Parallels on the M2 MacBook Air

[Aliciad496]

Hello everyone,

Crossposting this from the MacBook Air forum because it seems like it might be more appropriate here. I mentioned in one of my previous posts on the Air forum that I've gotten the M2 Air as an everyday carry laptop for when I start an online program for graduate school in September. As part of the technology requirements they do highly suggest we install a windows emulator to use office in the windows environment if we have a MacBook computer.

I tried out installing Parallels for desktop on my M1 iMac yesterday and it all seemed to work fine...except that it still didn't seem like the MS office I see in a native Windows environment (my computer at work). It also seemed like I'd need to pay nearly $200 for a Windows 10/11 license for activation if I wanted to do any customization or really use it.

I've watched a few YouTube videos and at least one said paying the licensing fee isn't necessary. Is that true...could I use un-activated Windows permanently? I work at the university where I will be studying and they provide licensed copies of MS Office to both students and employees, so that part isn't an issue.

The main reason I really want to use a MacBook in general is while I have a Windows laptop I'd prefer the MBA because the camera (720p v 1080p) and audio are better for the inevitable video conferences/seminars and the MBA is a better overall. If the program insists though I suppose I can use the other laptop.

Anyone have experience using Parallels on the M2 MBA yet? Is it worth paying for both the Parallels program and potentially a Windows 10 license?

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

 

[prisoner54]

Not sure what advice you received on the other forum, @Aliciad496, but my advice is:

i) Yes you can use a Windows installation 100% legally even though it is not registered - I did that all the time in Bootcamp with my Intel MBP. It will get feature and security updates, just not allow you to customize the themes/desktop etc. You can download ISO (image file) from Microsoft themselves in fact.

ii) Depending on where you go to university, if you are given access to Office 365 it's highly likely that you can obtain free or heavily discounted licensed copies of Windows through the same Education Licensing deal. At the university where I work in the US, students are able to get Windows for free but faculty (instructors) cannot. It is worth asking someone in IT Services.

However, one thing about what you said disturbs me:

I tried out installing Parallels for desktop on my M1 iMac yesterday and it all seemed to work fine...except that it still didn't seem like the MS office I see in a native Windows environment (my computer at work).

It should totally be like the Windows version of Office. If it's not, then it's not running in Parallels. Are you using an older version of Office at work? In what ways does it look different? I'm typing this on a Windows 11 install on a PC with the latest MS Office downloaded and licensed by my university. Maybe you can provide screenshots to compare?

 

[Boyd01]

Yes you can use a Windows installation 100% legally even though it is not registered - I did that all the time in Bootcamp with my Intel MBP.

I believe things are different on the M2. There is no Bootcamp for Apple Silicon so I don't think you can boot into Windows directly. AFAIK, you must use the ARM version of Windows with Parallels and you will get some kind of developer version that isn't quite the same as a "registered" version of Windows. I don't have an Apple Silicon Mac but there are many other threads about this. I use a registered version of Windows in Parallels on my Intel Mac, but as you say, registering is optional on Intel.

@Aliciad496 :
Putting on my moderator's hat for a moment... as per site rules, please don't post the same thing in different forums.

 

[prisoner54]

I believe things are different on the M2. There is no Bootcamp for Apple Silicon so I don't think you can boot into Windows directly. AFAIK, you must use the ARM version of Windows with Parallels and you will get some kind of developer version that isn't quite the same as a "registered" version of Windows. I don't have an Apple Silicon Mac but there are many other threads about this. I use a registered version of Windows in Parallels on my Intel Mac, but as you say, registering is optional on Intel.

Putting on my moderator's hat for a moment... as per site rules, please don't post the same thing in different forums.

@Boyd01 I didn't mean to suggest Apple Silicon machines can boot into Windows directly - they can't. My post was about the experience of downloading a bona fide (but unregistered) copy of Windows directly from Microsoft [link here], which is 100% legal and you can then use with Parallels, Crossover, or in a virtual machine on the M1 or M2 presumably. In my case I used it on Bootcamp on an Intel Mac.

Oh, and I think you mean to address the OP, @Aliciad496 about double posting across forums, not me?

 

[Boyd01]

@Boyd01My post was about the experience of downloading a bona fide (but unregistered) copy of Windows directly from Microsoft

Understood, by my point was this is all very different on Apple Silicon but I have no personal experience. Evidently you cannot just download a retail version from Microsoft, you need to join a special program and download a developer ARM version which you might not be able to register. Some discussion here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ws.2320323/page-3?post=31271647#post-31271647

Oh, and I think you mean to address the OP, @Aliciad496 about double posting across forums, not me?

Yes - exactly. Sorry if that was not clear, I edited my post above.

 

[raythompsontn]

Microsoft has now blessed, and sprinkled holy water, on using W11 Arm in Parallels. I have a M2 MacBook Air and am happily running W11 Pro in Parallels. I have licenses for W10 Pro so those installed easily with W11 Pro and W11 activated.

I need a couple of applications that only run in W11, or run well in W11. Quicken is not that good in the Mac version and I need that application. An upcoming trip to Europe and I need something that will integrate with my iPad, iPhone and Watch. That involves the M2 Air. I also need a couple of Windows applications. I did not want to carry two laptops. Using Parallels will allow me to only carry one laptop device on the trip.

Parallels and W11 (ARM version) on the M2 Air seems to be a very nice combination.

