For running individual apps, I prefer the Wine-based methods that I describe later they are free and can offer better app performance. It's a neat feature, but you’ll likely find that your Windows app is a lot more sluggish than the Mac apps running on the same desktop. Both let you run Windows apps in a mode that hides the Windows desktop so that your Windows app appears as an ordinary Mac app too. As mentioned, whichever software you choose, you'll still need to purchase a Windows license (Windows 10 Home currently costs $139 to download) and enter it when Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion prompt you.įor corporate users who need high reliability and tech support, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are the only answers. VMware Fusion is friendly enough for any experienced Windows or Mac user, but it's more suitable for corporate use. Parallels is more approachable for beginners and faster. On an Apple Silicon-based Mac (such as those with an M1 chip), Parallels Desktop is your top option.

If you have an Intel-based Mac, your best choices for installing a virtual Windows machine are Parallels Desktop ($79.99 for Standard Edition) and VMware Fusion ($199 for VMware Fusion 12 Pro). The combination of those three expenses means you will likely end up paying several hundred dollars.

One other note: You must factor in the costs of purchasing a Windows license, virtualization software, and any software subscriptions for this method.

Microsoft Expression Web, my favorite WYSIWYG web-page editor for quick-and-dirty HTML editing, is one example. Some Windows apps and PC games simply won’t run on a Mac unless you install them within a full Windows system, so the other methods I describe later may not even be an option. The reason for the slower performance is that this method requires you to run an entire Windows system in the background in addition to the app you want to use. The VM behaves as if it’s running on real hardware with a real hard drive it just runs a bit slower than a Windows system running on physical hardware. You can run this virtual system (which uses a complete version of Windows) entirely inside a macOS app. If you want to run complex software such as the Windows version of Excel or any high-end game, then you need to set up a virtual Windows system, sometimes known as a virtual machine (VM for short).

Run windows apps on mac free