All - for 2+ years now, I've had a work-provided PC laptop at work, and used my 14" M1 Pro MBP at home (for personal and when I need to work from home). I primarily use Microsoft Office programs (Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint) at work - so when I'm WFH, I'm using the Mac version of these (which are less functional than on PC).
With my PC laptop starting to show its age, I'm considering whether to bring my MBP to work and use Parallels and have a Windows environment at work. I've never used it before, so want to understand if this is all possible using an Apple silicon Mac and Parallels.
- Use Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel. I'm sure this works fine, using my PC subscription for Office 365
- Connect to PC Network drives
- Use PC-Networked Printer
- Use a "PC keyboard" - how does key mapping work in Parallels? A big reason I want to stick with Parallels / "PC Microsoft Excel" is for keyboard shortcuts, which I'm so used to and engrained in my workflow
- Use Zoom or Microsoft Teams video conferencing, and be able to "Share my Screen" all within the Parallels Windows environment
- Use a 5K 27" Apple Studio Display as primary monitor. Obviously with my MBP, I can run at HiDPI, "Looks like 2560 x 1440" with perfect pixel-doubling. Will this work the same in Parallels on a Windows 10/11 environment? Would it be as if I was hooking up my ASD to a PC / Windows machine?
- Use the 27" ASD as Primary Monitor + 1 (or 2) additional 24" 1080p monitors (cheaper Dell monitors I currently use at work). Will this work ok with Parallels as well? If so, can I use the ASD as the hub for the additional monitors (which can do DisplayPort or HDMI) with the right cables (USB-C to DisplayPort), or should I get a separate dock?
I want to get a sense for whether this is all possible, before pitching the idea at work. Let's leave separate any other considerations around using your personal device at work (I know this is a consideration as well, but I want to focus on the technical aspects of how this would go first).
I've never done this before, so appreciate any advice / feedback. Thanks all!
With my PC laptop starting to show its age, I'm considering whether to bring my MBP to work and use Parallels and have a Windows environment at work. I've never used it before, so want to understand if this is all possible using an Apple silicon Mac and Parallels.
- Use Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel. I'm sure this works fine, using my PC subscription for Office 365
- Connect to PC Network drives
- Use PC-Networked Printer
- Use a "PC keyboard" - how does key mapping work in Parallels? A big reason I want to stick with Parallels / "PC Microsoft Excel" is for keyboard shortcuts, which I'm so used to and engrained in my workflow
- Use Zoom or Microsoft Teams video conferencing, and be able to "Share my Screen" all within the Parallels Windows environment
- Use a 5K 27" Apple Studio Display as primary monitor. Obviously with my MBP, I can run at HiDPI, "Looks like 2560 x 1440" with perfect pixel-doubling. Will this work the same in Parallels on a Windows 10/11 environment? Would it be as if I was hooking up my ASD to a PC / Windows machine?
- Use the 27" ASD as Primary Monitor + 1 (or 2) additional 24" 1080p monitors (cheaper Dell monitors I currently use at work). Will this work ok with Parallels as well? If so, can I use the ASD as the hub for the additional monitors (which can do DisplayPort or HDMI) with the right cables (USB-C to DisplayPort), or should I get a separate dock?
I want to get a sense for whether this is all possible, before pitching the idea at work. Let's leave separate any other considerations around using your personal device at work (I know this is a consideration as well, but I want to focus on the technical aspects of how this would go first).
I've never done this before, so appreciate any advice / feedback. Thanks all!
