5 Best Windows emulators for Mac
If you own a MacBook and want to use Windows for some tasks, there is no need to get a Windows PC or laptop. You can run Windows on Mac if you want. Just like you use macOS on Windows using emulators, you can run Windows on Mac using an emulator. There are several good Windows Emulators for macOS. An emulator is a software program that lets you run software not made for your system. People use Emulators to run Android apps on Windows. In the same way, you can use Windows Emulator for Mac to run Windows apps on your MacBook.
Windows emulators for Mac
1. Boot Camp
Boot Camp is a built-in tool on Mac that supports Dual-boot. The program is called Boot Camp Assistant and can be accessed from Utilities section under the Application Folder. Boot Camp lets you install Windows on your Mac computer and then dual-boot your MacBook. You will have to create a dedicated disk portion for Windows before installation. After the Windows installation on Mac, you will get the option to either boot macOS or Windows OS during startup.
You will only have access to the disk portion where Windows was installed. It means you cannot access macOS files or apps when using Windows on Mac.
It is important to note that Boot Camp requires a Mac with Intel processors. If you have a MacBook with Apple’s M1 processors, Boot Camp won’t be there on your Macbook.
Read this detailed guide to learn how to Install Windows on a Mac.
2. Virtual Box
Virtual Box is popular software that lets you run Windows and Windows apps on your Mac. This is free software for personal or educational purposes. For business purposes, you need to get a license. After installing Virtual Box on your system, you can set up Windows Virtual Machine to run Windows on Mac. Once you run Windows on Mac, you get full access to Windows and its features. It is easy to install and setup.
If you are using MacBook with Apple Silicon, you should try virtual Box for running Windows on Macbook.
3. Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop is a premium software but is one of the best Windows Emulators for Mac. It Lets you easily run Windows on your MacBook. Parallels Desktop supports both Intel and Apple M series MacBook. You can Run Windows and macOS simultaneously on a MacBook. This software also lets you copy files files between Mac and Windows. If you want to use Windows software on MacBook, you can use Parallels Desktop to run Windows on MacBook and then use different Windows software. The most notable feature of Parallels Desktop is that it works really fast and you won’t face any lag.
The latest version of Parallels Desktop is optimised for latest Windows 11 and macOS Ventura.
Price: $79.99
3. QEMU
QEMU is a popular machine emulator and virtualizer that lets you run any operating system on any supported system. You can use it to Run Windows on a MacBook. QEMU 6.2 introduces full support for M1 MacBooks. So, you can run Windows on a Mac computer by installing QEMU.
4. UTM
UTM is another impressive Windows Emulator for Mac. It is based on QEMU that I already mentioned in this list. It uses Apple’s Hypervisor virtualization framework to run Windows and Linux on Apple silicon MacBooks at near native speeds. This tool also lets you run multiple instances of macOS on your Apple Silicon Mac
FAQs
Can you emulate Windows 10 on Mac?
Yes, we can. BY using a good Windows Emulator for Mac, we can emulate Windows 10 on Mac and run Windows programs on Mac.
Can I run Windows on a Mac for gaming?
Yes. You can run Windows on Mac using a good Windows Emulator for Mac and then play several Windows games on Mac easily.
Can M1 chip run Windows?
Yes. By using Parallels Desktop, anyone can run Windows on a MacBook with M1 chip. Although Windows 11 requires a physical TPM chip, Parallels can now emulate a virtual TPM chip to run Windows 11 on both Intel and Mi MacBooks.
Can I dual-boot on M1 Mac?
Although Apple’s Boot Camp does not support M1 Macs, you cannot dual boot M1 Mac. But you can use Parallels Desktop to run Windows on a M1 Mac.
Does running Windows on a Mac cause any problem?
No. If you are using Boot Camp for dual boot, or any other emulator to use Windows a virtual machine on Mac, it won’t cause any problem. The virtual Machine will run another instance of a complete OS while macOS is already running, it will slow down your Mac. But there won’t be any problems.
Is It Safe To Use Emulators?
Yes. Emulators are safe as long as you are downloading from a reliable source.
Deepanker Verma is the founder of Nerdy Guides. He is a tech blogger, software developer, and gadget freak. He also runs TheWPGuides, and Techlomedia
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