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5 Apps That Can Run Windows Software on a Mac

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5 Apps That Can Run Windows Software on a Mac
5 Apps That Can Run Windows Software on a Mac

Macs have a prosperous ecosystem of software, but some programs are only available or fully optimized for Windows desktops. Whether it’s a business program or a Windows PC game, that won’t be a problem since today we will show you some of the applications that can be used by Mac users to run Windows on their Mac devices.

Some of the methods here are similar to how you can install Windows software on a Linux or Chromebook.

Virtual Machine

So first is the list which is the popular one. Virtual Machines. This is one of the best ways to run Windows desktop software on a Mac. It allows you to install a Windows operating system within the Macs OS. So basically Windows thinks that it’s running on a real computer, but it’s actually running inside a piece of software on your Mac computer.

You will be needing a Windows license to install Windows on a virtual machine, so if you already have a product key, just install the Windows installation media, and install it in a virtual machine program.

Here are some popular virtual machine programs for Mac:

Parallels
VMware Fusion
VirtualBox for Mac

One of the downsides when using a virtual machine is the performance of the 3D graphics. So this won’t be the option when you want to play windows games on your Mac. Although it works for older games, you won’t experience the best performance. As for newer titles, they will be unplayable, so that’s when the next options come in.

Boot Camp

Apple’s Boot Camp allows you to install windows without even removing the macOS on your Mac. However, only one operating system should be running so you’ll have to restart your Mac to switch between the two operating systems.

If you really want to play Windows games on your Mac, installing Windows operating system is the best-case scenario. If you install Windows on your Mac, you can use Windows applications with the maximum possible performance that they can offer. Your Mac will perform the same as a Windows PC with the same specifications.

The only downside here is that you cant run both macOS applications and Windows applications at the same time. So it’s either you use Windows or you use macOS. If you want to use a Mac application at the same time as using a Windows application, the virtual machine is the ideal way, but if you really want to play Windows games boot camp is your best shot.

Wine

The wine originated on Linux. It is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on other operating systems. Wine attempts to rewrite the Windows code so that applications can run on either operating system. Although, it is far from perfect since it won’t run other applications, and will have bugs on most apps that run.

Nevertheless, Wine is another option for you to use Windows applications on a Mac since you are not required to actually use windows; instead, it just changes the code of the Windows application for you to run it.

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers’ CrossOver Mac is a paid application that can help you run windows programs on a Mac. It uses the same open-source Wine code to accomplish this, but CrossOver provides a nice graphical interface and it focuses on officially supporting popular programs. If it happens that an officially supported program doesn’t work, just give the CodeWeavers a call and expect them to make it work for you. They also contribute their improvements back to the open-source Wine project, so paying for CrossOver Mac also helps the Wine project itself.

CrossOver offers a free trial if you want to try it out first, and here is a list of which programs run well on CrossOver before you decide on buying it. CrossOver focuses on compatibility and is based on Wine so it won’t work on everything.

Remote Desktop

If you have a Windows system, you can skip running Windows software on your Mac and use remote desktop software instead, and with this, you can access your Windows machine from your Mac’s desktop. Organizations with business software that runs on Windows operating systems can host servers and make their applications available to Mac, Chromebooks, Linux, iPad, Android tablets, and other devices. Now if you are just a home user who happens to have a Windows PC, you can configure remote access to your Windows PC so that you can connect to it whenever you need a Windows application.

This kind of feature really helps Mac users to widen their knowledge when it comes to software that is locked on each operating system; however, it requires more work just to simply make it happen. We suggest that you focus on using mac software as much as possible since Windows programs won’t really work well because of their optimization.

You may have to buy a Windows license for your Mac to get the best compatibility, whether you’re using a virtual machine or installing Windows in Boot Camp. Wine and CrossOver are nice ideas, but they aren’t perfect.

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