You have happily passed into the Mac world for a few months and you do not feel the slightest lack of Windows , but now for work or study needs you have been forced to use a program compatible exclusively with the Microsoft operating system. Don’t panic, there’s no need to dust off your old PC or partition the hard drive of your handsome Apple computer to make room for Windows. All you need is a virtual machine.

In case you don’t know, virtual machines, to put it in English, are nothing more than virtual computers, working inside the real computer on which it is possible to install any type of operating system and program without affecting the real system. (macOS). It seems a complicated thing if said so, but instead I assure you that it is very simple.How to virtualize Windows on Mac

So, what are you doing still standing there? Take a few minutes of free time just for you, focus carefully on the indications on how to virtualize Windows on Mac that I am about to give you and, above all, try to put them into practice. I can guarantee you that, at the end of the reading, you will be able to say that you are fully satisfied with the results obtained. All that’s left for me is to wish you a big good luck for everything!

Index

• Preliminary operations
• Virtualize Windows on Mac with VirtualBox
  • Create a virtual machine
  • Import an existing virtual machine
• Virtualize Windows on Mac with Parallels Desktop
  • Create a virtual machine
  • Import an existing virtual machine
• Other useful solutions

Preliminary operations

Before getting to the heart of the guide, going to explain how to virtualize Windows on Mac , there are some preliminary operations you need to do to make sure that everything goes the right way.

First of all, know that there are basically two ways to create a virtual machine: the first is to get the ISO image of the operating system to be virtualized (in this case, Windows), create the virtual machine and install the downloaded OS on it previously (as you would on a real PC). The second, on the other hand, consists in downloading ready-to-use virtual machines and importing them into a virtualization program.

If, therefore, your intention is to download the Windows image file and install the operating system “manually” inside a virtual machine, connect to the Microsoft website and download the ISO files of the OS following the directions that you find in my tutorials on how to download Windows 11 , how to download Windows 10 and how to download Windows 7 . If you have the Windows installation disk , you can also use it or you can get the relative image file from there as well, as I explained in my post on how to create ISO from DVD. It should be emphasized that the copies of Windows installed in virtual machines must be activated normally like those installed on PCs.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to have virtual machines ready to use , connected to this page of the Microsoft website that hosts the virtual machines to test Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer , select the version of Windows you are interested in from the Virtual drop-down menu machine , choose the virtualization program you want to use from the Select platform drop-down menu and click the Download button .zipto start the virtual machine download. It is good to keep in mind that the virtual machines offered by Microsoft have an expiry date set at 90 days, after which they must be restored (via snapshots, which can be created at any time before the expiration date, or by importing the virtual machine again within the virtualization program ). The password for the VM is usually Passw0rd , in any case it is indicated at the bottom of the download page.

Another thing you need to know before proceeding is that if you want to virtualize Windows on Mac M1 or in any case if you have a Mac equipped with any other Apple Silicon chip (therefore based on the ARM architecture ) and intend to perform the operation object of the tutorial, you can only do this with the Windows on ARM operating system and not with the “classic” versions of Windows which are instead intended for x86 machines (therefore with “classic” Intel and AMD processors) and only with virtualization software optimized for the latter, for example Parallels example, which I’ll tell you about later .

Virtualize Windows on Mac with VirtualBox

Let’s now take action and find out how to virtualize Windows on Mac for free with VirtualBox , a famous program at no cost and of an open source nature conceived for the purpose in question. It is quite simple to use and, although it does not guarantee high performance like commercial software, it is extremely valid. Unfortunately, however, it does not fully support Macs with Apple Silicon chips, so I do not recommend using it in this case.

To download VirtualBox on your Mac, connected to the official website of the program and click on the OS X hosts item . When the download is complete, double-click on it to open the file you just obtained and, in the window shown on your desktop, open the package to start the program installation process.VirtualBox– xx-OSX.dmg VirtualBox.pkg

In the further screen that you now see, click on the Continue button twice consecutively and on the Install button . Then type the password of your user account on macOS and press the Enter key on the Mac keyboard. Then wait for the procedure to finish and, when finished, click on the Close and Do not move buttons to close the setup window.

If necessary, you can uninstall VirtualBox from your Mac by opening the DMG file that contains the program’s installer and launching the file .VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool

Create a virtual machine

After installing VirtualBox, you can proceed with the creation of the virtual machine, so that you can actually virtualize Windows on Mac. To do this, first start the program by clicking on the Launchpad icon (the one with the colored squares ) located on the bar Dock and selecting its icon that you find in the list of applications.

Now that you see the main VirtualBox window on the screen, click on the New button located at the top left and, in the new window that opens, select the version of Windows you want to virtualize from the Version drop-down menu and type the name you want assign to the virtual machine in the Name field . For example, if you want to virtualize Windows XP on Mac you can type Windows XP . Afterward, click the Continue button .

