There are many differences at the hardware and software level between Apple computers and the rest, but there are always certain points in common that allow, for example, Windows 10 to be installed on a Mac. Now, if we refer to windows 11, There are more doubts, either because of its recent launch or because of the particularities of the new Macs with Apple Silicon.
Impossible via Boot Camp
The installation of previous versions of Windows on Apple computers can be done through Boot Camp, the native macOS tool that allows you to easily create a partition on the disk to install the Microsoft system. But nevertheless, this program does not work on the M1 due to the particularities of the ARM processor of these. Therefore, forget about being able to install this or any other version of Windows if you have a Mac with Apple Silicon. At least for now.
Talking about computers with intel, these that do support previous versions, do not yet allow the installation of ’11’. You may even already have Windows 10 on a partition made by Boot Camp, but not even then. There is a Microsoft program in charge of analyzing if the equipment is compatible with Windows 11 and if it is used on the Mac it will tell you that the equipment is not compatible. And it will not matter if it is iMac, MacBook, that it has more or less RAM and that it has a very large storage space. It can not.
Virtualization if possible
Virtual machines allow additional operating systems to be used within the same system. We found several programs to virtualize Windows in macOS and most of them allow comfortable installation of Windows 10. Even on computers with M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max we find more and more developers who manage to solve the incompatibility with ARM.
However, again we run into problems if we refer to Windows 11. But, at least from what we have been able to investigate and test, there are three programs that allow you to virtualize this version regardless of the Mac chip: Parallels, VMWare and VirtualBox, although in the case of the latter, the TPM must be activated.
Therefore, and already answering the question that gives rise to this post, Windows 11 is incompatible with Macs. At least in the way one expects, being able to have it in a partition as it happens with Windows 10. But if we refer to being able to make sporadic use of the system within macOS itself, we do find virtual machines like the ones mentioned above and that allow installation.
That yes, we return to insist on the particularity of Apple Silicon. And it is that the ARM architecture of these chips can play tricks and the experience, both of installation and use, can become problematic. Therefore, if you see any type of error, we recommend that you contact the developer to notify them and they can either fix it if it is a general error, or give you the guidelines to follow if it is a particular case.
