Microsoft has formally approved a way to run Windows 11 on ARM-based Macs, if not in the way you expect. in a new support article, the company has “licensed” the use of Parallels Desktop 18 to run ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise on M1 and M2-based Macs. If you need Windows to work, you can theoretically use the virtual machine without upsetting your IT manager.
As you can guess, there are limitations. You can’t run 32-bit ARM apps, partly because Microsoft is dropping 32-bit software for all ARM builds of Windows. Devices won’t work unless they have Windows 11 ARM drivers. You can’t use anything that depends on another virtualization layer, such as Android apps, Linux system, and Windows Sandbox. Don’t expect to run some games, either, as anything that requires at least DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 won’t work.
It’s been possible to run Windows 11 at Parallels on Mac ARM since 2021, and it even worked reasonably well. However, you needed to use an Insider Preview of the operating system at the time, and Microsoft said at the time that it didn’t plan to support new Macs. The licensed approach fixes licensing issues, and Parallels Desktop 18 now lets you download and install Windows 11. with little effort.
As the edge Explain, it is not clear how Microsoft has changed the license; until now, it only licensed ARM versions of Windows directly to PC vendors. We have asked the company for comment. Parallels says you can buy an individual license for Windows 11 Pro or follow your employer’s regular purchase process.
This won’t satisfy users who want native Windows support like they had with Intel-based Macs running Apple’s Boot Camp. You won’t get the performance or compatibility you would on a PC built for Windows on ARM. However, it may be the closest thing to a collaboration between Apple and Microsoft, and it could work if there’s a Windows productivity app that needs to run.
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