At this point, set the amount of RAM to reserve for the virtual machine (never go below the value recommended by VirtualBox) and click on the Continue button again . Then put the check mark next to the item Create a virtual hard disk now and click on the Create button to start creating a new virtual hard disk on which to install Windows.

Confirm the use of the VDI format of VirtualBox and click on the Continue button to go ahead, then put the check mark next to the item Dynamically allocated to make sure that the virtual hard disk takes up space on the real hard disk of the Mac only when necessary and click the Continue button once again to determine the size of the disk. As for RAM, also in this case I suggest you leave the default value or raise it (in case you need to install several programs on virtualized Windows). To complete the procedure, click on the Create button .

Now, you are ready to “start” your virtual machine to install the copy of Windows to be virtualized on it. You can do this in two ways: using an ISO image file from the Windows installation disc or by physically inserting the operating system installation CD / DVD into your computer.

In both cases, you must start your virtual machine by double clicking on its name in the main VirtualBox screen, then you must indicate the ISO file or disk to use by first clicking on the yellow folder icon that appears in the center of the screen and pressing the Start button .

Perfect: now all you have to do is run the Windows installation just as if you were installing the operating system on a PC after a format. If you are not very familiar with this type of procedure, you can help you with my articles dedicated to how to install Windows 11 without requirements (to bypass the controls on TPM that could prevent the use of the OS on VM), how to install Windows 10 and how to install windows 7 .

Once done, you will be able to use Windows on your Mac via the program window. The following times, you can use it simply by starting VirtualBox and double clicking on the name of the virtual machine on which you have installed the Microsoft operating system.

However, if you want to get an even better virtualization experience, I recommend that you also install the VirtualBox Guest Additions : these are drivers that allow you to improve the operation of the virtual machines (for example graphics performance) and to integrate better with the system. that hosts it.

To do this, select the Install Guest Additions CD image item from the Devices menu at the top, then access the Windows File Explorer by clicking on its icon (the one with the yellow folder ) on the taskbar , select the icon computer in the sidebar, open the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD drive and launch the Guest Additions executable .

In the window that appears, click in sequence on the Yes , Next , Next , Install and Finish buttons to complete the Guest installation and restart the virtual machine.

Another operation that I advise you to perform is to select the elements shared between the real system and the virtual system. To do this, select the name of your virtual machine from the main VirtualBox window and click on the Settings button at the top.

In the window that opens, select the General tab , the Advanced tab and choose whether or not to activate clipboard sharing and file drag and drop support using the Shared clipboard and Drag and drop drop-down menus .

To choose, instead, the Mac folders to share with Windows, go to the Shared Folders tab , click on the folder icon with the (+) symbol on the right and select a folder to share. Once this is done, put the check mark next to the Automatic assembly item and press the OK button . You will then find the folder in the Windows Network Neighborhood, by opening the File Explorer and selecting the VirtualBox network path in the left sidebar.

To suspend the use of a running virtual machine, click on the red dot located at the top left, put the check mark next to the Save the machine state item and click on the OK button . In this way, the VM will be “frozen” and you can resume work at any time. To turn it off completely, however, you must put the check mark next to Send the shutdown signal or you must close Windows as if you were using a real PC. Finally, there is the Power off the machine option which forcibly shuts down the virtual machine.

Import an existing virtual machine

Have you downloaded a ready-to-use Windows virtual machine and want to import it into VirtualBox? Nothing easier. After extracting the VM from the ZIP archive in which it was contained, open VirtualBox and select the Import virtual application item from the File menu located at the top left.

In the window that opens, click on the yellow folder icon , select the virtual machine file to import and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the VM import. At the end of the procedure, you will find your virtual machine ready to use in the main VirtualBox window.

If you have downloaded a VM in VDI format (therefore in the form of a virtual hard disk), you must click on the New button to start the procedure for creating a new virtual machine, then you must choose the name to be assigned to the latter, you must indicate the operating system to be installed in it and the amount of RAM to assign to it, proceeding as I have already explained to you in the previous step of the tutorial .

Once in the part of the wizard dedicated to the hard disk, you have to put the check mark next to the item Use an existing virtual hard disk file , you have to click on the yellow folder icon and you have to select the VDI file of the VM you downloaded from Internet. After this step, click on the Create button to create your virtual machine and start using it.

Virtualize Windows on Mac with Parallels Desktop

Another great tool that in my opinion you would do well to consider for virtualizing Windows on Mac is Parallels Desktop, which is one of the most advanced and used virtualization software in the Mac field. It is paid, costs 79.99 euros one-off or 99.99 euros / year in subscription to have access to all subsequent major releases, but you can try free for 14 days. It offers high performance, but its use is incredibly simple. It also makes the real system and virtualized system integrate much better, allowing, for example, to access the personal folders of the Mac from Windows and to drag and drop files and folders. Another very useful feature of Parallels Desktop is that it allows you to install operating systems such as Windows 10 and Ubuntu with a single click, without having to download the related image files separately. Note that it also offers full support for Macs equipped with Apple Silicon chips, on which it allows you to install Windows without problems.

