VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop already allowed users to install Windows 11 on their Apple M1 and M2 devices. However, until now this was not officially authorized by Microsoft.
Today, Microsoft announced that Parallels Desktop version 18 is an authorized solution for running Arm versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise on Apple M1 and M2 computers.
It is important to note that Parallels Desktop cannot support full Windows 11 capabilities. The following feature which requires an additional layer of virtualization (nested virtualization) are not supported on Apple M1 and M2 devices.
- Windows Subsystem for Android, which enables your Windows 11 device to run Android applications that are available in the Amazon Appstore
- Windows Subsystem for Linux, which enables a GNU/Linux environment on Windows 11
- Windows Sandbox, a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation
- Virtualization-based Security (VBS), which enables customers to create and isolate a secure region of memory from the normal operating system
Also, DirectX 12 or OpenGL3.3 or greater dependent apps and games will not run on Windows 11 on ARM. Also, 32-bit Arm apps available from the Store in Windows are not supported by M1 and M2 Apple devices. But you can run 64-bit Arm apps natively and apps in x64 or x86 emulation.
Going forward we’ll be able to get insight and development guidance directly from Microsoft to help us leapfrog the competition and deliver the type of
Windows-on-Mac experience that our users would expect from the worlds leader in virtualization. – VMWARE FuSION TEAM
With Microsoft’s listing of Parallels Desktop as an authorized solution, enterprises can now provide support for users that have the need to run Arm versions of Windows 11 on Mac with Apple silicon.
