Windows 10 is now the most popular version of Windows. Installing it on Parallels Desktop® for Mac is easy to do—and does not require you to purchase Windows 10 beforehand.
If you are installing Windows 10 on a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, or if you need to create installation media to install Windows 10 on a different PC, see Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC section below.
There are several ways to install Windows 10 on your PC, whether you’re upgrading from Windows 7 or 8, installing a new operating system from scratch, or reinstalling a fresh version of Windows 10. There are still ways to get a free Windows 10 upgrade license, too. Mar 21, 2020 How to install Windows 10 on a Mac By Tyler Lacoma March 21, 2020 For some applications and tools, there’s no way around it — you need Windows 10.
There are four different scenarios you might find yourself in, with slightly different steps:
Scenario 1: You have just installed Parallels Desktop 14 on your Mac®.
Scenario 2: You have Parallels Desktop on your Mac, and you want to add a Windows 10 virtual machine (VM).
Scenario 3: You want to upgrade an existing Windows VM to Windows 10.
Scenario 4: You want to move Windows 10 from a physical PC into a Parallels Desktop VM.
Here are the individual steps for each:
Scenario 1: You have just installed Parallels Desktop 14 on your Mac.
When you first launch Parallels Desktop 14 on a Mac, it will detect that you have no virtual machines and will automatically offer to download and install Windows 10 for you. (See Figure 1.)
Once you click “Install Windows,” there is basically nothing else for you to do. The Windows 10 installation files will begin downloading (Figure 2).
Note: If you click on “Skip” instead, you will be directed to the Installation Assitant where you can purchase Windows 10 (see Figure 8).
Figure 2_Downloading Windows 10
Once the download finishes, the installation of Windows 10 into a new VM in Parallels Desktop will begin (Figure 3).
You will be notified when it completes (Figure 4).
Figure 4_Windows 10 installation complete
How long this process takes depends on the speed of your Internet connection and Mac. For me, at home and on a new MacBook Air®, this took about one hour and 40 minutes.
While Windows 10 is installing, you’ll see dialogs about the installation of Parallels® Toolbox, a separate Parallels product that’s bundled with Parallels Desktop (Figure 5).
Figure 5_Parallels Toolbox, a product that is bundled with Parallels Desktop
Parallels Toolbox gives you 30+ single-purpose tools for common tasks. I encourage you to install Parallels Toolbox—I think you’ll find the tools very useful.
After Windows 10 is installed, you should get all of the available updates, and there probably will be several of them (Figure 6).
This may take a while but is very important.
Installing Microsoft Windows 10 On Mac Laptop
At this point, you have a working installation of Windows 10 in a Parallels Desktop VM. You have not yet purchased Windows from Microsoft. A few features will be disabled until you do so. You can purchase and activate Windows from within your Windows VM, and the entire process takes only a few minutes (Figure 7).
Figure 7_Purchasing and activating Windows 10
Scenario 2: You have Parallels Desktop on your Mac, and you want to add a Windows 10 VM.
Adding Windows 10 as an additional VM in Parallels Desktop is also easy.
To start the process, either choose “New…” in the File menu of Parallels Desktop, or click on the “+” sign in the top right corner of the Control Center window.
Assuming that you don’t have a Windows 10 installation DVD laying around, click on the “Get Windows 10 from Microsoft” button (Figure 8).
Figure 8_Get Windows 10 button in the Installation Assistant
Then choose to purchase Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro in the next screen. If you want to install Windows 10 without making a purchase yet, choose to download it (Figure 9).
Whichever path you choose, you will end up with a Windows 10 installation ISO file and a Windows 10 product key. After that, everything proceeds in the same manner as scenario 1. (See the previous Figure 2 as an example.) Don’t forget to install Parallels Toolbox and all the available Windows 10 updates!
Scenario 3: You want to upgrade an existing Windows VM to Windows 10.
Use these steps if you have a Windows 7 or 8 VM that you would like to upgrade to Windows 10.
Upgrading an operating system is a task best done with lots of RAM. If possible, upgrade the amount of memory allocated to the VM to 4 GB, using the memory pane of the configuration dialog for the VM you will be upgrading. The VM cannot be running when you do this. Be sure that the RAM allocation slider remains in the green area on the memory scale, not the yellow or red areas (Figure 10).
