A solution for when Revit runs very slowly on MacBook Pro with Parallels

November 24, 2021 Bob Felton

Issue:

Under certain configurations, Autodesk Revit can respond unusually slow when working in a fairly complex model when running in Windows 10 hosted by Parallels as a guest OS on a macOS workstation. For example, even in an otherwise well-configured MacBook Pro such as shown below, it's possible to experience a slow response in Revit.

 

Causes:

The usual cause is the amount of memory (RAM) and the video settings allocated to Windows in Parallels.

 

 

For example, the well-configured MacBook Pro shown above has allocated 16 GB of memory to Windows 10 as accessed from the Parallels icon in the upper right corner of the Mac's desktop.

Solution:

With resources shown above on a MacBook Pro or iMac, etc, allocating more RAM is the best solution for better performance in Revit in Windows.

 

 

For example, with 64 GB of RAM available, increasing the RAM allocated to Windows from 16 GB to 32 GB will make a huge improvement in Revit. The reason is that Parallels allocates all video resources through RAM rather than the memory on the video adapter.

Further, under the graphics section of the Windows 10 configuration, choose the option to 'Always use high-performance graphics' as shown below.

 

 

Also, select the 'Configure for: Design - CAD software and graphics editing programs' under the Advanced button of the Graphics section.

 

 

For a Mac with less than 64 GB of RAM available to share with Windows, try to allocate as much RAM as you can spare to Windows.

Or consider configuring Boot Camp to dual boot your Mac into Windows that will then have full access to all RAM. Just be aware that a newer Mac with the Apple silicon M1 chip or higher cannot run Boot Camp. Only a Mac with an Intel CPU can run Boot Camp.

 

 

About the Author

Bob Felton

Sr. Technical Support Specialist, Manufacturing<br><br>Bob Felton has been supporting Autodesk products for over 25 years including core AutoCAD, P&ID, Plant 3D, AutoCAD for Mac, AutoCAD Mechanical, and Vault. His background is in graphics with an Applied Sciences degree and ten years manufacturing experience drafting, as well as technical illustration, image editing, and even patent drafting.

Follow on Linkedin More Content by Bob Felton
Previous Article
Add CFD 2019 or 2021 to Fusion 360
Add CFD 2019 or 2021 to Fusion 360

In the Simulation workspace when simplifying a model, the Tools ribbon doesn’t show and/or the CFD 2019/202...

Next Article
Civil 3D: Slow Performance in Large Data Sets
Civil 3D: Slow Performance in Large Data Sets

Files with Large Data Sets, slow performance is expected behavior in Civil 3D. Here are some things that ca...

×

Get Tips Delivered.

Subscribe to Email Updates.

First Name
Last Name
Country
Thank you!
Error - something went wrong!