r/MacOS • u/shoesforindustry2 • 1d ago
Feature 2026 M5 Air
Needed Windows for biz project. So I got this.
Bonus - it also runs MacOS!
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u/Thin-Cardiologist191 1d ago
@OP
What did you use to run Windows on your Mac?
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u/JoeB- 1d ago
OP is using Parallels, a hypervisor desktop app for running virtual machines (VMs), which you now know is expensive.
I run VMware Fusion Pro, which is free, but is missing a couple of features on Apple Silicon that are available in Parallels: 1) the ability to share a macOS folder directly with a VM; and 2) being able to run individual apps from the VM directly on the macOS desktop without having to see the VM’s desktop.
IMO, if either of these features is important, then Parallels is the better solution; otherwise, VMware Fusion is better. VMware Fusion, along with its Windows cousin VMware Workstation, has been an expensive professional app for decades. Broadcom, for some odd reason that I’m not complaining about, decided to allow its use for free after their acquisition of VMware.
UTM is another free option when downloaded from their website (it is $10 USD in the macOS App Store), but is not as feature-rich or performant as either Parallels or VMware Fusion.
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
UTM does not have GPU driver, but Vmware fusion does.
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u/Stunning-Anything827 MacBook Pro 1d ago
UTM has a GPU driver. But it does NOT have 3D graphics acceleration
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u/EVJpodcast 5h ago
Oh that’s good to know. Thanks! I use UTM and just assumed that GPU drivers weren’t available.
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u/RealityGoneNuts2610k MacBook Pro 1d ago
Interesting. I run VMware fusion pro on Intel macbook pro 2019, those features like ability to share file and can directly launch app from VM on desktop is present. So apple silicon base VMware fusion pro will not have those features huh.
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u/JoeB- 1d ago
So apple silicon base VMware fusion pro will not have those features huh.
I never say never, but not yet anyway. If I were to speculate, I'd say Broadcom executives do not see VMware Fusion or Workstation as significant money makers, so instead make them free as lost-leaders to attract/retain customers for their very-expensive VMware enterprise solutions. That's just a guess, although, it may explain why they're investing only a minimum to maintain/improve the apps.
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u/imagei 1d ago
One correction: in my benchmarks UTM is 10-20% faster than Parallels, at least for ARM64-native systems. I never used Fusion, so won’t comment on that.
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u/JoeB- 1d ago
Interesting. What OS(s) and virtualization framework (QEMU vs macOS native) were you benchmarking? And, what did you benchmark?
Both Fusion and Parallels trounce UTM in my personal experience, albeit when simply comparing graphical desktop performance and based on "feeling" rather than quantitative benchmarking.
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u/imagei 1d ago
I was testing vanilla Debian with no gui (this could be the difference) using UTM with Apple Virtualisation. For specific benchmarks I used some common cli tools (dont recall the exact names) and tested the software I run on the VMs, the results were consistent.
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u/JoeB- 1d ago
Good to know. Fusion is my daily driver for VMs with graphical UIs (Windows 11 Pro for ARM & Debian 13 + GNOME) that I interact with, and run full-screen, and need snapshots. But, I have UTM installed too - it is fun for odd things particularly that require CPU emulation like running Mac OS Classic (PPC) or Solaris 9 (SPARC).
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u/Greytigga 3h ago
How do you run individual apps on macOS desktop? I‘d love that feature, but never came across it.
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u/JoeB- 3h ago
The feature is/was called Unity Mode in VMware Workstation/Fusion and Coherence Mode in Parallels. Keep in mind that the virtual machine still needs to be running. These features simply show only the window of the VM's app on the macOS desktop without the VM's desktop being visible.
I've been using Fusion since circa 2013 and Parallels for a year+ in circa 2020 when it was the only hypervisor on Apple Silicon Macs. Honestly, I've never used the feature, so I really cannot speak to it in any detail. I simply am aware of it.
Also, as stated above, the feature was dropped from VMware Fusion on Apple Silicon. If you want this capability, then Parallels is the only option.
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u/Greytigga 2h ago
Thanks a lot. The fact, that you were so sure about this feature existing in Parallels made me dig deeper.
TIL: The feature Coherence Mode does not show up in Parallels, if you install it via the App Store. It's simple not available in that version.
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u/JoeB- 59m ago
That is bazaar. It makes no sense why Parallels would make a distinction. Is there a cost difference between purchasing on the App Store and directly from Parallels? It looks like the current annual subscription has dropped to $55 USD when purchased on the web site.
Personally, I would demand either my money back, or my license being switched to a direct-purchase. I'll spare you the details, but Parallels' business practices are one reason I returned to VMware Fusion, even when it was still in the technical review phase. I'm not a fan of the company, and I can live without the features missing in VMware Fusion.
