Microsoft has finally confirmed that Windows 11 on Apple’s M1 Macs is not going to be officially supported. Similar to Windows 10 for Arm, Windows 11 for Arm also works on M1 Macs albeit via virtualization through software like Parallels Desktop. Parallels has officially supported the operating system through tools and drivers to ensure that Windows 11 works well in virtualization, even in its current beta stage.
However, the build of Windows 11 that you can download and install in Parallels Desktop 17 on an M1 Mac is an insider preview. It is not a commercially available product unlike its x86 counterpart.
Microsoft spoke to The Register and confirmed that Windows 11 on Apple’s M1 Macs is not a “supported scenario”. This response came up as a recent Windows 11 update broke the operating system in Parallels 17, however, the team behind Parallels was quick to push out an update, version 17.0.1 to fix the issue.
Microsoft confirms it will not officially support Windows 11 on M1 Macs
Microsoft’s official statement contradicts the speculation by Paul Thurrott, who had spoken to someone inside the company and found out that Microsoft intends to announce official Windows on Arm support for M1 Macs in September. It is September now, and we are less than a month away from the official launch of Windows 11.
Windows 11 features a fresh coat of paint that touches most, if not all, parts of the operating system. While most users are happy to jump to the new Windows update, including yours truly, many of us question whether the operating system is even ready to ship to customers. Most recent updates have left basic features broken such as the start menu and taskbar, while many of the user interface changes still seem incomplete as some parts of the operating system have not received the new design treatment.
Even though Microsoft does not officially support its operating system on M1 Macs, users can still download an insider preview copy of Windows 11 and install it in Parallels to continue using it. It surprisingly performs better than natively on most other devices, including Microsoft’s own Surface Pro X Arm tablet.
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