How To Install Windows Applications On Your Mac

How To Install Windows Applications On Your Mac

If you have recently switched over to a Mac OS, you might miss running your favorite Windows software, most loved PC games, or a specific applications that only run on Windows. Whatever the case may be, you can still run any Windows program on your Mac OS. In this article, we will tell you the top 5 ways to install any Windows applications on your Mac.

Virtual Machines

Virtual Machines are one of the best ways to install Windows applications on your Mac desktop. It allows you to run operating systems inside a piece of software. To install Windows in a virtual machine, you will need a Windows product key to install Windows in a virtual machine. The most prevalent Virtual Machines for MacOS include Parallels, VMware Fusions, and Virtual Box. All of these are paid programs, but offer free trials. You can try these VMs and decide which VM is best for you. 

Boot Camp

Apple’s Boot Camp allows you to run one operating system at a time, so to switch over from Mac to Windows or vice-versa, you will have to restart your Mac. When you switch to Windows on your Mac, you can use the Windows OS, Windows applications, games, and other demanding applications with the maximum possible performance. The only drawback of Boot Camp is you cannot run macOS and Windows applications simultaneously like Virtual Machines. It is always an ideal option to run one OS at a time. 

WineBottler

Winebottler allows people to install Windows applications on other operating systems. It makes it easy to run most of the Windows applications on a Mac. However, it won’t run every Windows application on your macOS. WineBottler mainly focuses on Linux support, but the Winebottler AppDB can give you Windows applications ideas, which it supports on MacOS. Nevertheless, Winebottler is one of the best ways to install Windows applications on a Mac. It is an entirely free version. You need to download Wine or Winebottler for Mac. You don’t need a Windows license to use this software. 

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers CrossOver Mac makes it easy to run Windows applications on Mac. It is a paid application but offers a free trial to decide whether it is suitable for you. Before purchasing this, you can check the list of applications that run best on CrossOver. It uses the open-source Wine code to run applications, but it provides a nice graphical interface and mostly focuses on popular programs. CrossOver allows you to run Windows PC games on your Mac with better performance than Virtual Machines, but you will have to face bugs and unsupported programs. However, running Windows applications on Virtual Machines has a low-risk of bugs. 

Remote Desktop

If you already have a Windows computer at your home or office, you can use remote desktop software to access Windows from your Mac desktop. However, if you are looking to install Windows games on your Mac, remote access may not be an ideal option for you. 

Tools like Teamviewer and Chrome Remote Desktop are the most powerful remote control tools. All you need to do is install and sign in on both machines. Now you can enjoy using your Windows apps on your macOS.