Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Among the compendium of 50 + putz there are some veridical gems , like the Clipboard History and TV download tools . There ’s also a lot of tools you probably do n’t need , but someone somewhere does . It ’s a shame that a Toolbox now requires an one-year subscription ( unless you get it as part of Parallels Desktop ) but you’re able to take advantage of the 7 - mean solar day run to see how utilitarian Toolbox will be for you .
Price When Reviewed
This value will show the geolocated pricing text edition for Cartesian product undefined
Find the tool you need for the job in Parallels Toolbox.
Best Pricing Today
For several years throughout the 1990s and former 2000s , there was the sheer joy of purchase a new computer magazine publisher from the rack or get down the new upshot in the mail and seeing that a free compact disc - ROM had come with it . The candela - ROM generally contain various demos , updates , and free public-service corporation to examine out , and as you loaded it onto your Mac and copy everything over to try out later , your geeky heart thrilled to the estimation of being able to encounter with some cool new applications and utilities you otherwise might not have hail across .
Parallels , makers of theParallels desktop virtualization software program , has observe this awake withParallels Toolbox , which stands at version 7.0.0 as of this writing ( version 7 launch in September 2024 ) . What ’s present in Parallels Toolbox is a gargantuan grab bag of small , nerveless apps that officiate somewhat as system widgets , but are still unequaled in their own right .
Find the tool you need for the job in Parallels Toolbox.
Parallels Toolbox is included in our review of thebest fresh apps for Macs , and for ripe intellect , as it admit a number of instrument and feature film that can serve you to fully uninstall apps , and clear out old or duplicate files that are taking up unnecessary disk space . However , there ’s a passel more to Toolbox than that simple fistful of features .
Parallels Toolbox applications figure more than 50 dick available in the Files , Audio , Images , Photography , Internet , Screen Capture , System , Time , Utilities , and telecasting category . The applications arrive as small downloads and are easy to dive into , with pre - loaded utilities like Uninstall , Download Video , Free Memory , and Clean Drive clamoring for your attending while the Library hints at other nifty apps that can be downloaded and explored . Each tool works like a form of mini - app that performs one specific labor – such as the Free Memory puppet , which exhibit how much retentiveness your Mac currently has devoid , and which apps that you ’re run are using the most memory .
Since it first launch as a little aggregation of utility that were – and still are – included liberal of care along withParallels background . The app has continue to rise and is now useable as a standalone production for both Mac and Windows , with an annual subscription fee of $ 24.99/£20.99 a twelvemonth . There ’s also a 7 - day gratis trial available so that you may try out it out before deciding if you require to buy the full version .
Find the tool you need for the job in Parallels Toolbox.
Parallels Toolbox tools
you could set Parallels Toolbox to run mechanically when you start your Mac , and the Toolbox image will then be display on the Mac ’s main Menu bar – alongside Time , Volume and other standard Mac ascendancy . This countenance you to open a pull - down carte du jour that has two tabs for display puppet . The Dashboard tab shows some of the most democratic tools to help you get start , as well as the tools that you ’ve used most of late .
There ’s also a Library tabloid that displays the entire list of creature that are usable , with additional Italian sandwich - tabs that sort tools into related groups , such as Video Tools or System Tools . you’re able to tag your favorite tools so that they are added to the Dashboard view for nimble access , but many tools can also be placed with their own icons in the Menu bar as well , and there ’s also an option to create your own keyboard crosscut to launch individual tools as well .
Find the instrument you need for the job in Parallels Toolbox .
Foundry
A collection of more than 50 tools intend that there ’s a batch to take in when first getting started but , as mentioned , Toolbox can sort cock into radical to facilitate you retrieve the tools you need . If you ’re look for cleaner tools that can help you to domesticise disk infinite or fine - tune your Mac ’s performance then the Clean Drive tool can locate unnecessary files that are taking up space on your Mac , and also get matching file cabinet that you may no longer need . Another peter can full uninstall Mac apps , along with any related files that may be scattered around your Mac ’s drive . It can also highlight large files that are taking up a plenty of space , such as secret plan that you may not necessitate any longer .
Other mathematical group of tools include Video Tools , with options such as Download Video , which can help you todownload TV from YouTubeand other websites , while Convert Video can convert your video files into dissimilar formats for use of goods and services on an iPhone or iPad , or even into the AVI or WMV formats for Windows devices . The television tools also include choice for creating screen recordings and recreate GIFs , and there ’s a useful Download Audio tool , which lets you just grab the audio data track from video filing cabinet that you find online .
Parallels Toolbox will free up memory on your Mac.
Here ’s an overview of some of the most useful putz we found :
TheUninstallapp works as well as can be expect , and while this definitely is n’t completely original on the Mac in this daytime and age , it allows you to go through a list of installed applications on your Mac , plunk and choose what to off , and dependably disrobe out both the app and its support files , which comes in William Christopher Handy .
WhereDownload Videois concern , this really functions more as a web internet browser extension than a standalone app , but it ’s uncomplicated , to the distributor point , and earmark you to easily save Internet - based picture as well as bid an option for whether or not to save a telecasting ’s subtitles . Yes,4 K Video Downloadoffers more selection , such as isolate audio and video recording for download , but this offers something mere and ready to hand and deserving try out out .
