Microsoft Officially Supports Windows 11 on Mac Apple M1 and M2

This guide provides a clear overview of parallels, including the main concepts, practical steps, and common questions. Use it to understand the topic, compare the available options, and make a more informed decision.

The first solution is exclusive to Arm-based Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise editions, and is only compatible with Apple's Mac M1 and M2 PCs in VM (virtual hardware) mode. You will have to use Parallels Desktop version 18, originally released in August 2022.

" Parallels Desktop 18 is the authorized solution for running Arm editions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise in a virtual environment on Apple M1 and M2 computers," says Microsoft's support page.

Basically, Parallels is one of the most popular applications that support running the Windows operating system on a Mac. In 'expert' language, there are many ways you can run Windows on your Mac. For example, it is possible to use Boot Camp, but this method requires the system to dual-boot Windows with macOS, which consumes a large amount of storage space, and only uses one operating system at a time. Whereas with a virtual machine application like Parallels, you won't have to dual-boot or restart your Mac every time you use Windows.

Overall, this solution allows the operating system to actually run on the Mac, in a virtual machine. As a result, it uses the Windows 11 version for Arm instead of the standard Windows 11 found on Intel/AMD devices.

However, in the FAQ section, Microsoft also points out many limitations when running Windows 11 Arm on these Macs. This includes not being able to run Windows applications or games that use DirectX 12 or OpenGL3.3, along with not supporting Android or Linux Subsystems.

The latter would be better suited for business customers with a Microsoft 365 subscription. You can connect your Mac to a Microsoft server, where you can run a cloud-based version of Windows 11. In other words, the OS is running on Microsoft servers that are connected to a PC (or Mac or iPad) over ultra-fast broadband. But apparently, this requires both an Internet connection as well as a subscription to the Microsoft 365 Business Cloud PC service, which starts at $31 a month per account.

Conclusion

Understanding Parallels makes it easier to compare options, avoid common mistakes, and apply the information in this guide more effectively. Review the relevant requirements before making changes or choosing a solution.