Can you install Windows 11 on Mac?

Windows 11 is the latest and reliable operating system that gives many advantages to PC/laptop users. The main question is whether it can be run on macOS: as on Mac/MacBook Air/Pro/Mini. Installing Windows 11 on macOS may not be as easy as installing previous versions of Windows. There are many reasons for this: firstly, there are problems with Boot Camp, it cannot be used on the new Mac M1 processors. This is the result of the transition of Mac computers from older Intel computers. x86 and x64 processors to new Apple systems that have ARM64 architecture. Many applications also don’t run on new Mac computers. It will take time before developers adapt their software to the new requirements.

Another problem is the relatively high system requirements of the new Windows OS: if you decide to install Windows 11 on unsuitable (old) hardware, you can assume the likelihood of incompatibility problems, errors and poor performance. You may also encounter the absence of some new drivers. Do you still need to install Windows 11 on Mac? Well, there! We have created a complete guide on this, please follow the text below.

Prepare your Mac to install Windows 11

It is very important that your Mac has a processor with at least two cores and 4 GB of RAM (of course, the more, the better), and more than 64 GB of memory. As we have previously acknowledged, Windows 11 has high hardware requirements, but also requires some specific features, such as TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and this may be the reason why you will not pass the hardware check.

Install Windows 11 on Mac with Parallels

mac-windows-11-parallels

Windows 11 requires a lot of PC resources and, but if you have a powerful Mac computer (iMac, mac Pro or Mac Pro) Parallels Desktop may be the solution. This is a program for Windows virtualization on a Mac with support for DirectX 11 and GPUs. It allows you to install Windows 11 on Mac with a couple of mouse clicks and instantly switch between macOS and Windows. You can run Windows as on a regular PC. The Parallels Desktop 17 update includes vTPM by default.

Download Parallels

Install Windows 11 on Mac with VMware Fusion

To install Windows using VMware Fusion on your Mac, you need to do the following:
VMware-mac

  • Download from the official VMware website a universal file for installing VMware Fusion Technology Preview 22 H2, which is suitable for both Apple and Intel processors.
  • Download the installation file of the ARM version of Windows to your computer.
  • Install VMware Fusion on your computer.
  • After installation, run the program, click on “+” and select “New”.
  • In the window that appears, select “Install from disc or image”.
  • Drag the downloaded Windows image into the window that appears.
  • Set a password to log in to the system and select the level of integration of the two operations that will be convenient for you.
  • Click “Finish” and wait for the end of the Windows installation.

After these simple steps, the system will be ready to work, and you can install the software you need on it. Please note that VMware Fusion supports two levels of system integration:

  • More Seamless — when folders and files of one system are visible in another.
  • More Isolated — when both systems exist in their separate spaces and the files of one are not visible in the other.

Choose the option that suits you best. When using Parallels, I used the “More Seamless” option. In this case, it is very convenient to download something on macOS, and then launch Windows and open the desired file there. Our guide will be updated and expanded regularly. I hope our article will help you.

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