Alternatively, you can skip the automated process to install Windows 10 and instead install Windows 11 directly. You can allow Parallels Desktop to install Windows 10 automatically and then upgrade to Windows 11. At the end of the installation, the software asks if you want to install Windows 10 ( Figure B).Īt this point, you have two options.

Next, download and install the trial version or one of the paid editions of Parallels Desktop 17.1. Click the button for 64-bit Download, and the ISO file is saved to the Downloads folder on your Mac ( Figure A). Select the product language and click Confirm. Click the dropdown menu for Select Download and choose Windows 11. Go to Microsoft’s Download Windows 11 page and select the third option for Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO). How to install Windows 11 on an Intel-based Macįirst, you’ll need to download the ISO file for Windows 11 on your Intel-based Mac. But anyone can check out Parallels Desktop for free through a full-featured 14-day trial. People upgrading from a previous version can snag the Standard Edition for $50 and the Pro Edition for $50 a year. Parallels Desktop 17 costs $80 for the standard edition, $100 a year for the Pro Edition and $100 a year for the Business Edition. You will need a product key for Windows to activate it within Parallels Desktop. Windows 11 runs as a virtual machine within Parallels Desktop, similar to the way it would run under a Windows VM application, such as VMware Workstation or Oracle VM VirtualBox. But you can make this work by using Microsoft’s Insider Preview of Windows 11 for ARM. The new Macs powered by Apple’s M1 chip are more finicky as they can handle only ARM-based versions of Windows. Using the latest version of the popular Parallels Desktop application, you can install the x86 version of Windows 11 on an Intel-based Mac without much fuss. SEE: Windows 10: Lists of vocal commands for speech recognition and dictation (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Must-read Windows coverageĭefend your network with Microsoft outside-in security services That process is trickier and more involved than installing Windows 11 on a PC, but it is doable with the right software, specifically Parallels Desktop 17. You want to check out Windows 11 but you’d like to run it on your Mac so that you can easily bounce between Windows and macOS.

For more info, visit our Terms of Use page. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. With Parallels Desktop 17, you can run Windows 11 on Intel-based and M1-based Macs, though an M1 Mac will support only the ARM-based version of Windows 11.

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