You can finally run Windows 11 on Apple Macs now…kind of
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Microsoft has announced that Apple Mac users can now use software for virtual machines Parallels as an “authorized solution” for running Windows 11 on hardware equipped with proprietary silicon (M1 and M2 chips).
Since Apple ditched Intel chips, it has been difficult for users to run Windows 11 on a Mac device. While there have been a number of dodgy solutions, companies looking for an official solution have found none, leading them to issue Windows-only devices or a secondary device to employees.
Parallels 18 is now available and can now run ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise on M1 and M2 Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Studio.
Windows 11 on Mac M1/M2
“Licensing the Windows 11 operating system running on the Mac device is easy,” said Parallels blog post (opens in new tab) noted. “The same volume licensing system suitable for enterprise licensing, such as Key Management Services (KMS), can be used to deliver Pro or Enterprise licenses to the Windows 11 guest operating system.”
While the chosen version of Windows 11 will run in a virtual environment, the software doesn’t support nested or dual virtualization, so things like Windows Subsystem for Android and Windows Subsystem for Linux are out of the question.
“Customers’ preferred experience is to run 64-bit Arm apps, but customers can also run apps in x64 or x86 emulation on Mac M1 and M2 computers,” Microsoft added in a Windows blog post (opens in new tab).
This means you can’t run 32-bit apps, but there shouldn’t be many left since they’re being deprecated for Arm versions of Windows anyway.
Only personal versions of Parallels can be purchased in a single transaction, which means business plans require an annual subscription. Add to that the licensing costs of Windows 11 and you have a pretty expensive solution. Still, it could ultimately be a cheaper solution than buying a secondary device for employees who only need access to Windows software.