Parallels Desktop 20.3.0 adds x86_64 emulation fixes, OBS camera support & USB passthrough

Parallels Desktop 20.3.0 introduces new x86_64 emulation capabilities for Apple Silicon Macs, allowing users to import and run Linux virtual machines on ARM64 hardware without crashes or freezes. This new emulation engine is based on the open-source FEX-Emu project, making it possible to run more x86 apps and games within Linux VMs.

The update enables the use of the macOS OBS Studio virtual camera inside Windows VMs, so users can stream with OBS through Windows applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. USB passthrough is now available for macOS VMs on Apple Silicon running macOS 15 or newer, although support currently excludes audio devices and iPhones.

For professionals, Dragon Medical One now supports cross-platform dictation. Text dictated inside a Windows VM can be inserted into macOS applications while using Coherence view, triggered by actions like pressing a Nuance PowerMic button. IT administrators can enforce SSO-only activation using MDM, and this restriction persists through uninstall and reinstall. Lastly, MacOS 15+ users can now use Touch ID instead of an admin password when installing or modifying settings.