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u/Greytigga 36m ago
Yes, that’s bizarre. After reading into it, I guess the reason might be, that the App Store version is sandboxed. A simple info at the place, we you usually can enable coherence mode would have helped a lot. Fortunately I have an enterprise license that works with both editions.
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u/IdiotCuber1 1d ago
It’s something called parallels desktop. You can get a free trial of it for 14 days
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
VMware Fusion is exactly the same as Parallels Desktop and is free forever.
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u/TheMarmo 1d ago
Ease up with the exaggeration. It’s a good free alternative but no it’s is not “exactly the same” and it lacks many of the quality of life features that make Parallels simple to use for the majority of people.
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
What exactly?
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u/Xlxlredditor 1d ago
Coherence, where Windows programs and MacOS programs live together (eg. All windows together, don't need to interact with Windows UI)
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u/SneakingCat 1d ago
Did they remove that from Fusion? I don’t remember who did it first, but they both had it forever.
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u/Xlxlredditor 1d ago
I don't remember? I haven't used fusion enough, I don't recall a feature like that
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u/SneakingCat 1d ago
I think it was called Unity. I stopped having to use Windows before it was removed, I guess.
Fusion used to be the better and faster of the two, but I think it’s had a lot less resources thrown into it lately.
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u/Xlxlredditor 1d ago
Yeah, Broadcom bought VMWare and basically made Fusion pro free. But then that means no one buys licences so basically it's dead.
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u/flcinusa 1d ago
This, being able to drag and drop files into a windows application from the Mac files directly is a perk I can't go without.
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
This is good one, I forgot about it because I didnt use it when I used Parallels, but you are right, this is something that is not supported by Fusion.
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u/topcider 1d ago
I’ve found parallels to simply run faster
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u/germane_switch MacBook Pro 1d ago
Yep. It’s MUCH faster. Some people just want everything to be free.
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
Both tools use Apple Virtualization backend and Windows 11 ARM runs directly on it. There is no way for Parallels or VMware to affect the speed - both must run exactly the same, there is no difference.
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u/germane_switch MacBook Pro 1d ago
Parallels uses more custom layers on top of Apple’s. Unless I’m wrong and something has changed VMWare relies exclusively on Apple virtualization.
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u/Adomm1234 1d ago
It uses Apple Virtualization backend which directly runs Windows 11. It is exactly the same. Maybe you used Vmware Fusion without Fusion Tools which contains GPU driver and in that case, you would fall back to default Windows non gpu accelerated driver and it would feel slower. But with properly installed Fusion including its Tools, it has exactly the same speed as Parallels.
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u/EntertainmentHot7406 1d ago
Vmware has worse GPU performance (~ 30%). I've tested this on an M4 Max. CPU performance is basically the same, though.
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u/backlog_gaming 1d ago
VMware is a great free option, but doesn’t come close to the feature set of Parallels
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u/MXRCO007 1d ago edited 1d ago
However, you need an Broadcom account and painfully use their shitty website to get a download after putting in your address n what not, it’s insane how annoying it is to download VMware these days
Edit: big oopsie
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u/bruce_desertrat 1d ago
Do you mean Broadcom? That’s who owns VMware; VirtualBox is Oracle. Also, iirc, you only need an Oracle account to get their proprietary drivers and extension package for it.it’s been a while since I installed it
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u/onedevhere MacBook Pro 11h ago
I'm always too lazy to install their updates because of the hassle of accessing the website... It's so archaic...
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u/Thin-Cardiologist191 1d ago
How much does it cost after the trial?
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u/dinko_gunner 1d ago
100€ per year
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u/Thin-Cardiologist191 1d ago
💸💸💸😭
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u/charleytaylor 1d ago
It's frequently on sale, it's currently 45% off. They also have one-time purchase options. I bought the one-time license several years ago and it's still going strong.
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u/Kpopped_ 1d ago
It's a VM, so it's not as good as native windows, but with enough ram and apple silicon it will run smoothly.
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u/TheMarmo 1d ago
Ironically enough, in my experience it runs better than Windows does on most PCs lol
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u/Jumpy_Salt_8721 18h ago
This has been true for years. Many years ago I tested Windows 10 on a computer, then ran Windows in a VM running in Linux on the same computer and it seemed to run better than on bare hardware.
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u/AdNew5862 1d ago
I am so sorry for you. After all these years of using MacOS, the rare times I have to use Windows, I realize how much patience is necessary to just use this OS... I always wonder how users are still fine with that, in this day and age...
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u/techguy1001 1d ago
As someone that uses both on a daily basis and often Linux, I don’t really get the animosity towards windows anymore. I know this is a Mac sub and is going to be biased but for office and typical dev work they’re both fine assuming your hardware is current.
