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Save your work in the virtual machine, then shut it down either from the guest operating system or through Parallels Desktop: choose Actions > Shut Down. Let the guest OS finish closing; Stop is a forced halt, not a normal shutdown.
Shut down a Parallels virtual machine
- Save your work. Save documents and finish any tasks running in the guest operating system.
- Use the guest OS’s normal shutdown control—for example, the standard power or shutdown controls in Windows.
- Or use Parallels Desktop: click the Parallels icon in the Mac menu bar and choose Actions > Shut Down. If the Parallels Desktop menu bar is visible, you can choose Actions > Shut Down there instead. A Shut Down toolbar button may also be available.
- Wait for the guest OS to close. Do not select Stop if you want an ordinary shutdown.
Parallels documents this menu route for its Mac Standard, Pro, Business, and App Store editions. Controls and labels can vary by version. See Parallels’ explanation of Shut Down, Stop, Suspend, and Pause.
Choose the right power option
| Option | What happens | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Shut Down | The guest OS closes its applications and shuts down normally. | Use for a routine shutdown after saving work. |
| Stop | The VM halts immediately, like a computer losing power. Unsaved data may be lost. | Reserve for cases where the guest OS cannot shut down normally. |
| Suspend | Parallels saves the VM’s current state, including open applications and processes, so you can resume the session later. | Use when you want to return to the same session, such as before restarting the Mac. |
| Pause | The VM’s process pauses while its memory remains in RAM. Resuming is faster than resuming from suspension. | Use for a temporary pause when you want the VM’s memory to stay loaded. |
If the VM will not shut down
First give the guest OS time to close. If it is unresponsive and you cannot complete a normal shutdown, Stop can force the VM to halt, but unsaved work may be lost. Parallels explicitly warns that forcibly stopping a virtual machine can result in loss of unsaved data.
Shut down before backing up
Parallels recommends keeping a virtual machine shut down during backup. Its backup guidance also recommends backing up before certain operations, including virtual disk changes, macOS upgrades, and guest OS upgrades. See Parallels’ virtual machine backup guidance.
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