Windows 365 is similar to virtualisation and remote access software, but it’s worth noting that one disadvantage of Microsoft’s cloud solution is that the monthly fee is quite high (starting at £20.50/$24 per user, per month, for a 1 CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB storage Cloud PC –ĭetails of pricing here), and if you want more memory and storage space it costs even more. But the good news is that a Windows 365 session will also be able to be streamed to hardware running macOS, iPadOS, Linux and Android. How Windows 365 is bringing Windows to Mac, iPad and iPhone.Īll Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices will be compatible, as you would expect.

But this isn’t limited to Windows machines – it can also run on a Mac, iPad or iPhone. It means you get a full-fledged Windows 10 computer in the cloud.

Microsoft has launched a new service – Windows 365 – that allows business users to access cloud-based PCs running Windows and Windows software from anywhere. Running Windows within a virtual machine means that you’re effectively running two operating systems at the same time, so you’re going to need plenty of processor power and memory to get decent performance when running your Windows apps.Įven so, most recent (Intel) Macs can still provide good performance when running Windows in a virtual machine, and it’s only 3D games and high-end graphics apps that need the extra power you can get from dual-booting with Boot Camp. This is definitely the most convenient option, as it means that you can run your Windows apps on the Mac desktop right alongside all your normal Mac apps, so there’s no need to dual-boot back and forth between the macOS and Windows as you do when running Boot Camp.īut virtualisation has disadvantages too. However, the virtual machine mimics the workings of a PC, allowing you to install Windows on the virtual machine, and then install any Windows apps that you need to run as well. The virtual machine (VM) is simply an app that runs on the Mac just like any other Mac app. VMware Fusion to create a ‘virtual machine’ that runs within macOS itself. Instead of splitting your hard drive into separate partitions for macOS and Windows, you use a virtualisation program such as This is where the other option, known as virtualisation, can come in handy. The only disadvantage of Boot Camp is that you lose access to all your normal Mac apps while you’re running Windows, which means you have to shut down Windows and boot back into macOS if you want to use Mac apps such as Apple Mail or Photos.

Open windows software on mac