Screenshot
Clean Drive : Once again , this finger a number typical / in line with exchangeable usefulness being grow by other company these days , but it put up prosperous notification and access as to what ’s eat on driving force space ( i.e. , log files , cache data file , trash , internet browser data point , mail cache , mobile apps , iTunes temp file , iOS gimmick substitute , and old updates ) and offers a nice level of command as to clear them out . Clean Drive also offer quick access to the macOS Storage dose , which tend to be overlook , and allows you to conform your storage preferences on the fly .
Free Memory : standardized to other memory cleaners on the market , this notifies you as to where your Mac ’s RAM / Unified Memory is going , which applications are munching up the majority of it , and allow you to mark the amount of barren memory in macOS ’ Menu Bar , which can be utilitarian .
Parallels Toolbox will free up memory on your Mac .
Record Screen : This turned out to be both cool and ready to hand , and after designate it permission in the Screen & System Audio pane , it countenance you to immortalise what ’s on screen as a QuickTime movie data file and save it to the desktop . You ’ll demand to tinker with its options to get it exactly how you desire it , but it ’s impressive nonetheless .
cave in Time : The Break Time tool tracks clock time reminds you to get away from your computer every now and then . It is fairly customizable to boot . It ’s leisurely to add your work calendar , customize notification sound , and assure it to impede your screen during breaks , thereby pull you to actually loosen up and jerk yourself by from a machine for once in your life , and that ’s appreciated . Yes , it could be a bit more customizable and offer an option to enter more specific numerical times for study and break cycles , but this is off to a in force start and succeeds in reminding you to pull yourself away from your Mac throughout the day .
Unit Converter : Just a corking widget that can take just about any numerical unit and convert it into length , monetary units , or about anything you may imagine on the fly ball . Yes , other widgets do this as well , but this is easy to pull up and work with and fun to iron boot .
Transform Text : This got me sincerely into Parallels Toolbox and made me a fan , offering a spry and wanton readiness of text setting that can be promptly copied over to other apps and pasted in as trust . Yes , being capable to create rearward and upside - down text to beam along to friends may seem a bit silly , but this is a play tool that makes you need to see what else you may come up with .
Screenshot
Encrypt : The cool on - the - fly encryption software Hollywood promised but no one ever actually delivered . This allow you to dredge and drop files and folders in , and rapidly encrypts everything to the .pboxz formatting , which can be locked to the password of your choice . It ’s quick , it ’s rapid in both its encryption and decoding functions , and you could designate where the Indian file is saved to as well as redeem your passwords to the macOS keychain for well-to-do retrieval .
Eject Volumes : This ejects all the outside book mounted on your Mac at once , which can be incredibly commodious , or at least easier than telling a champion or syndicate fellow member to remember to drag a volume to the trash or tell them to click an icon and use Command - eastward to eject it , which is a conversation I ’ve had 12 of times over the years that never incur less thwarting .
Clipboard account : One of the biggest groups of tools is clock time - pull through Productivity Tools . My personal favourite – which has earn its own slur on my iMac ’s Menu bar – is Clipboard History , which can lay in multiple text and graphics point that you have copied into the clipboard , go back as far as the last 30 day . This is really utilitarian for me when write and editing articles as it countenance me to quickly look back and recall text or graphics that I may need to employ again .
Focus On : I also care the ability to quickly launch an total group of apps or files with one click – such as Pages and Photoshop Elements when I ’m working on screenshots for reappraisal – and the Focus On Window creature that deoxidize distraction by dimming the integral screen apart from the window or app that I ’m presently using .
There ’s also a utilitarian set of metre - direction shaft , admit a countdown timekeeper , and a calendar countdown that enumerate the days until a specific date . A stoppage - watch , and the power to make multiple alarm ( which I get much simpler than Apple ’s own Reminders app ) .
Not all of these tools will seem essential . The tools for read and creating barcodes will probably only invoke to a rather niche consultation , while the tools for make screenshots and silver screen recording largely seem to reproduce the features that are already built into the macOS itself .
In spite of a few things that could be add up to the apps in parliamentary law to meliorate them , I see this as a playground of interesting utilities that ’s leisurely to play with , enjoy , and dive into . Yes , you could notice Apple widgets within macOS and Web - base applications across the Internet that perform similar functions , but this is a well - consolidated library , and it ’s fun to ascertain this grow and acquire over sentence .
Verdict
It ’s a shame that a relatively lowly piece of software program such as Toolbox now require an annual subscription , as that will probably deter quite a few likely substance abuser . I do determine Toolbox utile – but I get it include with my written matter of Parallels Desktop , so I do n’t need to pay an additional subscription fee for it . And , incidentally , Parallels Desktop still provide an choice to buy that as a one - time purchase without an yearly subscription , so it ’s unsatisfying that Toolbox itself is now subscription - only . And , of track , there are many utilities uncommitted from other developers that cater similar features . But at least you could download the free trial and see how utilitarian Toolbox is for your own personal work band - up before buying .
