Microsoft have given their official blessing to supporting Windows 11 on Apple silicon Macs, through Parallels virtualisation software.
Microsoft now say Parallels Desktop is an “authorised solution” to enable Mac users with M1 and M2 units to run the Arm versions of Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 11 Pro.
Parallels allows users to switch from macOS to the virtual environment, essentially turning a Mac into a PC to run Windows. This means Windows 11 will run in a remote window on the Mac’s desktop, without the need to reboot. As such, you can run both operating systems at once, and transfer content between them.
Even though it has been allowed before, this is the first time Microsoft are supporting Parallels’ attempts to give Mac M1 and M2 users more options in their hardware, meaning Windows 11 can now be downloaded with a single click from Parallels.
As Apple haven’t made Boot Camp available on their silicon machines, Parallels is the best likely solution, though it comes with performance trade-offs.
Features for Parallels desktop include giving users the ability to share Mac folders with Windows, play Windows games and the ability to drag and drop content between macOS and Windows.
“We believe all employees should have the freedom and flexibility to choose where, when, and how they do their best work,” says Prashant Ketkar, Chief Technoloy and Product Officer at Alludo, the company behind Parallels.
“Therefore, the vision for our Parallels portfolio has been to allow users to access their applications on any device, anywhere.
“In line with our vision, we are excited to see that, in collaboration with Microsoft, Arm versions of Windows can run in a virtualised environment on Parallels Desktop on the latest Mac systems running Apple’s powerful M-series chips.”
