You have been a Mac user for many years now, but because of your new job, you are “forced” to use Windows as well. Since you have no intention of changing your Apple-branded computer, you have decided to install Windows on it by creating a virtual machine. You know what? That sounds like a really good idea! Excuse me? You know but, having never done such a thing before, you don’t have the faintest idea of how to emulate Windows on Mac? Then let me give you a hand!
You have been a Mac user for many years now, but because of your new job, you are “forced” to use Windows as well. Since you have no intention of changing your Apple-branded computer, you have decided to install Windows on it by creating a virtual machine. You know what? That sounds like a really good idea! Excuse me? You know but, having never done such a thing before, you don’t have the faintest idea of how to emulate Windows on Mac? Then let me give you a hand!
So, what are you still doing standing there? Come on: get comfortable, take your time and focus on reading the next few paragraphs and, most importantly, implement the “tips” I’m going to give you. I am convinced that, following my suggestions, you will not have the slightest problem in emulating Windows on Mac. Happy reading!
Preliminary Operations
Before getting to the heart of the tutorial and explaining to you in detail how to emulate Windows on Mac, it’s good that I show you the preliminary steps that are required to succeed in this operation.
If you want to emulate Windows by creating a virtual machine using the Windows ISO image, for example, you have to connect to Microsoft’s website and download the Windows version that interests you (in the form of ISO files), perhaps following the instructions that I have provided in the guides in which I explain in detail how to download Windows 10, how to download Windows 8 and how to download Windows 7. If you choose to opt for this procedure, of course you must then provide to purchase a license for the operating system from Microsoft to use all its features.
If you don’t want to opt for the solution I mentioned earlier, you can get ready-to-use virtual machines that you can use for free for 90 days. How? To begin with, connect to this page of Microsoft’s website where you can find virtual machines that can be used for free for testing purposes, select the Windows version that interests you most (e.g. lE8 on Win7 (x86), lE11 on Win81 (x86), MSEdge on Win1O (x64) Stable xx.xxxxx, etc.) from the Virtual machine dropdown menu and then indicate the program with which you want to emulate the version of Windows of your interest (eg VirtualBox, Parallels (Mac)) by selecting it from the Select platform dropdown menu. Finally, click on the blue DOWNLOAD .ZIP button that appears on the screen and wait for the file to download. At the bottom of the download page you will be given the password to download the VM (it should be Passw0rd).
As I told you earlier, if you decide to get virtual machines ready to use, they will be usable for only 90 days: after this period, you’ll have to restore them by making snapshots (of course, before the expiration date) or importing them back into the virtualization software used. That said, let’s find out how to use in detail two of the most popular programs to emulate Windows on Mac: VirtualBox and Parallels Desktop.
Emulate Windows on Mac with VirtualBox
One of the first solutions that I recommend you to turn to emulate Windows on Mac is VirtualBox, a very popular free and open source virtualization software that is available not only on macOS, but also on Windows and Linux. If you don’t have many demands in terms of performance and you’re looking for a no-cost solution, VirtualBox is definitely for you.
To download VirtualBox, connect to its download page, click on the OS X hosts link and, once the download is complete, open the .dmg file you obtained. Then open the VirtualBox.pkg package in the window that appears on the Desktop and follow the wizard to complete the installation of the software. Then click on the Continue button twice in a row, then on Install, type the Mac administration password in the text field, press Enter on the keyboard and, finally, click on the Close and Do not move it buttons.
After installing and running VirtualBox on your Mac, you need to create a new virtual machine: click on the New button located at the top left of the main window of the software and, on the next screen, indicate the version of Windows that you want to emulate on macOS (e.g. Windows 7 (64-bit)), selecting it from the drop-down menu Version. Then type the name of the virtual machine (e.g. Windows 7) in the Name text field and click the Continue button to proceed to the next step.
Now it’s time to define the characteristics of the virtual machine: first, set the amount of RAM to be assigned to the VM taking into account the minimum value recommended by VirtualBox (never go below the latter), click once again on the Continue button, place a check mark on the words Create a virtual hard disk now and click Create.
Confirm that the software is using the VDI format, click on the Continue button, check the option Dynamically allocated, so that the virtual hard disk occupies space on the computer’s real disk only if and when needed, and click on Continue again. Then define the size of the disk (if you don’t need to install a lot of programs in the VM I suggest you leave the value as it is) and click on the Create button.
Now it’s finally time to install Windows on Mac in the virtual machine. To install the operating system from an ISO image, start the virtual machine from the main VirtualBox window by double-clicking on the name you assigned to it earlier, select the ISO file you want to use to install Windows by clicking on the yellow folder with the green arrow symbol next to it and click on the Start button.
Then install Windows exactly as you would do on a “real” machine. If you should have difficulties in carrying out this operation, take a look at the articles in which I explain how to install Windows 10, how to install Windows 8 and how to install Windows 7: I’m sure they will be of great help to clarify your ideas on what to do.
Once you’re done (which could take several minutes, even about half an hour), you can emulate Windows on your Mac by simply starting VirtualBox and double-clicking on the name of the VM on which you’ve installed the preferred version of Windows.
If, on the other hand, you have chosen to download a ready-to-use virtual machine, extract it from the zipper archive that contains it, open VirtualBox, go to the File > Import Virtual Application menu at the top left and select the virtual machine file. If you have downloaded a VDI file, however, to import the VM into VirtualBox you must start the procedure for creating a new virtual machine as explained above, choose to use an existing disk and select the VDI with the Windows image.
