How to Uninstall Parallels Desktop on Mac Without Deleting VMs

Removing Parallels Desktop from a Mac leaves its virtual machines in place. That is deliberate: the application, the virtual-machine file, and the Windows files inside it are separate, so you can remove the app without erasing a machine you may need later.

Before you uninstall, decide whether the virtual machine should stay where it is, be archived, or be removed after you have checked its contents.

The app and the virtual machine are separate

Parallels' own uninstall instructions say that removing Parallels Desktop does not delete the virtual-machine file. Windows, its installed apps, and the files stored in that VM are not affected by removing the Mac application.

That matters because a virtual-machine file is not a cache. It is the virtual computer. Removing Parallels Desktop can free the space used by the app itself, but it does not decide what happens to the much larger virtual disk.

The safe uninstall is short

First shut down every virtual machine, then quit Parallels Desktop. Open Applications, move Parallels Desktop to the Trash, and empty the Trash when you are ready. That is the vendor's complete app-uninstall procedure.

Do not delete a virtual-machine file just because it remains after the app is gone. Its presence is the expected result of an app uninstall, not evidence that the uninstall failed.

Freeing virtual-machine storage is a different decision

If the aim is to recover the space used by a VM, use Parallels' VM removal guidance, not the app uninstall. In Control Center, Parallels offers two meaningfully different choices: Keep Files removes the VM from the list but leaves its files at their current location; Move to Trash is for a VM whose data is no longer needed.

Parallels marks Move to Trash as irreversible. Read that as a data decision, not as the last step of uninstalling an app. The app can be reinstalled later. A discarded VM may contain the only copy of a Windows workspace, project files, or software setup.

Check the VM before moving anything to the Trash

Open the VM once, or inspect it in Finder, before deciding to remove it. Confirm that important work has been copied somewhere independent of the virtual disk and that any backup you rely on has completed. If the VM is only being retired for now, Keep Files is the better stopping point: it detaches it from Parallels without erasing it.

Only choose Move to Trash after the contents have stopped being useful. Emptying the Trash is the point where that choice becomes final, so there is no benefit in rushing through it just to make an uninstall look complete.

Find every VM before you measure the result

Virtual machines are often stored in a Parallels folder under the home directory, but they can also be moved to another folder or an external disk. Do not assume that removing one item from Control Center accounts for all of them. In Finder, search for files with the .pvm extension and check any external volume you have used with Parallels. A VM bundle can be much larger than it first appears because it contains the virtual disk, configuration, snapshots, and suspended state.

Shut the guest down rather than leaving it suspended before making a backup or moving the bundle. Then copy the entire .pvm bundle, not individual files from inside it. A useful archive is one you can locate, identify, and open later with a compatible Parallels version. If the VM contains licensed software, encryption, or work credentials, record what will be needed before relying on the archive as the only copy.

Finally, verify the two results separately. Parallels Desktop should be gone from Applications and should no longer launch at login. Any VM you chose to keep should still be present at its recorded location. Disk space only increases substantially when a VM or its snapshots are removed, so a small gain after uninstalling the app is normal and does not mean that macOS failed to remove it.

FAQ

Does uninstalling Parallels Desktop delete Windows?

No. Parallels states that uninstalling the Mac application does not delete the virtual machine, its Windows files, or the applications inside it.

Can I remove a VM from Control Center and keep its files?

Yes. The Keep Files option removes the VM from Parallels' list while keeping its files in their original location, so it can be considered again later.

Why is the VM still on my Mac after Parallels is gone?

Because the app uninstall is intentionally limited to the app. A VM is separate user data, and it stays until you make a separate choice to keep, archive, or delete it.