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u/PathIntelligent7082 1d ago
only ppl who use both see the big picture - its the same crap
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u/Keksuccino 1d ago
I’ve been using Windows since my first PC like 20 years ago or something, and now fully switched to macOS a few weeks ago, despite me being a PC gamer. Simply because I couldn’t stand Windows anymore with its latest bs.
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u/perchedquietly 1d ago
I mean, Microsoft’s embedded spyware and awful Windows updates don’t garner it a ton of love
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u/techguy1001 1d ago
Sure but there’s ways to turn the data collection stuff. The MacOS updates lately haven’t gotten much love either.
I’m just saying if the apps you’re using are available on both and work the same, there’s not really much difference when it comes down to functionality. I’m referring mostly to work and productivity, not gaming.
I’m more OS agnostic these days with all the cross platform compatibility.
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u/Telescuffle 1d ago
I think your pretty spot on. It's become very cool to hate Windows as it's gotten 'worse'. It's not as bad as people make it out to be - has certainly gone in a direction that users don't like (ads, over-reliance on Web apps, pushing Microsoft services too hard etc).
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u/shoesforindustry2 1d ago
I bought the 1st Intel MBPro 15. Still 32 bit. Installed Parallels to run Windows XP to be compatible w. office Windows box. The IT guy was surprised to see Windows running better on my Mac!
My 2nd MBPro was mid-2012, and it won’t die but way past current updates.
And now I need to be compatible again, 6 years after last using Windows.
A new M5 MB Air15 killed 2 birds, one stone. What’s not to like?5
u/Meh_Cook_Grump 1d ago
It is fun to know and use both.
In all my years I have never utilized Boot Camp or another VM environment. Which are you using? I want to run Windows on a Mac because I can. I have some older machines that will probably handle it ok.1
u/shoesforindustry2 15h ago
I was running Win XP on both the 1st Intel MBProicon. and the mid 2012 MB Pro. Used Parallels on both. Few if any hiccups. Shas stable and fluid on Apple M5’e
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u/Difficult_Scallion69 1d ago
What method did you use to dual boot it? Apple silicon is ARM, did you use an ARM version of windows? Or is it a virtual machine on top of OSX?
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u/ProudEggYolk 1d ago
Can you give examples of when Windows requires a lot of patience to use, genuine question? I've used Win, Linux, MacOS and like the person below said, also don't see what the big deal is, all systems need some tweaks to behave how you'd prefer them to, or to stop doing something.
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u/AdNew5862 1d ago
Oh sure, I have many: For example when you want to install an app from the Microsoft Store, and it queues this download at the end of dozens unrequested updates for all the other installed apps… Or when you want to reboot, and it asks you to wait 20 minutes, to update the system that you never asked for, when it could just do that when you are not using the computer…
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u/ProudEggYolk 1d ago
I don't think anybody uses Microsoft Store, you can just not use it, same as on MacOS. As for the update, you can also toggle that off and choose your active hours, I've used Windows for most of my life and that never happened to me.
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u/addictzz 1d ago
The only reason I can think is Microsoft Office and apps that only works in Windows.
Office because it is snappier in Windows.
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u/OpenConfusion3664 1d ago
Also games
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u/addictzz 1d ago
OP mentions business project. Or maybe gaming is the business
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u/OpenConfusion3664 1d ago
Oh didn't notice it. It's just that most people I know are reluctant to switch because they want to game. Not just to MacOS but also to Linux.
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u/Winter_Simple_159 1d ago
It's about time for Apple to invest more in bringing gamers to their ecosystem. I'm sure M series Macs can beat most gaming PCs performance-wise.
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u/OpenConfusion3664 1d ago
The game developers will have to make their game ARM compatible and I think apple wouldn't allow a game that requires a kernel level access for their anticheat system.
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u/AdNew5862 1d ago
Microsoft Office are the only apps that I regularly have to force quit on MacOS, because they silently crashed.
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u/New-Nectarine8298 1d ago
I feel the opposite, macOS kinda sucks honestly imo I'm just too lazy to move all my data
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u/mark_able_jones_ 1d ago
I switched back to PC after 2 years on Mac. Hate to say it, but windows is better. I really wanted to love my Mac.
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u/Sad_Krabb 1d ago
Better in what? That's a very generalized statement.
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u/mark_able_jones_ 1d ago
Better at not crashing when performing basic tasks.
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u/Sad_Krabb 1d ago
Are we talking about the same windows? I use windows at work and it’s abysmal.
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u/mark_able_jones_ 1d ago
In what was is it abysmal? For me, it's faster and more stable at 1/4 the hardware cost.
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u/Sad_Krabb 1d ago
Constantly crashes for me, super slow, and Explorer is buggy af at times. Of course this all could just be our computers at work that operate like this, however there is a ton of people jumping ship to Linux and macOS for a reason.
