Since Apple Silicon is based on an ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) chip, Parallels can only run the “Windows for ARM” version of Windows not the standard Intel version that’s installed on most computers. There are a few catches to be aware of though when installing Windows with Parallels on an Apple Silicon M1 or M2 Mac. Windows ARM on M1 & M2 Macs: Before You Start The latest version of Parallels 18 runs Windows incredibly well on a Mac and there’s very little difference in performance nowadays even compared to running Windows on a PC.

We think that Parallels is better than using Apple Boot Camp anyway because it conveniently allows you to switch between macOS and Windows at the same time whereas Boot Camp doesn’t. So since Boot Camp doesn’t work with the M1 chip, Parallels is therefore the best way to install Windows on an M1 or M2 Mac in 2023. This means you can’t dual boot in Windows or macOS on an M1 or M2 Mac like you can on Intel Macs. If you search for Boot Camp on an M1 or M2 Mac, you won’t find it because Apple has not made an Apple Silicon chip compatible version of Boot Camp for M1/M2 Macs. You can’t use Boot Camp on M1 & M2 Macs because Boot Camp does not work with the Apple Silicon chip.

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Parallels is also the only virtual machine to run Windows on a Mac that is authorized by Microsoft.Īt the moment, the only major rival to Parallels is VMWare Fusion which took a lot longer to support M1 & M2 Macs and doesn’t have Microsoft endorsement. Parallels was the first virtual machine to be officially compatible with the M1 & M2 chip and allows you to run Intel only Windows software on Apple Silicon Macs. Parallels is incredibly easy to use even for beginners and once you’ve downloaded everything, will install Windows on an Apple Silicon M1 or M2 Mac in little more than 10 minutes. Parallels is a virtual machine which runs Windows “virtually” within macOS meaning you can switch between Windows and macOS instantly. If you’re wondering whether Apple Silicon M1 Macs or M2 Macs can run Windows the good news is they can and here we show you how to install Windows on an M1 or M2 Mac for free.Īlthough there are various ways of running Windows on a Mac, the best way to run Windows on an M1 or M2 Mac is with Parallels.

Install windows on m1 mac