A discreet partnership has just been formed between Microsoft and Parallels, the publisher of virtualization software well known to hackers.
An article published on the Windows 11 support page tells us that Apple’s M1 and M2 processors are now officially authorized to boot the operating system.
Windows 11 virtualization made easy on the latest Macs
In more detail, “Parallels® Desktop Version 18 is an authorized solution to run Arm® versions of Windows 11 Professional and Windows 11 Enterprise in a virtual environment on its platform on Apple M1 and M2 machines,” reads Microsoft’s post .
Named after the famous virtual machine software, Parallels has therefore been officially approved by the Redmond-based giant to be able to use Windows 11 in its ARM version on Macs equipped with an M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max or M2, M2 Pro -Chip are equipped M2 max.
Parallels 18, which costs €99.99 to license, takes care of everything. With just one click, Windows 11 ARM is installed, which can be launched directly from macOS in a separate window, as shown in this video.
What specifically changes is that Windows 11 ARM is now able to take advantage of the specifics of Apple’s chips. In the past, real-time translation of instructions was required for Microsoft’s operating system to run properly. We must therefore expect better performance in this type of configuration.
window in the cloud
That’s not all. In its post, Microsoft also recalls the existence of Windows 365 Cloud PC, its own virtualized machine solution running on Windows 11 Professional.
Like a Shadow, for example, this allows you to enjoy a real Windows desktop in the cloud, thus overcoming the technical limitations imposed by the ARM version of the operating system (specifically, certain incompatible applications and games).
An expensive option, but billed from €28.20 excluding taxes / month and per user.
The different Windows 365 Cloud PC packages.©Screenshot
Finally, keep in mind that if your needs are limited to using less Windows software, CrossOver might be a preferred solution. It saves the sometimes painful installation of a virtual machine to focus on the compatibility of hundreds of applications and games on macOS.