Running Windows 11 on ARM-based Macs has been possible with Parallels Desktop for several months. Now Microsoft is giving its “blessing” by documenting ways to do this on its support page.

The messages that are available are more administrative than anything else. Windows 11 ARM was officially supported only on Snapdragon SoC PCs as part of an (exclusive) partnership with Qualcomm to push the ARM architecture in Windows. And nothing else because of it Microsoft License Restrictions. And Apple’s clear disinterest, which is another thing we’ll discuss below.

Technically only minor changes. The preferred method of running Windows 11 on ARM Macs is to use what Microsoft now calls Parallels Desktop “authoritative solution”. Of course, if until now the Insider test versions were used without a license, now Microsoft gives the consent to run the standard versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise.

There is another option to use Windows 11 on a Mac that Microsoft also points to, but it’s for companies and is done through Microsoft 365 Business. Cloud PC, as it’s called, is basically a Windows 11 remote desktop hosted in the cloud.

When will Windows 11 be native on ARM Macs?

Parallels is the best software that can be used to virtualize operating systems on new Macs. It was already the first virtualization software to hit the market and support the Intel x86 architecture when Apple abandoned PowerPC and became the preferred application on Apple computers.

Last month we looked at how to install Windows 11 on virtual machines and what Parallels does is the same. It works great, but virtualization always has its trade-offs compared to the native installation. It should be said that Apple has supported native Windows installations on Intel-based Macs through Boot Camp, but has not yet done so on new ARM-based computers.

To be honest, we haven’t seen any interest in the Cupertino headquarters and not the one in Redmond, perhaps tied to exclusivity with Qualcomm. The release of this documentation and the administrative change by Microsoft means that the platform is open, and with it, Apple may reintroduce Boot Camp on its ARM machines.