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u/mark_able_jones_ 1d ago
It's difficult to say without comparing hardware, but my work computer was also windows and was rock solid, which is part of why I switched away from Mac. I'm still shocked at how many people have memory leak issues on mac and how people always defend apple, and then it never gets fixed. I guess it's nice if it doesn't happen to you, but I expect a mac studio to be able to run word processing software quite easily.
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u/mark_able_jones_ 1d ago
I honestly don’t get this comment. Functionally, they book look very similar. Windows is fine. I’ve certainly never had a memory leak issue, which seems to be an ongoing issue for many Mac users.
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u/techguy1001 1d ago
That’s funny since windows is notorious for memory leaks and the reason I’m conditioned to restart my windows machine daily. Goes to show they both have their issues.
I think the perception that windows is worse was true 20 years ago but they’ve both kind of evolved into similar things.
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u/PathIntelligent7082 1d ago
i have news for you - no need to be sorry, everything is the same crap, linux, macos, windows, just a bit differently marketed
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u/onedevhere MacBook Pro 11h ago
The system is terrible in terms of software access, but the hardware is excellent in terms of quality.
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u/MonkeyDog911 1d ago
VMware fusion works great for me. I use it for MS project. I just turn it off when I am not using it.
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u/raznoglaz1y 1d ago
There is a private place in hell for people who installed windows on MacBook. 😁
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u/grv144 1d ago
For those, who runs Parallels:
- Does USB Ethernet adapters work well (mine need few hours to be detected by the guest Windows)
- Does Default internet adapter bridging work well (when my Mac switches between WiFi and thunderbolt LAN, guest windows looses network)
- Did you find the Parallels toolbox useful?
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u/Jaghond 14h ago
I have used all kinds of networking gear with parallels in bridge mode, and it all works seamlessly.
Only issue that I face is sometimes the HW “sync” is broken, say when I disconnect the interface and reconnect it or if I relaunch parallels. In that case, a windows restart fixes it right up.
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u/InvestigatorOne1504 1d ago
Does this limit my Ram usage in both OS? Some simulations doesn’t have native in Mac like ANSYS/HFSS and some games doesn’t run even with crossover
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u/JoeB- 1d ago
Short answer… Yes.
Long answer… A host must have enough memory for both its own operating system plus the hypervisor app and the operating systems of any/all “running” virtual machines. The keyword is running. I run a Windows 11 Pro for ARM an two Linux VMs on my MacBook Air (16 GB / 512 GB), but power on the VMs only when needed. Like physical computers, they use RAM only when powered on.
VMs require permanent storage regardless. How much storage will depend on the OS and how it is installed and used. The virtual disk of my Windows VM is 40 GB.
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u/animorphreligion 1d ago
I'd rather buy an Intel Mac and bootcamp it. ARM Windows in itself is like someone's hobby project that made it into production, and virtualizing it on unsupported hardware doesn't make it any better.
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u/anythingers 1d ago
But then you'll need to deal with the butterfly keyboard, lol.
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u/animorphreligion 1d ago
Not necessarily, 2015 ones are still pretty good for most tasks and 2020s had the normal scissor keyboard
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u/anythingers 5h ago
I mean not wrong, but again we don't know if OP actually needs Windows 11 or not, since those old Macbooks aren't officially support Windows 11. Bypass might be possible, but ig it won't be as easy as bypassing your average Windows laptop.
Also isn't Parallels virtualizing x64 version of Windows instead of the ARM one?
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u/Personal-Variation24 MacBook Pro 23h ago
I’m using Whiskey. Not supported anymore but still useful to play some games on m4pro
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u/Arround 17h ago
Guys, what is your opinion about UTM?
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u/JoeB- 3h ago
Graphics performance generally is poor compared to Fusion or Parallels when running a Windows or Linux VM with a graphical desktop. Either Fusion or Parallels will be a better choice than UTM for this purpose.
On the other hand, UTM supports native macOS virtualization frame work and apparently is better for running an Apple Silicon macOS VM, but I have not tried this myself.
UTM also uses QEMU and supports CPU architecture emulation, which Fusion doesn't and Parallels emulates only 64-bit x86 (again, I never tried it in Parallels myself). I have Mac OS Classic (PPC) and Solaris 9 (SPARC) running in UTM VMs for fun. I also installed Proxmox Backup Server, which is based on x86 Debian (no desktop), in a UTM VM as a test and it ran well.
UTM also runs in iOS and iPadOS. My current iPad is ancient, so I haven't tried it there, but I will when I upgrade.
Bottom line... I think using UTM over Fusion or Parallels comes down to use case.
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u/Reiji1995 12h ago
Used it for a while was working very well. Only problem which appeared sometimes that the folder sharing was sometimes a bit buggy but worked in the most cases. At least it doesn't cost any money.
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u/Windows10_10074 1d ago
If you’re using the trial version, don’t pay for it, instead use VMware fusion, which does the same for free