Apple made a bold move in 2020, shifting its Macs from Intel’s x86-based chips to its own in-house silicon. But while the transition process has been surprisingly smooth, thanks to Rosetta technology, running Windows 10 or Linux on Mac has not been officially supported.
And apple is not to blame for the lack of this handy functionality. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, pointed the finger at Microsoft’s Windows 10 licensing policy on ARM. It’s the reason why you can’t use Boot Camp, at least not yet, a handy utility that has long enabled Mac users to install and run Windows 10 on the devices.
Thankfully, you can actually install Windows 10 on your Apple Silicon Mac even without official support. We’ll use Parallels Desktop to do so.
How to Install Windows 10 on M1 Macs
Download the latest version of Windows. You’ll need the ARM version of Windows 10, which is currently under the Insider Preview channel. Check the latest version here.
Download and install Parallels Desktop for Mac. Ensure you have version 16.5 or latest.
Note: Parallels Desktop is paid software, so you’ll have to deep into your pockets first to download and use the software. There’s, however, a trial version available, so you can give it a go without fully committing.
Open Parallels Desktop for Mac.
Select File on the new item menu and tap “New”.
Click “Continue” and select “Install Windows or another OS from a DVD file at the center” then “Continue.”
Tap Continue > Create to begin the installation of Windows 10 in the VM. Parallels Desktop will automatically find the Windows 10 version on your Mac. If the Windows 10 ISO is not visible, select manually via the “Choose manually” button.
It will take some time before the installation is complete – might be nice to grab a cup of coffee😉
You’ll know the installation of Windows 10 is complete on your VM when you see a Installation Complete page.
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