An accolade from Microsoft: The virtualization solution Parallels Desktop can now officially use the ARM version of Windows 11 to run on Apple Silicon Macs – i.e. those with M1 and M2 processors. Technically, this has been possible since autumn 2010, when Parallels introduced the necessary vTPM support. However, you were moving in a gray area in terms of licensing law, which was caused by the new collaboration is now terminated.
Installation very easy
The installation should also be simplified: You can download and install a Windows 11 directly from the latest Parallels desktop version 18.2 using the regular Parallels wizard from Microsoft’s website. However, a license is required because activation is required after setup. This can then be purchased in the Microsoft Store. However, the prices there are high: the Home version costs 145 euros, the Pro version costs 259 euros and the workstation version even costs 439 euros. In the trade, the licenses are sometimes significantly cheaper.
Parallels, which belongs to Alludo (formerly Corel), announces that as of February 16, 2023 – i.e. yesterday – Microsoft recognizes Parallels Desktop as an “authorized solution for running the ARM version of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise”. Even Microsoft itself confirms this in its support database.
M1 and M2 Macs supported
In addition to using Windows 365 cloud PCs, Parallels Desktop is now being touted as an additional option. “Parallels Desktop Version 18 is an authorized solution for running the ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise in a virtual environment on its platform on Apple M1 and M2 computers,” according to the software giant.
However, there are still some things that are not working. There are the regular Windows 11 on-arm restrictions in relation to various hardware, games and apps – such as those the DirectX12 or OpenGL 3.3 and higher to use. Furthermore, other “virtualizations within virtualization” are not supported, including the subsystems for Android and Linux and the Windows Sandbox. It also always has to be 64-bit apps for ARM if you use the Microsoft Store. A demo version of Parallels Desktop 18 can be downloaded here. Licenses are available from 100 euros.
(bsc)
