Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most common questions about Parall. If your question isn’t answered here, please contact support or open an issue on GitHub.

General Questions

What does Parall do?
Parall creates lightweight macOS app shortcuts that behave like separate apps. You can run multiple instances of the same app side by side, each with its own data, settings, permissions, and Dock icon.

Does Parall modify my system or other apps?
No. Parall never modifies system files or existing apps. It simply creates small shortcut bundles that link to your original apps.

Does Parall inject anything into apps?
No. Parall never injects, modifies, or alters app binaries. It only launches the target app with optional custom environment variables or arguments as configured by the user.

Are Parall shortcuts signed or sandboxed?
No. By design, Parall shortcuts are not sandboxed or signed. This is necessary because they directly execute the target app’s bundle. macOS may sometimes show a warning saying the shortcut “tries to modify another app,” but this message appears for any access - not modification. Parall never modifies apps or system files.

Do Parall shortcuts update automatically when the main app updates?
Yes. Because each shortcut points to the original app bundle, any updates to the main app automatically apply to all shortcuts.

Does Parall require internet access or background services?
No. Parall works completely offline. It has no background daemons, no telemetry, and makes no network requests.

Can I pin Parall-created shortcuts to the Dock?
Yes. Once a shortcut is saved, simply drag it to the Dock. It behaves just like any other macOS app icon.

Do Parall shortcuts appear as separate apps in third-party focus or blocking tools?
Yes. Each shortcut bundle has its own bundle identifier and macOS treats it as a separate app. Third-party tools such as 1Focus, Jomo, Little Snitch and similar utilities can target each shortcut individually, so you can limit, block, or filter them per shortcut just like you would with a separate app.

Why does a phantom Dock icon appear when using “Open With” passthrough?
For the “Open With” passthrough feature, note that a phantom Dock icon may appear the first time it’s used.
You can simply quit that temporary icon once, after that, passthrough commands will work as expected.

Can I use Parall with Safari, Mail, or other Apple apps?
No. System and Apple-provided apps (those starting with com.apple.) are not supported. These apps use system-level restrictions that prevent Parall from running them independently.

Can I use Parall for iOS apps running on macOS?
No. Parall only supports native macOS apps. iOS apps from the App Store are not supported.

Do sandboxed apps support custom home/data redirection?
No. For sandboxed apps (including most Mac App Store apps), macOS forces data into the system container at ~/Library/Containers/<bundle-id>/Data. Parall detects sandboxed apps automatically and uses the container. You can still run multiple instances, but custom home/data‑path redirection is not available.

Are all apps supported by Parall?
Not every macOS app allows multiple parallel instances. Some enforce a single-instance policy.
If you’re unsure whether your target app is supported, contact [email protected] before purchasing — I’ll personally test it and confirm compatibility.

Launch order tips:

• If using a Parall shortcut together with the original app, start the original app first, then launch the shortcut.
• To avoid any launch‑order dependency, create two shortcuts and use those exclusively - they can be started in any order and will run simultaneously.

Advanced and Technical Questions

Does Parall support separate data folders for each shortcut?
Automatic data‑folder separation is supported for Firefox-based, Chromium‑based and ToDesktop-based apps and browsers.
For other apps, you can pass custom command‑line arguments or environment variables (including HOME override) to create isolated profiles. Note: sandboxed apps always use their system container - custom home/data redirection does not apply to them.

Can I override environment variables or HOME path?
Yes. Parall can set custom environment variables for each shortcut. You can also override the HOME directory to create a separate profile folder for many non‑sandboxed apps. If the selected directory isn’t empty, Parall automatically creates a user‑named subfolder and links key macOS folders to maintain compatibility.
Important: sandboxed apps ignore custom HOME/data overrides and always use their system‑assigned container; redirection is not supported for them.

What is the “quarantine removal” step after exporting a shortcut?
macOS adds a “quarantine” attribute to newly created bundles. You can remove it using the provided Terminal command. On older macOS versions (10.10-10.11), you also need to clear quarantine on the shortcut’s binary.

Is Parall safe to use in managed environments (MDM, enterprise, etc.)?
Yes. Parall can be deployed and managed through standard MDM systems. It doesn’t modify system files, and its behavior is fully transparent.

For IT and System Administrators

Can Parall app be deployed via MDM?
Yes. You can deploy Parall using any standard MDM solution. To pre-authorize Accessibility permissions, push a configuration profile using the com.apple.TCC.configuration-profile-policy domain granting Accessibility access to app.parall.mac.

Are there any network dependencies or telemetry?
No. Parall apps operate fully offline and store no personal data. They do not initiate network connections or send telemetry.

Troubleshooting

“App is damaged and can’t be opened” message

If you see this message when opening a Parall-created shortcut, it means you didn’t complete the final step in the Parall app during shortcut creation.

To fix this:

1. Open Parall again.
2. Recreate the shortcut for your app.
3. Carefully follow the on-screen instructions until the very last step - this ensures the shortcut is finalized correctly and ready to launch.

Once the shortcut is properly completed, macOS will open it normally without showing this message.

“Privacy & Security” message on first launch

This message appears when macOS detects that a Parall-created shortcut is launching another app directly using its command-line path.

Parall does not modify apps or system files.
Shortcuts are read‑only bundles that launch the target app with optional arguments and environment variables defined in their Info.plist.

You can safely dismiss this message. It simply informs you that the shortcut is attempting to start another app, which is exactly how Parall works to launch separate instances.

OAuth Authorization Limitations

If a shortcut instance requires external OAuth authorization (such as for Cursor or Dropbox), the authorization may fail if any other instance of the same app is running. To complete the authorization successfully, please close all other instances of that app, perform the authorization process, and then you can reopen and use multiple instances simultaneously afterward.

Note: If the app is sandboxed, custom home/data redirection will not apply during or after authorization — the app will continue to use its container.

Removing Shortcuts

To remove a Parall shortcut, simply delete the shortcut’s app bundle as you would any macOS app (for example, move it to the Trash or delete it normally). There is nothing to undo: activation modifies only the shortcut bundle itself, not the system or the original apps.

If you set a custom data storage folder for the shortcut, you should manually delete that folder as well.

After completing these steps, nothing remains from the shortcut on your system.

Still Need Help?

If something doesn’t work as expected - or if you’re unsure whether a behavior is intended - contact support. The app is actively maintained, and I’ll do my best to help.