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We asked Microsoft if it plans to change this policy to allow Windows 10 on ARM-based Macs, and the company says “we have nothing further to share at this time.”įortunately, they had something to share later, again through an official Microsoft spokesperson (that faceless PR-driven process where press or analysts can ask Microsoft for an official response to a question). “Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to OEMs,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. For example, this article on the Verge contained a quote from Microsoft: But Microsoft made statements via spokespeople saying this wasn’t supported. Technically, there was nothing that prevented you from using any Windows 11 key to do this, as Windows product keys are not architecture-specific, so you can use the same key with x86 (RIP), 圆4, and ARM64 OSes.

You need a Windows 11 ARM64 product key.

But they did make a Windows Insider ARM64 virtual hard disk image available for download, and that will work with Hyper-V (if you’ve got a Windows 11 ARM64 machine running Hyper-V) as well as with Parallels or VMware, so that’s a reasonable workaround. There are no ISOs or WIM files available for this, as Microsoft hasn’t ever made these available.

Both work reasonably well, but there was one challenge: At that point, Microsoft wouldn’t sell you a version of Windows 11 to run on it. However, if you do constantly need Windows programs on your Mac, it’s a no-brainer, and it will, at the end of the day, save you a lot of money than shelling out for a separate Windows computer altogether.In a previous blog post, I talked about two products that enabled running the ARM64 version of Windows 11 on M1-based Macs, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. OutlookĪt a starting price of $80, Parallels is certainly not cheap, and it’s important to remember that it doesn’t include the cost of a Windows license. In comparison, when I played Counter-Strike on the Windows 11 virtual machine, it was practically unplayable at15 frames per second. As we found out in our M1 gaming review, the Mac Mini can produce a reasonable performance for mid-tier titles, including Fortnite, Asphalt, CS: GO, and more. Since Parallels doesn’t support DirectX 12, that leaves out most new video games, and for the ones it can launch, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you’ll have a better time playing them on macOS itself. The one aspect where the Windows virtual machine is still no match for a direct installation is gaming. Similarly, you can access Mac files from the Windows File Explorer, and Mac apps will be available in Windows’ “Open-with” menu. Both the desktops can stay in sync as well, which means the active Windows programs will appear on the macOS dock. With the “Coherence” mode, you can access Windows apps as if they’re installed on macOS itself and effortlessly drag and drop files across them and Mac apps - minus the constant back and forth between the VM and macOS. Windows 11 on a Mac (Image credit: Future) So if you own an entry-level Mac with only 8GB of RAM like me, you can utilize this to ensure running two operating systems doesn’t grind your machine to a halt. The most important tool is the ability to configure how much memory and CPU bandwidth is allocated to the virtual machine. On top of that, it offers a host of handy tools so that you can adjust the experience depending on your demands.

Parallels automatically shares your macOS profile’s data with the VM, such as Wi-Fi and printer settings. Once you’re inside the Windows 11 virtual machine, there’s little for you to set up.

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Once you download Parallels on your Mac, its installation assistant will grab and load up the Windows 11 ISO file for you, and the M1 chip’s performance chops wrap up that process in about 30 minutes. Installing Windows on Parallels is no longer a multi-step process either.

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It supports all the new Windows 11 bells and whistles, except for Android games since Parallels can’t replicate the “hardware acceleration” option just yet. Plus, it can wake up from sleep in an instant in the same state you left it, including all the open apps. Windows 11 on a Mac (Image credit: Parallels)Įverything from Windows 11’s refreshed animations to resource-intensive multitasking worked as Microsoft intended it to.