Back in November 2020, Apple unveiled its first-gen silicon chipset based MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini. The first-gen Apple Silicon chips are called Apple M1. Apple M1 chip is an ARM-based designed especially for Mac. The Chip runs on macOS starting with macOS Big Sur. But what if you want to use Windows on M1 powered Macs. Yes, you can use Windows 10 on M1 Mac. Here you will know how to install Windows on Mac M1.

The new Apple M1 chip comes with different architecture compared to the Intel chip. And so, Apps, Software, and Games that are compatible with other Chips may not properly work on M1 Mac. We have made a guide for Apps, and Games that work on M1 Mac. And in this guide, you will know how to install Windows on Mac M1.
Apple also blocks users from sideloading iOS Apps on M1 Macs. Earlier users could follow some workaround method to sideload Apps. But now if you try to sideload, it will throw an error. Luckily the Apple M1 chip is based on ARM and so it is possible to install ARM-based OS. You can install Windows 10 ARM, but you won’t be able to install the X86 version of Windows 10.
How to Install Windows on M1 Macs
On Intel based Macs, we can use Boot Camp to get Windows on Mac. But since the Apple M1 is an ARM based chip the Boot Camp will not work on Modern Macs. And so, we are here with a guide to use Windows on Mac M1. In this guide, we will be using the Parallels Desktop for Mac with Apple M1 Chip. It is still in technical preview, so there can be some bugs but the performance is decent.
Install Parallels Desktop for M1 Macs
- First, download Parallels Desktop for M1 Mac using this link. You need to sign up in order to download the technical preview.
- During the signup process, you will get an activation key. Save the activation key and download Parallels Desktop.
- Once you have the DMG file of Parallels, install it on your M1 Mac.
- Go through all required installation steps including permissions and license agreement.
- That’s it, now you have installed Parallels Desktop on your M1 Mac.
As for now the Parallels Desktop only supports ARM based operating systems. And so, you will need the Windows Insider Preview to get Windows 10 on your latest Mac.
Download Windows 10 ARM for M1 Mac
- Open the Windows Insider Program page.
- Now register for the Windows Insider program. Log in if your account already exists.
- Then download the latest preview of Windows 10 Client ARM64 Insider Preview.
- It will start downloading on your Mac. As it is a full OS file, it can take some time depending on your connection speed.
- Take a backup of your Mac before you follow the next section.
Steps to Install Windows on M1 Macs
- Once you have the Windows 10 VHDX image, open Parallels Desktop on your Mac.
- It will detect the Windows 10 file, if not then manually choose the file in Installation Assistant.
- Now click on Create and it will start creating a Windows 10 for ARM virtual machine instance.
- Log in to Parallels account when it asks. You can sign up if you don’t have an account.
- It will ask for the product key, so enter the key that you saved during the download process.
- After activating Parallels Desktop, it will start configuring Windows 10.
- Now you just have to wait for the configuration process.
- After the configure process the Windows 10 will boot in the Parallels Desktop.
- That’s it, now you can use Windows 10 on your M1 Mac.
As you know the Parallels Desktop for M1 Mac is still in Technical Preview and so there may be some bugs. Also, the Windows 10 ARM is an insider preview so don’t expect similar performance as Windows 10 PCs. Below are some settings or we can say tweaks to minimize bugs on M1 Mac Windows 10.
Disable Time Sync
The time sync function is causing an issue that you can fix by disabling the Time Sync in the Parallels Desktop configuration.
Click on the Actions tab on the top left dock. Then go to Configure > Options > More Options. Select ‘Do Not Sync’ in the Time.
Turn on x64 Emulation
You may experience some issues using x64 apps. And to fix this you can enable x64 Emulation in the Windows 10 Insider Preview build. Thanks to 9to5mac for publishing a tutorial video on this topic. Follow the steps to enable x64 emulation.
First, search for Windows Insider Program settings in the Windows search bar and open it. Click on ‘Go to Diagnostics & feedback settings to turn on optional diagnostic data’ and enable it. Then go back to previous settings and click on ‘Link a Windows Insider account‘. Log in with your Windows account.
After login, click on Beta Channel and select Dev Channel. Now go to Windows update settings and search for updates. If it is showing a new Windows 10 insider preview build, then download & install it. After downloading the latest developer build, click on Restart and wait for reboot. Parallel Tools will also reinstall so wait for completion.
And once it is completed you are good to use your Windows 10 on M1 Mac. In the coming months, we could see future Parallels Desktop update with full support. So, stay tuned for more news and guides on M1 Macs.
So, there you have it the complete guide on how to run Windows 10 on Mac M1. If you have any queries, then do let us know in the comment section.
Apple M1 Mac Guides:
“Back in November 2019, Apple unveiled its first-gen silicon chipset based MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini.”
November 2020
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