With Apple's use of Intel processors between 2006 and 2020, Windows applications will run on the Mac. Please check your system profile in About This Mac to ensure you have what you need to run Windows.  From 2020 Apple has switched to using other processors.


There are two ways to run Windows on the Mac:

  • Boot into Windows at startup (if Mac will run it). This dedicates 100% of the processor power to Windows and Windows applications. You can't use Mac OS X again until you restart.
  • Use virtualization software (eg Parallels), which lets you run Mac OS X and Windows side by side. You can switch between them as easily as you'd switch between Mac applications. But you can't run Windows without Windows you'll need to acquire a copy of Windows to use either solution.