ArcGIS Pro on Mac: How to Run It With Parallels in 2026

How to Run ArcGIS Pro on a Mac With Parallels Desktop

Esri has never made ArcGIS Pro for Mac. The entire ArcGIS Pro ecosystem - spatial analysis, cartography, 3D visualization, Python scripting, layout design - lives on Windows.

If you’re a GIS analyst, urban planner, environmental consultant, or researcher who uses a Mac, Parallels is the standard path for running ArcGIS Pro. It’s not an unusual setup in the GIS community - Esri’s support team is familiar with it.

What You Need

Mac: M1 or newer recommended. Intel Macs (2017+) work. RAM: 16 GB minimum on the Mac. 32 GB for working with large datasets or 3D scenes. GPU Memory: Set to 2 GB in Parallels settings. Parallels Desktop 26 Windows 11: Installed through Parallels. ArcGIS Pro License: Single-use named user license from Esri, or organizational license.

Installation

Install Parallels and set up Windows 11 via the automatic wizard. Configure your VM before installing ArcGIS Pro:

• Memory: 8 - 16 GB
• CPU: 4 - 6 cores
• Video Memory: 2 GB
• 3D Acceleration: Enabled (DirectX 11)

Inside Windows, go to your ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Download ArcGIS Pro for Windows. The installer runs normally inside the VM.

DirectX for 3D: ArcGIS Pro uses DirectX for its 3D Scene views. Parallels Tools (install from Actions menu) provides DirectX 11 support. After installing Parallels Tools, ArcGIS Pro’s 3D views work correctly.

Connecting to ArcGIS Online and Enterprise

ArcGIS Pro’s connection to ArcGIS Online or your organization’s ArcGIS Enterprise works through your Windows VM’s internet connection, which shares your Mac’s connection. Sign into ArcGIS Pro with your Esri account, and your portal content, feature layers, and basemaps all load normally.

For organizations using enterprise geodatabases (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle): the database connections work via the standard ArcGIS Pro database connection wizard. Your VM’s network access reaches the same servers your Mac can reach.

3D Performance in ArcGIS Pro

ArcGIS Pro’s Local Scene and Global Scene views use DirectX rendering. In Parallels on an M4 Mac, navigation in 3D scenes is smooth for moderately complex scenes. For scenes with very high-density point clouds, photogrammetry meshes, or large multipatch datasets, performance in Parallels is lower than a dedicated Windows workstation with a discrete GPU.

For 2D map work, cartography, geoprocessing, and analysis tasks - performance in Parallels on an M3 or M4 Mac is comparable to a mainstream Windows laptop.

Python and ArcPy in Parallels

ArcGIS Pro comes with its own conda environment (ArcGIS Pro’s Python) that includes arcpy. This works fully in Parallels. Run Python scripts from ArcGIS Pro’s Python window, from the Windows Command Prompt, or from Jupyter Notebook - all the same as a Windows PC.

If you use Jupyter Notebook for spatial analysis, you can also connect the Windows-side Python environment to Jupyter running in Parallels while viewing outputs from your Mac side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ArcGIS Pro available for Mac? No. Esri does not make ArcGIS Pro for macOS. The only way to run ArcGIS Pro on a Mac is through a Windows virtual machine via Parallels.

Does ArcGIS Online work on Mac? Yes. ArcGIS Online (the web-based mapping platform) runs in any browser on Mac. It’s ArcGIS Pro (the full desktop application) that requires Windows.

Does Esri support ArcGIS Pro in Parallels? Esri’s support documentation notes that virtual machine configurations are not on their tested hardware list but are generally supported. Issues specific to the VM environment may be referred to Parallels support; issues reproducible on physical Windows hardware will be investigated by Esri.

How much RAM does ArcGIS Pro need? Esri recommends a minimum of 8 GB of RAM for ArcGIS Pro. In a Parallels VM, allocating 8 - 12 GB to the VM (requiring 16 - 24 GB total on your Mac) is recommended for comfortable use with moderate datasets.

Can I run ArcGIS Pro on an M-chip Mac? Yes, via Parallels. Performance is good for 2D and analysis work. 3D visualization performance is acceptable but lower than a discrete-GPU Windows workstation.