needed)."

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Using Parallels:

It would work, as long as system requirements are met. If you run items in the back ground, while using the Vritual Machine, then I recommend 12GB or more of RAM. Note that RAM (Random Access Member) is meant for multitasking. So, the more RAM the betters, when it comes to running lots of apps.

Running Windows in a virtual machine will chew up RAM. (There's the overhead of running two OSes at the same time.) If you go this route, you will probably want 16 GB or 24 GB of RAM on that 15" M2 MacBook Air.

The other issue is how well Windows for ARM will work. Most off-the-shelf WIndows applications are built for Intel and AMD CPUs (only), and if WIndows for ARM can run them, there will be emulation or translation overhead.

FWIW, the standard Windows 11 installer download will work for installing on an ARM platform like Parallels on an M1/M2 Mac. I have done it on my M1 MacBook Air. I have a few Intel apps in the VM and they seem to work fine, just don't expect to do any gaming which is pretty much true in any VM whether the machine is Intel or ARM.

Also, the standard installer does not have the Microsoft Store and the base apps but you will be prompted to download them after the install, unless updates to win11 have changed that since I installed.

One prime thing to note, any Windows device drivers for Intel machines will not work. So, if you have some device that only has drivers for Intel, you cannot use it.

It runs windows and any app just perfect. I am a network engineer, from experience, I run parallels in transparency mode almost all the time when working on customer sites, and I suggest MORe than 16gb of RAM if you are regularly running both the MAC OS and windows side by side.

If you only run Windows ARM version "sometimes" then you can get away with 16gb. Otherwise, the constant swapping will annoy you.

I would never recommend 8gb of RAM if you need parallels/windows ARM virtualization.

dataman wrote:

It runs windows and any app just perfect.

If we're speaking about running Windows for ARM in a virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac, then according to Microsoft, there are limitations.

For instance, Windows for ARM can't run Intel-only device drivers. This is similar to how Rosetta 2 can't run Intel-only kernel extensions. Also, features that use nested virtualization (like the Windows subsystem for Android) are not available.

Microsoft Support – Windows Arm-based PCs FAQ

Microsoft Support – Options for using Windows 11 with Mac® computers with Apple® M1®, M2™, and M3™ chips