Figure 10_Increase the memory allocation for the VM that will be upgraded
Two years ago, upgrading Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 was free, but that is no longer the case. You now need to pay for this upgrade—at least, this is what everyone thought.
Ed Bott reported on ZDNet in October 2018 that if you upgrade an activated copy of Windows in a specific way, the resulting Windows 10 will continue to be activated. I tried this for a Windows 8.1 VM, and it worked without any problems. Here’s what I did:
1. Make sure you’re starting with an activated installation of Windows.
2. Download the Media Creation tool from the Download Windows 10 page. You must do this inside Windows, not from a Mac browser.
3. Run the Media Creation tool and choose “Upgrade this PC now” (Figure 11).
Figure 11_Using the Media Creation tool to upgrade to Windows 10
4. If you’re warned about an incompatible Parallels Display Adapter, just confirm that you understand. (Figure 12.)
Figure 12_Don’t worry about this warning if you see it
5. This issue will be taken care of when Parallels Tools reinstalls after the upgrade to Windows 10.
6. The Windows 10 upgrade files will be downloaded, and the install will proceed. Parallels Tools will automatically reinstall.
Install Microsoft 10 On Mac
7. When finished, you will have an activated installation of Windows 10 (Figure 13).
Figure 13_Success! An activated installation of Windows 10
Don’t forget to reset the memory allocation in the upgraded VM. The increased allocation was only needed for the OS installation process.
Scenario 4: You want to move Windows 10 from a physical PC into a Parallels Desktop VM.
In this last scenario, you start out with the Installation Assistant dialog (see previous Figure 8) but choose “Transfer Windows from a PC.” You will then see the Transfer Windows dialog shown in Figure 14.
This process will copy everything from a physical PC to a Parallels Desktop VM: apps, data files, and Windows itself. The physical PC will not be modified.
The most common way to transfer is via the network. The amount of time this will take depends on how much information is on the PC and how fast your network is.
There may be several Windows PCs on your network, so you need to indicate which PC you want to migrate into a VM. Do this by installing the Parallels Transfer Agent on the PC to be migrated.
There are two computers involved in this transfer: the Windows PC you are transferring from, and the Mac running Parallels Desktop which you are transferring to. Some of the actions you’ll take to set up this transfer occur on the PC and others on the Mac, so you will need to go back and forth between the two computers to set everything up. These tasks are not complicated, as shown in this video:
Figure 15.
I hope you’ve seen how easy it is to install Windows 10 on Parallels Desktop. Feel free to download a free full-featured trial of Parallels Desktop and install Windows 10 like explained in scenario 1 right away at no extra cost.
Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or Facebook which way of installing Windows 10 on your Mac worked best for you.
Sometimes the lines between macOS and Windows 10 seem like a war zone of proponents from either side arguing about graphics, user interface, and program availability. But what if you just want the best of both worlds?
As many of us know, it’s the little things that make us wish we could switch back and forth between the two operating systems. Whether it’s that one program you need for work or your favorite video game that isn’t cross-platform compatible, it’s high time you find a way to be able to continue using your gorgeous MacBook Pro without making sacrifices around the edges.
Can I run Windows 10 on My MacBook Pro?
The short answer to this question is yes, you certainly can.
The longer version? To do so, you’re going to need to spend a fair amount of time setting this up and deciding which method of doing so is most effective for you.
Also, no option is going to be seamless – you will probably lose some performance power due to the way built-in optimization software works.
Is Windows 10 free for Mac?
Unfortunately, if you want to run Windows 10 on your Mac, you’ll need to purchase a license from Microsoft.
If you’ve used a PC in the past, you may not be familiar with this since Windows tends to come preinstalled. But in the same way, as if you were building your computer from the ground up or if you were updating an extremely outdated laptop, you’ll need to buy a copy of Windows 10.
This can be done electronically from the Microsoft Store here, where you’ll receive a product key and download, or you can choose to receive a copy via physical USB. Windows 10 Home starts at about $120, and the Pro version costs about $200. However, both are still cheaper than trying to buy an entirely new computer just to run a few of your favorite things.
