In many businesses and enterprise organizations, applications that are an organization requirement aren’t available for macOS, so it can be important that those users on macOS can still have access to those apps in a Windows environment for business reasons. With the move to ARM-based Macs, the process has gotten trickier and more involved than installing Windows 11 on a PC, but it is doable with the right software, specifically Parallels Desktop.
If all your business needs is to run a handful of Windows apps, but provide users with the main environment they wish to use (i.e., macOS), then Parallels Desktop and this setup is for you. Learn how to get up and running in Parallels Desktop and Windows 11 in no time.
What you’ll need
To begin, you’ll need a copy of either:
and
These applications allow you to run Windows on a Mac inside of a fast and seamlessly connected virtual machine. It’ll let you install either an x86 or ARM version of Windows 11. We will be installing inside of Parallels Desktop, but the process with VMware Fusion or Oracle VM VirtualBox is similar.
Why Parallels Desktop?
We like Parallels Desktop because of its seamless integration with the Mac — you can hide the Windows desktop and only run the Windows apps on your Mac or view the full desktop of Windows. In addition, you can access files on your Mac and in your VM from one another, making it easy to share files without needing to constantly switch back and forth.
How to install Windows 11 on macOS with Parallels
The modern version of Parallels Desktop can take care of the installation process of Windows for you.
- Once you’ve downloaded and installed Parallels Desktop, launch the application, and click File | New to begin configuring a new Windows virtual machine.
- In the view that appears, select Get Windows 11 from Microsoft, then click Continue (Figure A). If you already have an ISO file for Windows 11, you can use that instead by selecting Install Windows, Linux or macOS from an image file.
- On the next screen, click Install Windows to begin the download process (Figure B). The Windows 11 download is approximately 6GB, so it may take a while depending on your internet connection speed.
- You’ll see a new screen once the download has completed as Windows is installed into the newly created virtual machine (Figure C). This is the same screen you’d see if you were installing Windows on a PC as well.
- Keep the VM running — the installer process is automatic and will exit when done. Then, Parallels Desktop will install its custom software into the VM as well. So as you resize the Window the VM is in, it will resize the Windows screen to match. It’ll also install software, so your files on your Mac will appear inside of the VM, and all of your audio and video settings on the Mac work inside of the VM as well.
SEE: Learn the ins and outs of searching for files on your Mac.
- Once the install is done, you’ll be presented with Windows 11 and prompted to enter your Windows 11 License key (Figure D). Enter it, and your Mac will be registered just like a PC. You should now be able to access the full abilities of Windows 11 and the enterprise and business apps installed.
How to use Windows 11 in Parallels Desktop
By moving or shrinking the Windows 11 VM window, you can access your Mac desktop and applications. You can also run your Windows 11 VM in different modes and sizes.
In Parallels Desktop, click the View menu to see the available options:
- Full screen uses the entire screen for Windows 11.
- Picture in Picture reduces it to a small thumbnail image.
- Coherence mode puts a Windows 11 icon on the Dock, where you can access the Start menu and run Windows apps alongside Mac apps (Figure E).