To download the trial version of Parallels Desktop, connect to the official website of the program and click first on the button Download the free trial version and then on that Download now . When the download is complete, open the file that contains Parallels Desktop and double-click the Install Parallels Desktop executable in the window that opens.Install Parallels Desktop.dmg

Now that you see the screen to install the program, click on the Open button and wait for the software to process some data. Then type the Mac administration password , press the Enter key on the keyboard and wait a few seconds for the setup to be completed automatically. When starting the program, you agree to use your evaluation version by clicking on the appropriate button.

If necessary, Parallels Desktop can be uninstalled from the Mac simply by dragging its icon to the Trash on the Dock bar and emptying the latter. Remember, then, to also delete the VM files, which are very large.

Create a virtual machine

Once the Parallels Desktop installation is complete, you can create your VM with Windows by starting the program. So, open the Launchpad by selecting its icon (the one with the colored squares ) on the Dock bar and select the link for Parallels Desktop on the next screen.

Now that the main window of the program is displayed on the screen, click on the (+) button or selecting the File menu at the top left and the New item in it.

In the screen that is shown to you, choose how to proceed: by clicking on the item Get Windows 10/11 from Microsoft you can create a VM with the most recent versions of Windows by letting Parallels Desktop automatically download the system from the Internet, while choosing Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file you can install Windows starting from an installation disk, from an ISO file or from a pendrive. You can also select one of the free systems listed below you can automatically download and create VMs with Windows (but also with Android and various Linux distros). I point out that there is also the option to Transfer Windows from a PC, which allows you to transfer a real Windows installation to a virtual machine.

The simplest system, however, is the one that allows you to install Windows from an image file. In this case, after selecting the relevant option and the ISO file of the system to be installed in the VM, click on the Next button , enter the Windows product key (optional, if you want to avoid this step during the installation of the operating system) , select the edition of Windows to use if the chosen ISO file contains multiple editions and click the Next button again .

Then you need to choose the type of use for which the virtual machine is intended between productivity and games and set the name . If you want, before clicking on the Create button and thus starting the creation of the virtual machine, put the check mark next to the item Customize the settings before installation , in order to set all the technical parameters of the VM.

A window will then open with all the properties of the virtual machine: to set the amount of RAM , hard disk size, etc., select the Hardware tab and then use the options in the left sidebar. Once the configuration is complete, close the window and click the Next button to start installing Windows in the VM. Part of the process could happen automatically, but you will almost certainly be called to one or more interventions during setup.

At the end of the installation, start your virtual machine by clicking on its preview in the main Parallels Desktop window and wait for the Parallels Tools to be installed , i.e. the drivers necessary for the operation of the virtual machine and its integration with the real system.

When you want, you can suspend the use of the virtual machine by clicking on the red dot located at the top left of its window above, while to shut down the VM in effect, click on the shutdown button next to the name of the machine virtual in the Parallels Desktop window or you can act directly from the operating system. If necessary, you can also forcefully shut down the virtual machine, by right-clicking on its icon on the Dock bar , selecting the Actions menu and then the Stop item in it.

Import an existing virtual machine

If you want to import an existing virtual machine into Parallels Desktop, all you have to do is select the File menu in the upper left part of your Mac screen and choose the Open item in it, then you must indicate the VM to import.

As an alternative to what I just told you, you can double-click on the virtual machine (in PVM format ) and it will automatically be imported into Parallels. Easier than that ?!

Other useful solutions

The solutions that I illustrated to you in the previous paragraphs are certainly among the most valid for virtualizing Windows on Mac, but they are not the only ones. In fact, below I propose other useful solutions belonging to the category that can do for you.

• VMware Fusion – this is an excellent commercial virtualization program. It is less practical to use than other solutions, but it is definitely reliable and performing. It has prices starting at $ 149, but is available in a free trial version that allows you to test all its features for 30 days. I have explained to you in detail how to use it in my guide on how to virtualize with VMware .
• PlayOnMac – is not a real virtualization software, but a free program that allows you to install individual programs and games for Windows on macOS. It has many limitations, but in some cases it can be really useful. I explained how to best use it in my tutorial on how to open exe files on Mac .
• Boot Camp – this is the tool included “standard” on Macs, which allows you to create a new partition on the disk and install a “real” copy of Windows, with its drivers. It is therefore not a solution to virtualize Windows on Mac, but it still represents an alternative to use the Microsoft operating system on Apple branded computers. It should be noted, however, that on new Macs equipped with Apple Silicon chips it is no longer available. I have explained to you in detail how to use it in my guide on how to install Windows on Mac .