This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Stefor07
A visual and technical experiment to reinvent the Parallels experience on Windows, starting with VirtualBox and pushing it beyond its limits.
“Parallels Desktop on Windows doesn’t exist. Or so they say. But looking at this window—clean, immersive, devoid of any recognizable hypervisor signature—makes you wonder: what if it actually existed?
A virtual machine that doesn’t feel virtual. No intrusive UI, no detail that betrays its technical heart. Just a parallel operating system, living alongside my real world.
If Parallels never came to Windows, then I decided to bring it to you.
This isn’t emulation. It’s not cloning. It’s illusion—perfect, intentional, ingeniously constructed.
Welcome to my visual experiment: when VirtualBox pretends to be Parallels and perception surpasses reality”.
How the idea was born – from boredom to vision 
1. What happened to Parallels?
I was bored. And not just any boredom—the digital kind, made up of identical windows, monotonous virtual systems, and gray interfaces. So I asked myself: what would happen if I could have Parallels Desktop… on Windows? A software that doesn’t exist, but one I’ve always imagined for its elegance and its unique way of bringing two systems together.
As many know, Parallels is a company we could call VMware’s younger sister — once dedicated to developing desktop virtualization software for Windows, Linux, and macOS alike.
But over time, as attention to the Windows and Linux platforms faded, Parallels felt neglected. A bit heartbroken
“…Parallels felt neglected. A bit heartbroken, it quietly stepped away from Windows and Linux, turning its full attention to macOS — the platform where it found not just support, but a sense of identity.”
2. But do Windows and Linux really have to give up?
Why should Windows and Linux users be denied the fully parallel experience that Parallels Desktop once offered? It’s simply not fair. So, driven by a mix of frustration and curiosity, I decided to recreate the illusion myself.
With a bit of cunning and the help of tools like AutoHotkey and Resource Hacker, I started to disguise and camouflage VirtualBox — reshaping icons, tweaking window titles, and crafting a Parallels-like look and feel.
For now, the experiment runs only on Windows. But even there, the illusion is surprisingly convincing.
“…If the software doesn’t exist, sometimes you just have to simulate it into existence.”
This wasn’t just about visual tweaks — it was about reimagining the virtualization experience entirely.
Every icon, every title bar, every missing menu had a purpose: to dissolve the border between host and guest, making the virtual system feel native, invisible, seamlessly embedded.
3. Why VirtualBox?
Some might ask: why not use VMware instead?
Well, VirtualBox gave me the flexibility I needed — it’s open-source, scriptable, and wonderfully customizable.
Sure, it’s not the most powerful hypervisor out there, but when it comes to crafting illusions, it’s the perfect canvas.
And let’s be honest: if a hypothetical Parallels Desktop for Windows had ever existed, it likely wouldn’t have matched VMware’s virtualization performance.
VMware focuses heavily on Windows, making it almost the opposite of Parallels, which is developed exclusively for macOS.
In that sense, choosing VirtualBox wasn’t about chasing raw power — it was about bending reality to fit a vision
How I created the illusion!
Even though I wasn’t able to fully modify VirtualBox’s entire UI, that didn’t stop me from reshaping the experience at the VM window level.
Using a mix of clever tools and command-line magic, I customized the virtual machine’s appearance to mimic Parallels Desktop’s minimal aesthetic:
- I removed all default menu bars to keep the window clean and immersive.
- With VBoxManage, I changed the VM icon directly from the CLI.
- Thanks to AutoHotkey, I ran scripts that dynamically updated window titles and replaced icons in real time.
- I downloaded the Parallels Desktop icon, converted it, and swapped it into the interface using Resource Hacker.
- I changed the VirtualBox shortcuts names to Parallels Desktop, and created another AutoHotkey script to start VirtualBox with the window title changed to Parallels.
The result? A VirtualBox VM that looks and behaves like something Parallels might have built for Windows — a visual and perceptual transformation that breaks the barrier between host and guest.
To make everything even more convincing, I added one last touch.
I downloaded the classic two red bands from Parallels Desktop — a visual signature that anyone familiar with the software would instantly recognize.
Using GIMP, I carefully placed those bands over the system’s OS icon, creating a layered image that visually mimics the official Parallels branding.
Once re-exported, the final result made the illusion even more real and immersive — as if the VM were part of an actual Parallels build for Windows.
A touch of personality or motivation
It wasn’t just about making things look cool, it was about creating something that felt real. Something that could live in a world where Parallels would re-embrace Windows. The red stripes weren’t a decoration; they were the signature of a dream I wanted to resurrect, something to please Windows and Linux users, to console them for the absence of Parallels Desktop on Windows/Linux.
A reflection on perception vs. reality
Did the illusion work? Those seeing the VM for the first time weren’t asking “Is this VirtualBox?”, but “How did you get Parallels on Windows?” And that question alone meant I’d succeeded: the line between simulation and reality had been blurred just enough to make it believable, this is all camouflage up to a certain point.
Philosophical angle (if you like deeper tones
Software isn’t just function: it’s emotion, memory, branding, aspiration. By visually rebuilding Parallels, I wasn’t simply modifying a window… I was restoring an experience that had never been offered to Windows users — until now.
We should be grateful for it, even if the underlying virtualization engine remains VirtualBox.
And let’s face it: expectations weren’t high to begin with… but perhaps that made the illusion all the more satisfying.
Even I sometimes forgot I was using VirtualBox. That, to me, was proof that the illusion wasn’t just visual — it changed how I experienced virtualization.
Introduction to screenshots
Enough talk. Let’s look at it.
Here’s what my Parallels-inspired illusion looks like — built entirely with VirtualBox, scripts, icon edits, and a little creative defiance
The actual VirtualBox UI with some customizations, changed icon and window text
No virtual machine has ever felt so integrated. When even the most experienced users pause and ask, “Wait, is this Parallels on Windows?”, you know the trick has worked—it’s all done correctly and believably!
This article does not aim to clone or impersonate any commercial software.
It simply explores how open tools like VirtualBox can be visually reimagined to mimic the aesthetic of other environments.
I didn’t set out to create a clone. I set out to create a possibility, a possibility that never officially existed, but now lives on through perception. This experiment reminded me that creativity isn’t bound by platforms or limitations. Sometimes, the best features are the ones we imagine. Since I’ve always imagined Parallels Desktop on Windows, my dream has now come true, to a certain extent.
Final thoughts: not just a VM, but a vision
What started with boredom became a form of digital expression.
A simple VirtualBox window, stripped and reshaped, turned into a parallel experience — one that never existed officially, but now feels strangely real.
This project wasn’t about replacing Parallels. It was about reclaiming possibility.
Windows users deserve elegant virtualization too — and if the industry won’t deliver it, sometimes curiosity and ingenuity can.
I know it’s still VirtualBox under the hood. And that’s okay.
Because sometimes, the engine isn’t what matters most — the illusion is.
Imagination is the real hypervisor.
Imagination is the real hypervisor.
Did this illusion spark something in you? Ever tried transforming a tool just for the fun of it — or the aesthetics?
Share your thoughts below — I’d love to hear how you’ve reimagined software experiences, or even built your own digital illusions.
I’m open and happy to hear your opinion and other ideas! 
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Stefor07