Hosting requires Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or greater
You cannot host on Windows 7, macOS or Ubuntu.
If you have a Windows 8.1 or better gaming PC that fulfills these hardware requirements, you can host a Parsec gaming session for yourself or your friends to connect to.
You also need to be running Windows 8.1, 10, Server 2012, Server 2016, or Server 2019 to host. Parsec cannot support Windows 7 as a host. It will not happen any time in the future due to Microsoft deprecating the operating system and not adding important features, like this, to Windows 7.
HOSTING A GAMING SESSION ON PARSEC
- Visit our downloads page and download the Windows version of Parsec.
- Make sure you download the right version of Parsec for your Windows operating system. Some Windows computers still run the 32-bit version of Windows. Please choose that version of the Parsec software if your computer is running 32-bit Windows.
- Install Parsec and accept the Windows Firewall exception request. If you don't do this, follow this article on how to add a Windows Firewall exception.
- If you ran into a problem at this point, or Parsec doesn't successfully install, it's most likely because your anti-virus is blocking the installation. Please make sure your anti-virus doesn't block it.
- Log in or create an account when Parsec launches.
- If you didn't enable hosting on installation or you've disabled it at some point, please enable it in the hosting section of settings.
- If you want to start Parsec when your computer starts, right click on the Parsec logo on the task tray and choose "Run when my computer starts." This step will help avoid you accidentally forgetting to turn the Parsec server on. Don't worry, anyone trying to make a connection still has to be approved by you unless you give them permission to connect without permission.
A lot of people get confused when they see multiple processes for Parsec running on their computer. There are a few apps running that make Parsec work. We have a separate process running for the Parsec Service, which allows you to get through UAC screens. Just like every Windows Service, this Service always runs in the background. You can find more information about that here. If you don't want the Service to run, you can stop it, but you will not be able to interact with admin applications or UAC screens. You can always restart the Service through Task Manager Services Tab.