Regardless of the method of installation of Windows chosen, after starting the virtual machine on your Mac, I recommend you install the Guest Additions of VirtualBox, ie drivers that will allow you to greatly improve its operation and integration with the real system that hosts it, in your case macOS. To proceed, select Install Guest Additions CD image… from the Devices menu (in the menu bar at the top), so you can mount the ISO image of Guest Additions.
Then go to Start > This PC/Computer, open the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD drive, run the executable VBoxWindowsAdditions-amd64.exe or VBoxWindowsAdditions-x86.exe (depending on the version of Windows installed) and, in the window that opens, click on the Yes, Next, Next, Install and Finish buttons.
Another operation that I suggest you do to make the best use of the virtual machine installed on VirtualBox is to choose the shared elements between the real system (macOS) and the virtual system (Windows). To proceed, select the VM from the main window of the program, click on the Settings button located at the top and, in the window that opens, click on General, then Advanced and change the options related to clipboard sharing and support for drag-and-drop files using the Shared Clipboard and Drag-and-Drop menus.
To shut down the running virtual machine, then, all you have to do is click on the red dot in the upper left corner, check the Save the machine state (so you can resume work where it was interrupted) or Send the shutdown signal (to close the virtual machine completely) and click OK. Alternatively, you can close the virtual machine by performing the “standard” procedure for shutting down Windows.
For more information on how to use VirtualBox, feel free to check out the tutorial I just linked to. I’m sure it will be extremely useful for you to learn even more about this virtualization software.
Emulate Windows on Mac with Parallels Desktop
One of the best solutions to emulate Windows on the Mac is Parallels Desktop: a true must-have for all those who need to use Microsoft’s operating system on an Apple computer with maximum performance and integration between the two systems.
Being a solution designed primarily for professionals – developers, tech bloggers, testers, etc. – it’s not free. – It’s not free: the license for home use starts at €79.99, while the one for professionals (which includes advanced features, such as remote access to the Mac and free updates) starts at €99.99/year. Be that as it may, know that you can test Parallels Desktop for free for 14 days and choose at your leisure whether to buy the license or not.
Among the most interesting features of Parallels Desktop, we can’t help but mention its extremely intuitive and easy-to-use interface and the excellent integration between macOS and Windows, given the possibility of dragging files and folders from one system to the other and the use of the Coherence mode, which lets you integrate Windows windows and menus directly to macOS. Also, it should be mentioned that it is easier to install operating systems in virtual machines, since it is possible to install Windows (and other OS) without having to have an ISO file already downloaded.
If this presentation has made you want to download and try the Parallels Desktop trial, connect to its download page and first click on the Download free trial button and then on Download now. Once the download is complete, open the .dmg file containing Parallels Desktop, run the Install executable located inside it and, in the window that opens, click the Open button. Then type in your Mac’s administration password, press Enter on the keyboard and, once the setup is complete and the program has started for the first time, agree to use its trial version by clicking the appropriate option.
Now, create the virtual machine with which you want to emulate Windows on macOS: click on the (+) button in the main Parallels Desktop window and then choose how to proceed by selecting one of the options displayed. By clicking the Get Windows 10 from Microsoft button, for example, you can create a virtual machine with Windows 10 and let Parallels Desktop take care of downloading the operating system; by choosing Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file and then clicking the Next and Choose manually buttons you can install Windows from a separately downloaded ISO file; while by clicking the Transfer Windows from PC button you can transfer a real Windows installation to a VM following a simple wizard.
For my tutorial I selected the option Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file. If you also choose this option, select the ISO file of the Windows version you want to install virtually, click Next, type the Windows product key (you can also skip this step and enter the activation code of your Windows copy later) and click Next again.
In the screen that appears, choose the type of use you plan to make of the virtual machine (e.g. Productivity or Games Only) and give the VM a name (e.g. Windows 7). Now, check the Customize settings before installation item and click the Create button.
In the window that opens, select the Hardware tab and use the options located in the left sidebar (e.g. CPU and memory, Hard disk, Graphics card, etc.) to adjust the various features of the machine. Once configured, close the window and click on the Next button to finally start the installation of Windows on the virtual machine.
The Windows installation process should be done automatically: however, if your intervention is required during the procedure, you can rely on the instructions that I have provided in the guides on how to install Windows 10, how to install Windows 8 and how to install Windows 7.
Once the Windows installation is complete, all you have to do is start the VM by clicking on its preview (in the main Parallels Desktop window), wait for the drivers necessary for its operation and integration with the system to be installed, and you’re done. Simple, isn’t it?
Other useful solutions to emulate Windows on Mac
Although the ones I just mentioned are among the best, there are many other solutions to emulate Windows on Mac: I suggest you take a look at those listed below and consider using some of them.
Boot Camp – this utility included with macOS does not allow you to emulate Windows on Mac, but to install Microsoft’s operating system on Apple-branded computers by creating a new partition on the disk. I told you about it in depth in my tutorial on how to install Windows on Mac.
VMware Fusion – this very popular virtualization software (also available for Windows), is a good alternative to the ones I mentioned in the previous lines. It costs 71.17 euros, but you can test its features for free for a limited time.
PlayOnMac – do you want to emulate Windows on Mac simply to run some software that is not available on the “bitten apple” computers? If so, this is the solution for you, since it allows you to install programs in .exe format on macOS (without having to virtualize Windows). I have already told you about it in my guide on how to open .exe files on Mac.