Installing Parallels Tools in a Windows Guest OS

If you created your virtual machine using the Express Windows mode, Parallels Tools were installed automatically after the installation of the Windows guest operating system.

If your virtual machine was created in the Typical or Custom mode, do the following to install Parallels Tools in it:

1. Start the virtual machine and log in to the guest operating system.
2. When the guest OS boots up, connect the Parallels Tools ISO image by choosing the Install Parallels Tools option from the Virtual Machine menu.

   Note: If the Install Parallels Tools option is grayed out, make sure that Parallels Tools can be installed in your guest operating system. To see the list of guest OSs supported by Parallels Tools, refer to Parallels Tools Availability .

3. In the Welcome window, click Install . The wizard will start the automatic installation.
4. When the installation is complete, click Reboot to exit the wizard and restart the virtual machine.

Reinstalling Parallels Tools

To reinstall Parallels Tools, start your virtual machine, and select Reinstall Parallels Tools from the Virtual Machine menu. This option is available only if Parallels Tools are up-to-date. If Parallels Tools are outdated, you will see the Update Parallels Tools option instead.

How to check if Parallels Tools are installed

If you are not sure whether Parallels Tools are installed, you can easily check this. Start your virtual machine and look at the status bar of its window: if the tip " Press Ctrl + Alt to release the mouse and keyboard " appears in the status bar of the virtual machine's window, this means that Parallels Tools are not installed. When Parallels Tools are installed, you do not need to press any key to release the mouse and keyboard - they are released automatically.