We have the core technologies for them to do that, to run their ARM version of Windows, which in turn of course supports x86 user mode applications. Speaking to Ars Technica back in the day, Federighi said,Īs for Windows running natively on the machine, that's really up to Microsoft. It should be possible to run 圆4 and x86 apps in Windows on ARM under emulation while using the OS via Parallels Desktop on M1 and M2 Macs, but users will not be able to download 32-bit apps from the Microsoft Store - they are in the process of being deprecated, anyways.Īpple seems to have no intention of offering Boot Camp yet, but the company's software chief Craig Federighi put the ball squarely in Microsoft's court. But since these rely on virtualization within Windows, they cannot run on an already virtualized environment like Parallels.

Windows on ARM supports Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), Windows Sandbox, and Virtualization-based Security (VBS). Games relying on anti-cheat drivers that don't have an ARM version also won't work.Īpart from these, it's not possible to do nested virtualization or a 'VM-ception' of sorts. Same goes for hardware that don't have ARM drivers either within the Windows DriverStore or as a separate download. But unless Metal brings capabilities that are similar to DirectX 12, you can't run such games via Parallels. DirectX 11 games should theoretically work since many of those calls can be translated to Apple's own Metal API. Windows 11 on ARM does not support games that rely on DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 or higher. However, there are some caveats to bear in mind. That means you can now download Windows 11 on ARM directly from within Parallels Desktop 18 and use your Windows key to activate it. Microsoft has officially designated Parallels Desktop 18 as an ' authorized solution for running ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise in a virtual environment on its platform on Apple M1 and M2 computers.'

So, while you could theoretically get ARM versions of Windows to run in earlier Parallels versions, there was no way to properly license them. Windows on ARM is not available for public download, and Microsoft licenses it directly to OEMs and partners. Parallels Desktop has offered support for Windows on Macs with Apple M1 SoC since version 16.5, but there was one major catch. Now, with Parallels Desktop 18, Mac users on Apple silicon will be able to download an official Windows 11 on ARM version and run it in a virtual machine (VM). Ever since Apple transitioned to custom ARM-based silicon, Mac users who wanted to run Windows for the odd app or two were left in the lurch as the company dropped support for Boot Camp.

Alternatives to parallels for mac m1