You can now run Windows 11 on a Mac — here's how

You tin can at present run Windows xi on a Mac — hither's how

(Image credit: Parallels)

Both Intel and M1 Macs can now run Windows 11, thanks to Parallels Desktop 17 — the latest version of Parallels' virtualization suite.

Parallels confirmed it was working on bringing Windows 11 to M1 Macs earlier this year, and sure plenty the final release can run Windows xi (in a window) on both types of Macs. It fifty-fifty supports Windows xi Insider Preview builds, and is prepare to work with macOS 12 Monterey once it launches this fall.

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Parallels Desktop 17 takes a unlike approach to Boot Camp, Apple'south manner to become both macOS and Windows running on a Mac. Instead of installing Windows on a sectionalization of your computer'southward storage, Parallels Desktop creates a virtual machine (VM) and installs Windows on that. This makes it possible to effectively run both operating systems simultaneously, even allowing to you drag and drop items between macOS and the Windows … window.

There is a catch for those with M1 Macs, however. Because the M1 chip is ARM-based, y'all'll essentially be installing a version of Windows xi that'southward existence emulated by ARM. This brings with information technology all the occasional wonkiness of using Windows on whatsoever other ARM processor: some apps may not perform every bit well as if they were running natively on Intel hardware, while other apps may not be uniform at all.

Windows 11 and its new Start menu on a Mac in Parallels 17 — (Prototype credit: Parallels)

Still, Microsoft is working on improving compatibility, fifty-fifty releasing a native 64-scrap ARM version of Function. And this could, in turn, make running Windows 11 on M1 Macs fifty-fifty easier. Parallels Desktop 17 besides makes diverse functioning improvements peculiarly for M1 Macs: Windows tin can plain kickoff up 33% faster on M1 hardware compared to Parallels Desktop sixteen, while DirectX11 can run up to 28% faster and storage performance is up to twenty% faster.

You'll demand to pay for privilege, though. Parallels Desktop 17 starts at $79 for the Standard Edition, and if you desire a VM with more than 8GB of virtual memory, you'll need the Pro or Business organization Editions, which are both ongoing subscriptions at $99 per year.

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James joined Tom'south Guide in 2020, bringing years of experience in consumer tech and product testing. As Audio Editor, James covers headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also covers the occasional spot of computing and gaming news, usually relating to how hard information technology is to observe graphics card stock.