Parallels Desktop Configuration File

When you create a VM in Parallels Desktop, the software generates a PVM file to store all the necessary information for the VM. A PVM file is a macOS package that contains multiple files, including the VM's virtual hard drive ( .HDD ), log files ( .LOG ), disk images ( .ISO ), and data files ( .DAT ). Within this package, Parallels also creates a config.pvs file, which stores all the configuration settings for the VM, such as memory allocation, network options, and connected peripherals.

Location of PVS files

You can find a VM's PVS file inside its PVM package, which Parallels Desktop saves by default in the following location:

Macintosh HD/​Users/​[username]/​Documents/​Parallels/​

To view the contents, right-click the PVM file in Finder and select Show Package Contents . This will display the package's internal files, including the config.pvs file.

config.pvs - Default name given to PVS files found within PVM files.

You should not attempt to open PVS files. Instead, Parallels Desktop for Mac automatically loads the information in the PVS file when running a virtual machine. You can view and modify the configuration settings saved in a PVS file by selecting Actions → Configure... or clicking the "Configuration" gear icon.

Opening a PVS file with a text editor

Since PVS files store information in plain text, you can open them with a text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad (Windows) or Apple TextEdit (Mac), or a source code editor. You may need to rename the .pvs file extension to .txt for the text editor to recognize it.

When opened in a text editor or source code editor, you can modify the elements and parameters in the PVS file. However, if you incorrectly edit the file, you may inadvertently cause the VM not to run correctly.

Programs that open PVS files

Updated: August 28, 2025