Virtual Machine For Mac To Run Windows

Virtual machines allow you to run an operating system in an app window on your desktop that behaves like a full, separate computer. You can use them play around with different operating systems, run software your main operating system can’t, and try out apps in a safe, sandboxed environment.

Virtual Machines We recommend using a virtual machine program, ideally or, to run Windows applications on a Mac without rebooting. For maximum performance, which is particularly necessary for gaming, we recommend instead. A is one of the best ways to run Windows desktop software.

They allow you to install Windows and other operating systems in a window on your Mac desktop. Windows will think it’s running on a real computer, but it’s actually running inside a piece of software on your Mac. You don’t have to use your Windows program in the virtual machine window, either—many virtual machine programs allow you to so they can appear on your Mac desktop. However, they’re still running inside the virtual machine in the background. You’ll need a Windows license to install Windows in a virtual machine. If you already have a product key, you can download and install it in a virtual machine program. RELATED: Popular virtual machine programs for Mac include.

Each of these is a paid program, so you’ll have to buy both a Windows license and a copy of your virtual machine program of choice. You can also use the completely free and open-source, but its 3D graphics support and Mac operating system integration aren’t as good. Parallels and VMWare Fusion both, so you can try all these programs and decide which is best for you. Note: We don’t often recommend paid software, but in the case of, it’s something we use at How-To Geek every single day for testing software and running Windows. The integration with macOS is amazingly well done, and the speed blows away VirtualBox.

In the long run, the price is well worth it. There’s one big downside to virtual machines: 3D graphics performance isn’t amazing, so this isn’t the best way to run Windows games on your Mac. Yes, it can work—especially with older games—but you won’t get the best performance, even in an ideal situation. Many games, especially newer ones, will be unplayable.

That’s where the next option comes into play. Boot Camp RELATED: Apple’s allows you to.

Only one operating system can be running at a time, so you’ll have to restart your Mac to switch between macOS and Windows. If you’ve ever, it’s just like that. Installing Windows as a real operating system on your Mac is the best idea if you want to play Windows games or use demanding applications that need all the performance they can get. When you install Windows on your Mac, you’ll be able to use Windows and Windows applications with the maximum possible performance. Your Mac will perform as well as a Windows PC with the same specifications. The downside here is that you can’t run macOS applications and Windows applications side-by-side at the same time.