The advantage however is that Boot Camp is completely free whereas Parallels is only free for 14 days.įor the needs of most Mac users that want to run Windows only programs on Mac, using a virtual machine is by far your best option. The other big disadvantage is that Boot Camp also does not work with Apple Silicon M1 Macs. However this means that you can only boot your Mac in either macOS or Windows at one time – you can’t run them simultaneously. The alternative to a using a virtual machine is to install Windows in a separate partition on your hard drive using Apple’s Boot Camp. You can download a free trial of Parallels and you can can read our full Parallels review for a more detailed look. Parallels can install Windows 10 for ARM on M1 Macs which is a specially adapted version of Windows for ARM processors like the M1 chip. Parallels is also the only way to run Windows on M1 Macs. With Parallels, you can switch between Windows games or apps and macOS instantly in just a click.

The best way to run Windows on a Mac is to install it in a virtual machine.Ī virtual machine allows you to run Windows and macOS at the same time so that you can switch between the two at any moment with just one click.īy far the best virtual environment on Mac is Parallels which makes it extremely easy to install Windows on macOS.

Best Way To Run Windows 10 on Mac For Freeīest Way To Run Windows 10 on Mac For Free.

If you’re interested in trying Windows 11, you can find instructions how to install Windows 11 on a Mac here. Here we show you how you can easily get Windows 10 on your Mac for free, including Apple Silicon M1 Macs, in little more than 10 minutes. Microsoft doesn’t actually require users to activate Windows 10 or Windows 11 with a product key unless you want to customize the look of it.Īlthough you can of course purchase a Windows 10 or Windows 11 license (which costs $119.99 from Microsoft) the only advantage of activating it is that it allows you to customize the look for Windows 10 such as the desktop, lock screen, styling, removal of watermarks etc.įor most Mac users that just want to install Windows only programs or games on macOS, this is not necessary and so you can enjoy Windows 10 for free.

The same is true for the recently released Windows 11 meaning you can also install Windows 11 on a Mac for free. Many Mac users are still unaware that you can install Windows 10 on a Mac for free from Microsoft perfectly legally, including on M1 Macs.

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