How to Install Windows 11 on Mac [Intel and M1 Mac]

The Windows 11 Insider build has just been released and few people are more than eager to try the new build-out. And even some Mac users want to try new Windows 11 on their systems. Yes, it’s possible to get Windows 11 on Mac PCs. It’s easy to get this done on both Intel Mac and Apple Silicon M1-based Mac when you follow this guide on how to Install Windows 11 on Mac.

Windows 11 has a ton of new features, be it the new UI elements such as the centrally positioned taskbar and start menu, aesthetic wallpapers and even new system sounds that are quite calming to hear over the present Windows 10 sound alerts. While this is an Insider Preview, one is to expect several bugs rising, which will later be ironed out in the coming builds.

Read along to know how you can boot Windows 11 on Mac PCs. Do note that the method for installing Windows 11 on your Intel-based macs is different from that of Apple’s M1-based Macs. We will be covering both, so let’s first check how to get Windows 11 on Intel Macs.

How to Install Windows 11 on Mac [Intel]

Almost all Intel-based Mac systems with Boot camp assistance should be able to install Windows 11 easily. Here is a list of Mac systems that have Boot Camp Assistant.

How to Install Windows 11 on M1 Mac
  • MacBooks 2015 and newer
  • MacBook Air 2012 and newer
  • MacBook Pro 2012 and newer
  • Mac mini 2012 and newer
  • iMac 2012 and newer
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac Pro 2013 and newer

Prerequisites

Your system should have between 64GB to 128GB of storage space, as well as the Windows 11 ISO. Also, make sure your Mac is running on the latest version of the OS.

Download Windows 11 ISO for Mac

Even though the Insider Preview build for Windows 11 has been released, you will not find it on Microsoft’s official website. You will have to hunt around for the ISO either on Twitter or just by running a Google Search. The Windows 11 insider build version goes by 22000.51 and weighs around 4.45GB. The build version can vary for upcoming Windows 11 updates.

Check Settings for Secure Boot

Windows 11 primary requirement is that the device must have TPM and Secure boot enable. So ensure your Boot Security is set to Full Security. To check on what settings your Startup Security is on, simply press the Command and R keys as soon as you see the Apple logo when you turn your system on. Also, make sure to enable Allow booting from External Media.

Install Windows 11 on Intel Mac

  1. Create a Windows partition with Boot camp Assistant.
  2. Open up Boot Camp Assistant by heading over to Applications > Utilities.
  3. Click on the Continue button.
  4. It will now ask to search for the Windows 11 ISO file.
    How to Install Windows 11 on Mac
  5. After selecting the ISO file, it will ask you to create a partition. You can input your storage size here. It has to be more than 64 GB.
  6. Remember that you won’t be able to make changes to the storage size once you’ve installed Windows 11.

Since you’ve allotted the storage size for the partition, Boot Camp begins formatting the partition. Your Mac will now restart. Enter in your user password to begin the installation of Windows 11 on Mac. Now, Boot Camp will ask you to select the partition which you created previously.

Now, your Windows 11 installation will begin. This is where you will see changes to the setup UI when you will be asked to fill in details such as your system region, additional keyboard layouts, privacy settings, and the purpose of the system that is going to be used. It will also ask you to create or sign in with a Microsoft account as it will be required in case you wish to make use of Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage.

Select Startup Disc

How to Install Windows 11 on Mac

When the Windows 11 installation has been completed, your system will restart. And, when it restarts it will ask you to choose the startup disc that you wish to boot into. Select the Boot Camp disc to boot into Windows 11. You can also use the Boot Camp control panel to select the primary boot method.

How to Install Windows 11 on Mac

And there you have it! You now have installed Windows 11 on your Mac which is based on Intel. But what if you have a new Mac that runs on an Apple M1 chip. Well in that case we have another method for you. So check out the guide below.

How to Install Windows 11 on M1 Mac [Apple Silicon M1]

Apple’s newly released Mac systems now come with the in-house Apple Silicon M1 chip. Now what this means is that you will no longer have Boot Camp Assistant. However, you will be making use of third-party software called Parallels Desktop. As of now the Parallels does not officially support Windows 11 and they are already working to bring Windows 11 support. But you can still get Windows 11 on M1 Mac with some tweaks.

Prerequisites

An M1 system installed with the latest updates, Parallels Desktop, 22GB of free storage. And the Windows 10 Insider Preview ISO file (ARM).

