To shut down a virtual machine Parallels, the safest approach is to use a graceful shutdown, which closes all applications and stops the guest operating system just like a physical PC. You can do this from the Parallels menu bar or from inside Windows itself, and you should reserve the forceful “Stop” command for unresponsive VMs only.
Shut down from the Parallels menu bar
The quickest graceful method is to click the Parallels Desktop icon in the macOS menu bar. This works even if you have multiple VMs running and want to shut down a specific one without opening the Control Center.
- Click the Parallels icon in the macOS menu bar.
- Choose Actions from the dropdown.
- Select Shut Down from the submenu.
Parallels will then initiate a normal shutdown of the guest OS, closing all running processes and saving your work. Before doing this, make sure you have saved any open files inside the VM, as the shutdown will proceed automatically.
Shut down from within the guest operating system
Performing a standard shutdown from inside the guest OS is the safest method because the operating system manages closing all applications itself. This is identical to shutting down a physical computer and gives every program a chance to save data and exit cleanly.
- Switch to the virtual machine window.
- Open the Start menu in Windows (or the equivalent in another guest OS).
- Choose Shut Down and confirm if prompted.
This method is especially recommended when you have unsaved work in multiple applications, as the OS will prompt you to save before closing each one. It also ensures that background services and system processes are terminated in the correct order, reducing the risk of file corruption.
Understand Stop, Suspend, and Pause vs. Shut Down
Parallels offers several ways to end a VM session, and each serves a different purpose. A full shutdown closes the guest OS completely, freeing all RAM and CPU resources. In contrast, Stop is akin to pulling the power plug from a physical computer, it forcefully terminates the VM without letting the OS close anything, which can lead to data loss if you have unsaved work.
Suspend saves the VM’s current state, including running applications, to a file on your Mac and then stops the VM process. This frees both host RAM and CPU, and when you resume later, the VM continues from the exact point you left off. Pause is lighter: it temporarily stops the VM’s CPU activity but keeps RAM allocated, allowing other Mac applications to use CPU resources while the VM stays in memory.
Use Suspend when you need to step away and want to resume quickly without closing apps. Use Pause when you want to free CPU power for a demanding Mac task but keep the VM ready. Use a full Shut Down when you are done for the day or need to change hardware settings.
Force stop an unresponsive virtual machine
When a VM becomes completely unresponsive, for example, if you encounter a my virtual machine black screen and the guest OS will not respond to any input, you may need to force stop it. This is the last resort and should only be attempted after graceful methods have failed.
- Click the Stop button in the Parallels Desktop toolbar.
- Alternatively, choose Actions > Stop from the menu bar.
- Confirm the action when prompted.
Stopping a VM is equivalent to pulling the power cord from a physical PC. It closes all processes without giving them a chance to save, so you risk data corruption or system instability. Only use this when the VM is frozen and you cannot shut down from inside the guest OS. If you regularly need to force shut down dell laptop-style fixes for your VM, that is a sign the guest OS is unstable and you should investigate the underlying issue rather than rely on forceful stops.
Configure automatic shutdown behavior
You can control what happens when you shut down a VM or close its window, which helps you avoid accidental data loss. To access these settings, click the Parallels icon in the menu bar, choose Configure, then navigate to Options > Startup and Shutdown.
In the On VM Shutdown setting, you can choose what happens to the VM window after the guest OS shuts down, for example, keep the window open, close it, or quit Parallels Desktop entirely. The On Window Close setting lets you decide what occurs when you click the red close button on the VM window: suspend, shut down, force to stop, keep running in the background, or ask you each time.
If you prefer full manual control, select Start up and shut down manually so Parallels never takes an automatic action without your consent. This is the safest option if you often have unsaved work open. Additionally, note that some hardware settings, such as CPU or RAM allocation, cannot be changed until the VM is fully shut down, not merely suspended or paused. So if you plan to adjust those resources, perform a complete shutdown first.
