There are many reasons why you want to run Windows on your Mac computer. Maybe you want to run a Windows-only app or prefer the look and feel of Microsoft’s operating system. Whatever your reason, you have two main tactics to proceed.
The right approach for you depends on your budget, how you plan to use Windows, and the age of your Mac. We’ve covered any here so you can make your selection or transfer between the two if you wish.
And in case you’re wondering, you can’t run macOS on a Windows computer, at least not easily. stick to unofficial alternative solutions that you believe are causing more disruption than they are worth.
Apple’s Boot Camp is a built-in app that sets up your PC as a dual-boot system, allowing you to load Windows or macOS every time you start your machine. Boot Camp has many advantages: it is officially compatible with Apple and Microsoft, makes full use of the processing force and memory of your Mac, and is undeniable to configure.
But since nothing in Windows-Mac relationships can be perfect, Boot Camp has the big problem of going out of style quickly, making it incompatible with newer Apple computers. Corporate has introduced since 2020 and will continue to be published in the future, not Boot Camp, because Windows is simply not designed for this processor design.
[Related: Great macOS Features You Can Get on Windows]
But the limitations keep coming, and even if you have an older Mac with an Intel chipset, Boot Camp will only let you run Windows 10. This is because Windows 11 has strict formula requirements that Intel Macs simply don’t meet. At the time of writing, it’s unclear if Boot Camp will ever make it to Macs running Apple’s silicon, or if Windows 11 will ever work with Boot Camp. Apple has made some positive noises about it, so it turns out it’s now at Microsoft.
So if you have an old Mac and you’re just running Windows 10, Boot Camp can seamlessly give you the flexibility of the operating system. To get started, you want a virtual copy of Windows (which you can get from Microsoft for $139) and run Boot Camp Assistant. Use Spotlight search (spacebar command) to locate the app on your Mac, open it, and proceed with the installation process.
The first step is to set up a component split on your Mac’s hard drive, which will separate the components from the disk so that Windows can live on it. It’s up to you to decide the length of this area, but the more files and systems you need to use with Windows, the more space you need. Apple recommends at least 64GB for Windows to work well and at least 128GB for the most productive experience.
When the time is right, Boot Camp Assistant will prompt you to open the record you downloaded from Microsoft. You’ll know what it’s all about thanks to the ISO extension of the record name. When the installation is complete, every time you start your Mac, hold down the Option key between macOS and Windows. You can also set the default selection of macOS by opening the Apple menu and opting for System Preferences, then Startup Disk.
The other option to get Windows on your Mac, and the only option if you have a newer device powered via M1 or if you need to use Windows 11, is to use a virtualization software.
This type of program runs Windows with the maximum sensitivity of some other layer of software that works with macOS, so as far as Windows is concerned, it runs on a common PC. This extra layer of processing and interpretation slows down functionality compared to Boot Camp, although for maximum responsibilities you shouldn’t have any main lag issues. It’s also a more expensive option, as it pays for the virtualization package and Windows itself.
Parallels is the most productive in the industry for this and will charge you a one-time payment of $80. For faster support, loose updates for long-running versions, and some extras (like more customization tools), there’s also a professional level. package for $100 consistent with the year. As with Boot Camp, you also want to acquire Windows, which will charge you $139. At the time of writing, Microsoft is not promoting Windows 11 directly, so you have to settle for Windows 10 which you can then upgrade to the latest edition of the system withating oconsistent.
But this technique also has its problems. If you want to use Windows 11, you want to use an experimental edition of the software that Microsoft has designed especially for ARM processors, which are Apple’s chips. You’ll want to sign in with Microsoft to use this edition, and because it’s experimental, you might encounter some bugs.
[Related: MacOS Big Sur has a Do Not Disturb error. Here’s how to fix it. ]
The good news is that Parallels does all the heavy lifting for you. Download and run the installation package, follow the on-screen instructions, and use Windows on your Mac in minutes. Parallels also allows you to run Windows as a Mac application, so you can transfer between operational formulas as needed without rebooting, running Microsoft’s operational formula in full screen or even in a window.
While the functionality is rarely as smart as with Boot Camp, Parallels does a smart task when optimizing Windows, so most apps and even fewer not-easy games run smoothly. There are other virtualization machines available, which add VMware Fusion and VirtualBox, but they are more complicated to configure than Parallels and cause even more problems when it comes to Mac M1 and Windows 11.
Finally, if those two characteristics seem a bit exaggerated to you, things may become less difficult in the future. Microsoft’s Windows 365 Cloud PC is a tool that can extend access to a Windows 11 PC through any browser on any type of machine, regardless of the operating formula they are running. Lately, this app is only available to businesses, but it may only be a customer option at some point in the future, making a PC enjoy a Smooth Mac.
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