Thankfully, there's more than one way to run Windows apps on your Mac. You can use Apple's Boot Camp and run a full installation of Window natively on your Mac Use a virtual machine like Parallels Desktop Install Windows apps directly with CrossOver and use a Windows app like any other native Mac App. In short, there are two ways of running Windows on your Mac. You can use Apple's Boot Camp to create a Windows partition on your Mac's hard drive, allowing you to boot either into OS X or Windows when you start your Mac. You can run Windows side-by-side using a virtualization package such as Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion.
What you need to install Windows 10 on Mac
- If you want to use Windows on your Mac, just download a Windows 10 copy and let the utility do the rest. The Boot Camp Assistant helps you install the operating system. Boot Camp is also referred to as dual-booting that makes you run macOS and Windows on a single hard drive side by side.
- Four ways to run Windows 10 on your Mac. People are buying new Macs at the rate of around 4 to 5 million every quarter, but it seems that many users still can't make a total break from Windows.
- Here's an alternative method of running Windows on your Mac: use Oracle VirtualBox to run Windows as a virtual machine. This section is by Nik Rawlinson. VirtualBox is a free download from here.
- MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
- MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later
- MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later
- Mac mini introduced in 2012 or later
- iMac introduced in 2012 or later1
- iMac Pro (all models)
- Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
The latest macOS updates, which can include updates to Boot Camp Assistant. You will use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 10.
64GB or more free storage space on your Mac startup disk:
- Your Mac can have as little as 64GB of free storage space, but at least 128GB of free storage space provides the best experience. Automatic Windows updates require that much space or more.
- If you have an iMac Pro or Mac Pro with 128GB of memory (RAM) or more, your startup disk needs at least as much free storage space as your Mac has memory.2
An external USB flash drive with a storage capacity of 16GB or more, unless you're using a Mac that doesn't need a flash drive to install Windows.
A 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro on a disk image (ISO) or other installation media. If installing Windows on your Mac for the first time, this must be a full version of Windows, not an upgrade.
- If your copy of Windows came on a USB flash drive, or you have a Windows product key and no installation disc, download a Windows 10 disk image from Microsoft.
- If your copy of Windows came on a DVD, you might need to create a disk image of that DVD.
How to install Windows 10 on Mac
To install Windows, use Boot Camp Assistant, which is included with your Mac.
1. Check your Secure Boot setting
How To Run Windows On Your Mac
Learn how to check your Secure Boot setting. The default Secure Boot setting is Full Security. If you changed it to No Security, change it back to Full Security before installing Windows. After installing Windows, you can use any Secure Boot setting without affecting your ability to start up from Windows.
2. Use Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows partition
Open Boot Camp Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Follow the onscreen instructions.
- If you're asked to insert a USB drive, plug your USB flash drive into your Mac. Boot Camp Assistant will use it to create a bootable USB drive for Windows installation.
- When Boot Camp Assistant asks you to set the size of the Windows partition, remember the minimum storage-space requirements in the previous section. Set a partition size that meets your needs, because you can't change its size later.
3. Format the Windows (BOOTCAMP) partition
When Boot Camp Assistant finishes, your Mac restarts to the Windows installer. If the installer asks where to install Windows, select the BOOTCAMP partition and click Format. In most cases, the installer selects and formats the BOOTCAMP partition automatically.
4. Install Windows
Unplug any external devices that aren't necessary during installation. Then click Next and follow the onscreen instructions to begin installing Windows.
5. Use the Boot Camp installer in Windows
After Windows installation completes, your Mac starts up in Windows and opens a ”Welcome to the Boot Camp installer” window. Follow the onscreen instructions to install Boot Camp and Windows support software (drivers). You will be asked to restart when done.
- If the Boot Camp installer never opens, open the Boot Camp installer manually and use it to complete Boot Camp installation.
- If you have an external display connected to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your Mac, the display will be blank (black, gray, or blue) for up to 2 minutes during installation.
How to switch between Windows and macOS
Restart, then press and hold the Option (or Alt) ⌥ key during startup to switch between Windows and macOS.
Learn more
If you have one of these Intel-based Mac models using OS X El Capitan or later, you don't need a USB flash drive to install Windows:
- MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
- MacBook Air introduced in 2017 or later3
- MacBook Pro introduced in 2015 or later3
- iMac introduced in 2015 or later
- iMac Pro (all models)
- Mac Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
To remove Windows from your Mac, use Boot Camp Assistant, not any other utility.
Run Mac Os On Windows 10
For more information about using Windows on your Mac, open Boot Camp Assistant and click the Open Boot Camp Help button.
1. If you're using an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) with a 3TB hard drive and macOS Mojave or later, learn about an alert you might see during installation.
2. For example, if your Mac has 128GB of memory, its startup disk must have at least 128GB of storage space available for Windows. To see how much memory your Mac has, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. To see how much storage space is available, click the Storage tab in the same window.
3. These Mac models were offered with 128GB hard drives as an option. Apple recommends 256GB or larger hard drives so that you can create a Boot Camp partition of at least 128GB.
Codec to play windows media files mac. On a Mac, you have several options for installing software that allows you to run Windows and Windows applications:
How To Run Windows 8 On Your Mac
- Run Windows and Windows applications locally:
- To dual-boot between macOS and Windows, use Apple's Boot Camp. This approach provides the most compatibility with Windows software and peripherals, but does not allow you to run Windows and macOS applications at the same time.
- To run Windows in a virtual machine within macOS, use Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or VirtualBox. This method will allow you to run Mac and Windows applications concurrently, though the virtual machine does not support as much Windows functionality as a dual-boot configuration.
- To run Windows programs without having to install Windows itself, use a Windows compatibility layer, such as CrossOver Mac. This option typically offers good functionality for a limited set of Windows applications.
- IUanyWareIUanyWare is a client virtualization (CV)service available to Indiana University students, faculty, andstaff. With IUanyWare, you can use a web browser or mobile app to runcertain IU-licensed software applications without having to installthem on your computer or mobile device.See Set up and use IUanyWare.