Running Windows 10 on MacBook Pro
Once you have a copy of Windows 10 in your possession, it’s time to pick a method for installation. There are two main ways to do this: creating a partition on your Mac with the built-in Boot Camp program or using a third-party virtual machine that creates a tiny version of the Windows OS on top of the normal Mac system. We’ll guide you through both of these.
Method 1: Boot Camp
Bootcamp is preinstalled on your Mac, but most people use their MacBook without ever realizing it’s there. To find it, simply search in Spotlight for “Bootcamp”, and it should come up right away.
When you use BootCamp, your Mac’s hard drive will be split into two sections- one running Windows, and one running macOS. These means that they operate in completely separate spheres and cannot interact with each other. Additionally, the size of the partition you create cannot be changed unless you perform a fresh install to reset it.
Pros:
Already built into Mac, so it’s the safest and easiest option to run Windows.
You’ll experience the least performance loss.
It will feel like you’re running a completely new computer.
Cons:
Not that convenient because your MacBook must be rebooted to switch between Windows 10 and macOS.
Partition size is semi-permanent, and cannot be resized without some considerable effort to re-install and repartition.
Transferring files between the two systems is like transferring between two totally separate computers- you’ll need to share them by flash drive (see the best usb-c drive for MacBook Pro), email, or some other method that isn’t just drag-and-drop.
Using BootCamp
To use BootCamp, you’ll need to follow a few basic steps:
Obtain a copy of Windows 10 (as previously mentioned)
Make sure your entire MacBook is up to date by checking for any software updates
Open BootCamp from Spotlight
Partition your hard drive
Install Windows & Windows Drivers
Choose which OS to run and get started!
For a more detailed version of this overview, you’ll want to check out PCMag’s BootCamp walkthrough or head for the official Apple Guide.
Method 2: Virtual Machines
If the idea of rebooting your computer to switch OS doesn’t appeal to you, a virtual machine is always an option. These are ideal in situations where you only need one program or don’t plan on doing many taxing operations on Windows.
In a virtual machine, Windows 10 runs inside an application so it’s like having another computer, but confined inside a single window on your screen. This means you can work in both Mac and Windows at the same time but may suffer a bit from performance issues.
Pros:
It’s much more convenient than rebooting your computer to use Windows.
You can change the size of the partition whenever you want.
You can use files between operating systems easily.
Cons:
You’ll need to buy a software license for your virtualization machine in addition to a copy of Windows.
You may notice some drop in performance than if you dual-boot.
When it comes to virtual machines, you have a few options, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.
The most well-known programs are Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMWare Fusion, which provide almost identical functionality with a few minor differences (such as display resolution or Quick Look support) that won’t make or break your decision. They are priced at the same level for a single computer license and similar setup options. Fusion tends to outperform Parallels, but Parallels is a bit more user-friendly.
A third, lesser-known option is VirtualBox. This software is free, but it doesn’t come with the bells and whistles of its competitors. It doesn’t have the same optimization power or even offers a similar variety of setup options, and it tends to be on the techier side, making it difficult to use if you aren’t invested in learning how (you may be interested in this book: An Ultimate Guide Book on Virtualization with VirtualBox). But if you just need to try out virtualization, it’s a great place to start.
Using a Virtual Machine
To use a virtual machine, you’ll need to go through a similar amount of setup as Bootcamp, but the process varies more depending on which software you’ve chosen.
Obtain a copy of Windows 10 (as mentioned above)
Also, purchase a license for the software you have chosen
Create a virtual machine. This process varies by program, but it’s the first thing you need to do before attempting to run any programs
Install Windows to the Virtual Machine
If you’ve chosen to use Parallels, this guide includes images and should be sufficient to get through the installation process. For VMWare Fusion, their support page includes both a video and text-based tutorial for installation. Those who opt for VirtualBox can follow LifeHacker’s guide to setup since this program’s installation includes a plethora of personalization options you may not be sure what to do with.
Final Words
Running Windows on a MacBook Pro means you get to have your cake and eat it too. It’s a great compromise between systems that let you do the work you need to while sticking with the operating system you know best. While you may see some performance loss and it won’t be quite the same as having a computer completely dedicated to Windows, you do have a variety of options to work with what you’ve got.
How do you use Windows 10 on your Mac? Tell us about your experience by leaving a comment below.