Create and Use Virtual Machine Templates

On the basis of your virtual machines you can create templates. Later you can use them to create multiple identical virtual machines. To create a virtual machine template, you can:

Note: Virtual machine templates are available in Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition only.

  • convert a virtual machine to a template; or
  • clone a virtual machine to a template.

The difference between these two ways is that when you convert a virtual machine to a template, you can't run it until you convert the template back to the virtual machine. And when you clone a virtual machine to a template, the template appears separately from the virtual machine and you can work with both.

A template, in its turn, can be converted or deployed back to the virtual machine. When you convert a template, it turns back to the virtual machine. And when you deploy it, the resulting virtual machine appears separately from the template and you can work with both.

Convert a Virtual Machine to a Template

To convert a virtual machine to a template:

  1. Start Parallels Desktop.
  2. In Control Center, select the virtual machine you want to convert (it must be shut down) and choose File > Convert to Template.

Convert a Template to the Virtual Machine

To convert a template back to the virtual machine:

  1. Start Parallels Desktop.
  2. In Control Center, right-click the template you want to convert and choose Convert to Virtual Machine.

Clone a Virtual machine to a Template

To clone a virtual machine to a template:

  1. Start Parallels Desktop.
  2. In Control Center, select the virtual machine you want to clone (it must be shut down) and choose File > Clone to Template.
  3. Choose where you want to store the resulting template.

    By default, Parallels Desktop stores templates in the ~/Parallels folder.

  4. Click Save to start cloning the virtual machine to the template.

Deploy a Template to the Virtual Machine

To deploy a template back to the virtual machine:

  1. Start Parallels Desktop.
  2. In Control Center, right-click the template you want to deploy and choose Deploy to Virtual Machine.
  3. Choose where you want to store the resulting virtual machine.

    By default, Parallels Desktop stores virtual machines in the ~/Parallels folder.

  4. Click Save to start deploying the template to the virtual machine.
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