On A Software For Mac

However, its also possible to expand the Windows desktop so that it fills the entire screen, making your Mac look just like a normal PC (whilst still allowing you to switch into Mac apps by using Command-Tab).

Heres the list of compatible devices that appear on Apples site.

However, because Windows requires 128GB Apple suggests that you create a 128GB partition.

It leaves macOS on one partition, then installs Windows on the second partition; you simply choose which operating system you want to run by pressing the Alt key on your keyboard when you boot your Mac.

On A Software For Mac

Instead of splitting your hard drive into separate partitions for macOS and Windows, you use a virtualisation program (such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion; for more options see best virtual machine software for Mac ) to create a virtual machine that runs within macOS itself.

However, the virtual machine mimics the workings of a PC, allowing you to install Windows on the virtual machine, and then install any Windows apps that you need to run as well.

Running Windows within a virtual machine means that youre effectively running two operating systems at the same time, so youre going to need plenty of processor power and memory to get decent performance when running your Windows apps.

This is actually quite straightforward, and Apple covers this option on its website too.

Youll find the Assistant located in the Utilities folder within the main Applications folder on your Mac - but before you run the Assistant there are a few things that you will need to run Windows in Boot Camp.

Some Macs will be able to download these necessary drivers though.

Recent Mac models and any Mac running Catalina will only work with Windows 10, although older models may also work with Windows 7, or Windows 8.1.

You can check which versions of Windows your Mac can run on Apples website.

Click the Choose button then navigate to the one you have created or downloaded.

This will copy your Windows ISO file on to the USB memory stick so that you can install Windows.

However, it will only download the drivers for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, so if you want to install Windows 7 - which is still used by millions of people around the world - then youll have to head back to the compatibility tables on Apples website in order to locate the driver software that you need for your Mac, then follow the instructions to copy the drivers on to your USB memory stick.

This is shown at the bottom of the pane with the normal macOS on the left and the proposed Windows one on the right.

As soon as Windows starts up you will also be prompted to install the additional Boot Camp drivers from the memory stick as well.

Youll see the two partitions with the macOS and Windows displayed on screen as the Mac starts up, and you can simply select whichever operating system you need.

The VM can run alongside other Mac apps, such as Safari or Apple Mail, so theres no need to switch back and forth between the two operating systems, as you are forced to do with Boot Camp.

Jump down to the VirtualBox section if you feel ready for the challenge.

They provide several options for creating a new VM on your Mac, using an installer disk, or ISO file.

And, if youre already using Boot Camp, you can even create a VM that duplicates your Boot Camp partition - which is a handy option for quickly checking a few files, or running apps that dont need top performance, without having to shut the Mac down and boot into Windows.

Parallels makes things a bit easier for beginners, by providing a number of predefined options that are suitable for productivity software such as Microsoft Office, or running heavy-duty 3D games, or design software.

You can also allocate extra memory and disk space, and even increase the amount of video memory that your VM can use for handling 3D graphics in games and other graphics software.

You can also determine how your VM interacts with the macOS on your Mac, perhaps sharing specific folders and files that you need for a work project, or sharing your music or photo libraries.

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