Download the Windows 10 ISO (Insider Preview)

You read it right ‘Windows 10’. Even though the Insider Preview build for Windows 11 has been released and you can get hands-on Windows 11 ISO, but as Parallels does not support it officially, we are going to first install Windows 10 ISO. You need to register for the Insider Preview on the Microsoft official website and then download the Windows 10 Insider preview ISO file (ARM version). Since Macs with Apple Silicon chips support ARM build, you need to download the same build. Follow the attached video instructions.

Download Parallels Desktop

This is like a virtual machine software that you can run on any Mac system to try out and explore any other operating system. The software however costs $9.99, but you can always make use of the trial version. You can download and install Parallel Desktop from here.

Setup Parallels Desktop

To begin the process of installing Windows 11, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Parallels Desktop app on your mac system.
  2. A pop-up will appear asking you to install an ARM version of the operating system. 
    How to Install Windows 11 on M1 Mac
  3. Click on Continue and select the downloaded Windows 10 Insider Preview ISO.
  4. You will now be asked to give a name to your virtual machine. You can also simply name it Windows 11 or Windows 10.
  5. Also, you can select the cores of the processor, amount of RAM, and storage for Windows 11 to run on. 
  6. Once you’ve finished customizing the setup simply click on the Create button. 
  7. When you are satisfied with your configuration, click on the Lock button and click on Continue to begin the installation of Windows 10.

Install Windows 11 on Mac M1

As you know this is a workaround you need to make some changes in the registry. Also in later steps, you may have to bypass the TPM check with the given steps.

  1. After installing the Windows 10 Insider Preview, open registry editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > WindowsSelfHost > UI > Selection.
  2. Now change the UIBranch value to Dev.
  3. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > WindowsSelfHost > Applicability and change the BranchName value to Dev.
  4. After changing values restart your Windows 10. Once the Windows 10 boot up, go to Windows Update Settings > Check for Updates.
  5. It will now detect the Windows 11 Insider Preview which is currently the latest build available.
  6. Now if you get a TPM related popup, here you have to do the trick to bypass TPM check. Don’t close the popup.
  7. Open File Explorer and search for AppraiserRes.dll file. And when it shows the file, go to that file location. Now right click on the dll file and select Cut option.
  8. Now go back to the popup page and click Continue button (It can be in Chinese). Now it will take few seconds and go away.
  9. In the Windows Update page, click on Fix issues button to continue. It will now start downloading the update. Meanwhile create a new folder in desktop and paste the AppraiserRes dll file.
  10. When you paste the file, you will see a new pop up with Almost Ready message. If you get the same error then try repeating the steps again.
  11. Close the Almost Ready popup and the download will continue without any issue. Now when it passes the percentage when you received error popup cut the dll file and paste to its original location.
  12. The Windows 11 update will now download and install on your M1 Mac.
  13. When it ask for restert, click on the Restart Now button and wait. And once it restart, you will find the Windows 11 running on your M1 Mac.

That’s it, now you can use Windows 11 on your M1 Mac without any issues. In case, if you wish to install Windows 11 on a Windows system using a virtual machine, you can check this guide.

Remember!

Always ensure to download the files from trusted and verified sources. Unknown sources may include some restricted files that can harm your PC. So, it is better to download the ISO from a trusted source or the official Microsoft page if you are downloading Windows 10 ISO. As you know Parallel team is working on the official Windows 11 support, so once their update is available you will be able to directly install Windows 11 ISO on M1 Mac without any issues.

You May Also Like – List of Games Compatible with Mac M1

So, there you have the complete guide on how to install Windows 11 on Mac using Parallel and Boot Camp assistant. If you’ve any queries, then you can leave them down in the comment box. Also, share this article with your friends.

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AUTHOR.

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Joshua D'souza

Enjoy games, 90's hip-hop, and tech. Loves exploring the infinite world of laptops and food. Every ready to provide assistance in anything that rocks his boat. Will gladly enjoy capturing memories through various lenses. Worked previously at PiunikaWeb as an author and researcher.

2 thoughts on “How to Install Windows 11 on Mac [Intel and M1 Mac]”

  1. The specifications changed. Mac’s has no TPM! The minimum processor (to work fine) is Intel Gen 8 and up. When released, Mac users can not install from original iso file. (Without modification)

    Reply
    • With regards to minimum system requirements, Microsoft will make changes to it when the official release is about to happen.

      Reply

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