If you're switching from PC to Mac and aren't comfortable with the big change yet, if you're a dual-computer user and want to work on both Windows and macOS, or if you just want options, you can run Windows on your Mac and have the best of both worlds on one screen. There are a couple of options out there for getting Windows on your Mac, and even older Macs can support Windows if you know the trick. Here's my advice for the best way to run Windows on your Mac.
Running Boot Camp is the best if you have the space
Installing a licensed copy of Windows on your Mac's internal hard drive by partitioning it and using Boot Camp is the best way to run Windows on your Mac. The main reason is performance. When you've got Windows directly on your internal drive, you don't have to jump through all of the additional communication lines the way you would using an external drive or a virtual machine.
- Feb 12, 2020 macOS vs. Windows: Which OS Really Is the Best? And tweets headed my way because of this comparison, but hear me out. Such as video editing and photo software.
- Mar 03, 2020 Part 2: Formatting USB on a Windows PC. Please note: I’m here to use a Windows 10 based HP laptop to format my Lexar drive. If you are on an earlier operating system like Windows 7, XP, etc. The screenshots may look slightly different. For example, in Windows XP “My Computer” is equivalent to “This PC’ on Windows 10.
One of the really useful things nowadays about Macs is that you can run Windows on them if you need to. Virtual environments like Parallels make it unbelievably easy to switch between macOS and Windows in a single click, giving Mac users the best of both worlds.
Show desktop windows. This is especially important for gamers. If you're playing a Windows game on your Mac, the last thing you want is lag. It's a killer (digitally literally). Having Windows right on your internal hard drive is more stable and reliable.If your Mac has plenty of internal storage (at least 32GB, but really, much more), you should consider partitioning your hard drive and installing Windows using Boot Camp.
Running a virtual machine works great and you don't need to partition your hard drive
Though I recommend installing Windows on your Mac's internal hard drive, that doesn't mean there aren't alternative methods that aren't just as awesome, even if a little (very little) slower.
That's where virtual machines come in. A virtual machine is a software simulation of a real operating system. You can install a virtual machine on your Mac just like any other program. When you launch it, you'll see a Windows desktop on your screen, complete with everything you know and love about Windows.
If you're not planning on playing a bunch of graphics-heavy Windows-only games on Steam, a virtual machine is a perfect option. It's also easier to acces once you've installed a program.
If your Mac is limited on storage, don't split it up and take away precious space you might need in the future, run a virtual machine instead.
There are a couple of different virtual machine programs on the market. These are two of my favorites:
What to do if your Mac doesn't support BootCamp anymore
If you've decided to run BootCamp on your Mac, but it turns out your desktop or laptop is too old, you might get a notification that reads, 'This version of Boot Camp is not intended for this computer model.'
https://heavenlyprint.weebly.com/keynote-for-macos-yosemite.html. Basically, Apple no longer supports Boot Camp on that model of Mac. The good news is, there's a workaround that involves forcing the install. You'll need to do a little bit of coding, but it's not too difficult, and this guide will walk you through every step:
How to troubleshoot Bootcamp issues with High Sierra
When macOS High Sierra launched, it brought with it a couple of little quirks that are still being figured out, one of them is an issue with running Boot Camp. If you get an error message midway through trying to run Boot Camp on your Mac running macOS High Sierra, check out our guide to fixing the issue.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions about running Windows on a Mac? Please let me know and I'll try to help you troubleshoot.
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Thanks to Apple software called Boot Camp, you can run both Windows (XP or Vista) and OS X on one Mac machine. Here’s how to install Boot Camp, which came with Leopard, so you can use both Windows and OS X, interchangeably.
1Run Boot Camp Assistant (in the Utilities folder under Applications) to make sure that you have the latest firmware on your computer.
You can find any updates at the Apple Web site. Follow any on-screen instructions if you’re updating the firmware. If you’re using a portable computer, make sure to connect the power adapter.
2Create a partition for Windows XP or Vista.
This partition must be at least 5GB and can be as large as the total free disc space on hand minus 5GB. If you don’t plan on doing much in Windows, keep the XP or Vista partition small. If you plan on running graphics-heavy games and a lot of Windows programs, you might devote a larger amount to Windows. Drag the divider to set the partitions for both OS X and Windows. Or click Divide Equally to make equal partitions. Still another option: Click 32GB to devote that much to Windows.
3Insert the Windows CD. Click Start Installation.
If you exited Boot Camp Assistant before installing Windows, open it again, choose Start the Windows Installer, and click Continue.
4When asked to choose the Windows partition, select C: if you’re running Windows XP or select Disk 0 Partition 3 BOOTCAMP if you are running Vista.
This is important. Failure to do so could wipe out your entire Mac OS X startup disk.
5Format the partition.
For Windows XP, format the partition in either the NTFS file system or FAT. FAT provides better compatibility between the two operating systems but is available only if the partition you created for Windows is 32GB or smaller; NTFS is more reliable and secure, but you won’t be able to save files to Windows from Mac OS X. For Vista, format the partition using NTFS. Click Drive Options (Advanced), click Format, and then click OK. Click Next.
6After Windows is installed, eject the Windows disc.
You can do so by going to My Computer, selecting the optical drive (D:), and clicking Eject This Disk in the Systems Task list.
7Insert the Leopard installation disc and follow the on-screen instructions.
You’re loading Boot Camp drivers so that Windows recognizes AirPort, Bluetooth, the iSight camera, the Eject key on the Mac keyboard, networking, audio, graphics, and so on. A Boot Camp control panel for Windows and an Apple Boot Camp system tray item will be added.
8When you see the message that the software “has not passed Windows Logo testing,” click Continue Anyway.
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Don’t cancel any driver installers. The computer will restart.
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9Follow any Found New Hardware instructions.
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As with any new Windows computer, Microsoft requires that you activate your XP or Vista software within 30 days.