DirectX 11 games should theoretically work since many of those calls can be translated to Apple’s own Metal API. Windows 11 on ARM does not support games that rely on DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 or higher.

However, there are some caveats to bear in mind. That means you can now download Windows 11 on ARM directly from within Parallels Desktop 18 and use your Windows key to activate it. Microsoft has officially designated Parallels Desktop 18 as an “ authorized solution for running ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise in a virtual environment on its platform on Apple M1 and M2 computers.“ So, while you could theoretically get ARM versions of Windows to run in earlier Parallels versions, there was no way to properly license them. Windows on ARM is not available for public download, and Microsoft licenses it directly to OEMs and partners. Parallels Desktop has offered support for Windows on Macs with Apple M1 SoC since version 16.5, but there was one major catch. Now, with Parallels Desktop 18, Mac users on Apple silicon will be able to download an official Windows 11 on ARM version and run it in a virtual machine (VM). Parallels Desktop 18 also several enhancements including the ability to assign up to 18 CPU cores and 62 GB of RAM to the Windows VM in Mac Studios with Apple M1 Ultra SoCs.Įver since Apple transitioned to custom ARM-based silicon, Mac users who wanted to run Windows for the odd app or two were left in the lurch as the company dropped support for Boot Camp.

Windows 11 on ARM does come with limitations when virtualized via Parallels, but most users will be able to game and even run x86 apps with decent performance. Apple M1 and M2 Mac users can now officially download Windows 11 on ARM via Parallels Desktop 18.

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