One limitation of the launcher is that you can launch only programs that reside in the main Applications folder (/Applications), or subfolders of that folder. While the program description states that Parallels simply collects configuration data, the related privacy policy adds that Parallels can collect information on “Program use, such as the features that you use the most often and how often you use Help resources.” Depending on your feelings about sharing your usage habits with third parties, you may want to disable this setting. I had to search the company’s website to find the details. One other setting of interest is the (checked by default) “Participate in the Customer Experience Program.” Parallels provides no in-app information on what this program is or how it works. The Advanced settings tab in the Parallels Access Mac agent contains some options you may want to modify. This option prevents others from being able to view your screen while you’re working via your iOS device. In particular, if your Mac is in an office or other visible location, you’ll want to check the “Lock this computer when working remotely” box (it’s not checked by default). The Advanced tab in Preferences contains a number of useful settings. In that Preferences window, you can access your Parallels account settings (though this actually opens a webpage in your default browser), and enable or disable access to the Mac. The Mac agent app displays a systemwide menu that hosts only a few menu entries: Turn Off Access, Preferences, Check for Updates, Report a Problem, About, and Quit. These subscription “features” are skewed heavily in Parallels’ favor, especially as one-year plans expire and consumers find themselves paying for a non-refundable second year they may not really have wanted. Subscriptions are also non-refundable, so once you buy, you’re in.
(The subscription cost for the original version of Parallels Access was $80 per year per computer, so the price has been lowered dramatically.) The company offers a free 14-day trial, so you can see how well the package works before committing.Īnd committing you will be, as subscription plans auto-renew, with no way to opt out of the auto-renewal at signup time. With the app on your iOS device and the agent running on your Mac, you just need one more thing: an annual subscription, which costs $20 for one year (or $30 for two years) and allows you to access up to five computers. The uninstaller should be a part of the Mac app itself.
To me, this is not an acceptable solution-there’s no reason a user should have to visit a website, download a script, and then execute it in the intimidating Terminal just to remove an application. If you ever want to uninstall the agent, you need to download a script from the company’s web site, and then run that script from within Terminal.
To make it easier to connect to the computer in the future, select “Remember this password in my keychain” to add your username and password for the computer to your keychain.Installing both components is straightforward, though the Mac agent requires you to provide your admin password (as you might expect for an app that lets you control your Mac remotely), and it doesn’t include an uninstaller. Check with the owner or administrator to be sure you have the correct password. Passwords for Windows computers and servers are often 14 characters or fewer. If necessary, enter your username and password, and select volumes or shared folders on the server. If you don’t know the workgroup name and the network name (called the computer name) for the Windows computer, contact the person who owns the computer or your network administrator. Type the network address for the computer in the Server Address field using one of these formats:įor information about the correct format for network addresses, see Network address formats for shared computers and servers.įollow the onscreen instructions to type the workgroup name and a username and password, then choose the shared folder you want to access. In the Finder on your Mac, choose Go > Connect to Server.
Install and reinstall apps from the App Store.