Windows 11 stable will be available by the end of 2021. However, the preview version is available now. You can use Parallels 17 to run Windows 11 on Intel or M1 Macs. Here’s how.
What is required to run Windows 11 on a Mac?
Parallels 17 is a virtual machine app that supports Windows 11 prerelease versions for mac OS Monterey. The app’s home version costs $80. If you have an older version of Parallels, you can upgrade for $50. To purchase the appropriate version, visit the Parallels website.
You can use Windows 11 after installing Windows 10 Insider Preview on Intel Macs. You will need to register a Microsoft account with the Windows Insider Program to do this.
The M1 Macs are capable of running Windows software but not the standard Windows 11 version. You will need first to install Windows 10 on an ARM and then switch to Windows 11.
You can run Windows on a Mac in multiple ways. Boot Camp can be used, but you will need to dual-boot your Mac with macOS. This will allow you to use one OS at a given time. Parallels will allow you to use Windows 11 without having to reboot or dual-boot your Mac.
How to install Windows 11 in Parallels for Mac
1 . You will first need to download Parallels 17 and install it on your Mac.
Parallels Desktop must be allowed to access your Mac’s Desktop and Documents folders to work correctly.
2. Start Parallels and start the virtual machine wizard. Next, click on “Get Windows 10 From Microsoft” and then select “Continue.”
3. Click the “Continue” button and select “Download Windows 10“.
4. The wizard will download and install the most recent version of Windows 10. It might take some time for the installation to complete.
5. Once the Parallels Wizard has finished installing, select “Click To Continue.”
6. Type “Windows Insider Program Settings” in the search box, and hit Enter.
7. In the left column, click the “Get Started” button in the Windows Insider Program section.
8. Next, connect your Microsoft account, which is registered to the Windows Insider Program.
9. The Release Preview Channel will now be available to Windows 10 Insider Program accounts. Next, edit specific Registry keys to switch between Release Preview Channel and Dev Preview Channel.
10. With Administrative privileges, open the Registry Editor in Windows 10. Once you have allowed it to make modifications, you can navigate this key/path in the Registry Editor.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>WindowsSelfHost>UI>Selection
11. Double-click the “UIBranch” key in the right-hand pane and enter “Dev” into the “Value Data” box.
12. Next, navigate to the Registry Editor address bar and copy-paste this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows Self Host>Applicability
13. Double-click the “Branch Name” key in the right-hand pane and enter “Dev” into the “Value Data” box.
14. Shut down Windows 10 before you start. Make sure that the Parallels memory has at least 4GB. Click the gear-shaped icon “Configuration” in the upper-right corner.
15. To see the allocated memory, select the “Hardware” tab and then choose “CPU Memory.” If the default value is less than 4GB, you can change it to at least 4GB.
16. Next, restart Windows 10 Virtual Machine. Then go to Windows Update to download the latest updates. Start the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build download.
After Windows 11 is installed, restart Windows to apply any changes. That’s all! You can use Parallels Desktop 17 and higher versions of Windows 11 on Macs.
