

While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles Parallels has, its usability is surprisingly great: You can use it to run x86/圆4 Linux software on Apple silicon Macs and ARM Linux software on Intel-based Macs. This open-source software relies on both QEMU and Apple’s Hypervisor virtualization framework to emulate and virtualize just about any operating system. If you find Parallels too expensive, then you should consider UTM. Learn more about which applications support Apple silicon by reading our guide. Tip: If you have an Apple silicon Mac, then you will be able to install only ARM Linux distributions and run ARM Linux software applications. You can now run the virtual machine without rebooting your Mac and install any Linux software you want directly in it. Launch Parallels Desktop, click the “+” button to create a new virtual machine and select the Linux distribution (“distro” for short) you want to install from the list.Double click to install it, then follow the onscreen prompts. Download the free trial version from Parallels website.While Parallels Desktop is a fairly expensive commercial product, there’s a free trial version that you can download to see what it has to offer: In that case, you might want to consider creating a full-blown Linux virtual machine on your Mac using Parallels Desktop, a virtualization software solution for Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs. Suppose you’re looking for an experience that’s a little more immersive than running individual Linux apps. Tip: Besides macOS, Homebrew can also be used to install Linux on Windows. Use Homebrew’s online package browser to find what you’re looking for. To install a new piece of software, use the brew install command followed by the software name.