 

[bogdanw]

Microsoft bizarre announcement about Parallels being “an authorized solution” made me curious about what Parallels does.
As it turns out, Parallels downloads the release esd for Windows 11 22H2 ARM directly from Microsoft, converts it to ISO, then proceeds with the installation.
Basically the same thing we’ve been talking about in this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...re-to-get-windows-11-arm-preview-iso.2353567/

 

[maflynn]

Microsoft bizarre announcement about Parallels being “an authorized solution”

Why do you think its bizarre?

 

[raythompsontn]

Why do you think its bizarre?

Microsoft endorsing the use of W11 on an alternate platform, a competing platform. Based on MS past behavior for many years to stop, or make it very difficult, for alternate solutions to operate.

 

[maflynn]

Microsoft endorsing the use of W11 on an alternate platform, a competing platform. Based on MS past behavior for many years to stop, or make it very difficult, for alternate solutions to operate.

They sell software, so if they can get more people using windows, regardless of the hardware then they benefit. If they were looking to protect their "platform" they'd not be offering office on anything other then windows.

 

[raythompsontn]

They sell software, so if they can get more people using windows, regardless of the hardware then they benefit. If they were looking to protect their "platform" they'd not be offering office on anything other then windows.

Microsoft also sells hardware for their Windows platform. The Surface line of products.

It would be like Apple allowing their OS to run under a VM under Windows on a Surface laptop. That is never going to happen.

I remember in the past MS doing odd things with DOS to stop Lotus from working, mostly with system calls. Then IE and other competing products when Windows arrived. The battles between MSOffice and WordPerfect with no interoperability between file formats. MS has long been uncooperative.

The times are changing.

 

[bogdanw]

Why do you think its bizarre?

When Google and Corel Corporation partnered for Chrome OS, there were big announcements from both companies.
This time, it looks like Microsoft was tired of Corel Corporation nagging them and updated an obscure support page with “authorized solution”.
What does that even mean?
And that page stats with a recommendation to buy Cloud PC
Microsoft blogs about everything, including Minecraft x Crocs So far, Parallels isn’t on any official blog https://blogs.windows.com

 

[raythompsontn]

I found this:

Options for using Windows 11 with Mac® computers with Apple® M1®, M2™, and M3™ chips - Microsoft Support

Windows 11 runs best on a PC designed for Windows. When that's not available, you can use Windows with Mac on Windows 365 Cloud PC or Parallels Desktop.

support.microsoft.com

 

[bogdanw]

Yes, that’s the obscure support page. It’s linked in the news article https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/16/windows-11-pro-parallels-apple-silicon-mac-support/

 

[maflynn]

Microsoft also sells hardware for their Windows platform. The Surface line of products.

Yeah, but they're a software company by and large. In fact their surface line isn't really profitable.

It would be like Apple allowing their OS to run under a VM under Windows on a Surface laptop. That is never going to happen.

No one is saying Apple would do that. All I'm saying is MS has a history of supporting their products on non-windows platforms. I'm not sure why some folks are having a problem with that. Its really not worth arguing about it, and doesn't really pertain to the topic, so I'll just bow out.

 

[thebart]

The answer is Microsoft has become more open under Nadella. See for example windows subsystem for Linux whereas they used to loathe to acknowledge Linux's existence. They're basically letting you run windows for free these days (they just put a message telling you register and i think you can't change your wallpaper or something). They'd rather you do that than run dodgy pirated Windows. Call it enlightened self interest

Meanwhile, Apple is still gonna Apple

 

[bogdanw]

All I'm saying is MS has a history of supporting their products on non-windows platforms. I'm not sure why some folks are having a problem with that.

That’s my point, I see no evidence that Microsoft did anything to support Parallels.
No custom esd, no mention of driver validation or testing, no collaboration. No certification https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/
It just acknowledges that it can be used to run Windows on M2/M2 and lists mostly what doesn’t work.

The Arm version of Windows 11 can be used on Apple Silicon with VMware, UTM and probably VirtualBox just as well.

So, to answer the question in the first post, in my opinion it’s not worth paying for Parallels to run Windows on M1 or M2.

free VMware Fusion Player – Personal Use License https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/evalcenter?p=fusion-player-personal-13
free UTM dmg https://mac.getutm.app

 

[chrfr]

The Arm version of Windows 11 can be used on Apple Silicon with VMware, UTM and probably VirtualBox just as well.

None of these products provide a way to easily get a Windows 11 installer the way Parallels does and VMware doesn't yet have a fully functional version of VMware Tools available. If not for the really annoying licensing of Parallels I'd probably switch from being a long time VMware user just because of the extra polish that Parallels has in using Win 11 on Apple Silicon.

 

[bogdanw]

Patience, VMware is working https://blogs.vmware.com/teamfusion...dows-on-mac-computers-with-apple-silicon.html

 

[Cliff3]

Evidently you cannot just download a retail version from Microsoft, you need to join a special program and download a developer ARM version which you might not be able to register.

The MS early access program is not all that special. I have personally licensed Office 365 to use with my Mac, and that same account gives me access to the Windows 11 ARM insider preview. I am running Win11 ARM in a VM under VMWare Fusion 13. Windows is not activated, but aside from the occasional nag dialog from the OS, it doesn't seem to care.

It's a bit bleeding edge as far as casual use goes as MS periodically releases new builds that as far as I can tell, can't be upgraded in place but instead have to be treated as new installs. I am using Win 11 to run single Windows-only and very niche oriented hw/sw environment that is sufficiently self-contained that I can lift and shift it to a new environment fairly painlessly. Office is not going to be anywhere near that easy.

To the OP (edit: who is probably long gone - I just noticed the first post in this thread is 8 months old), why can't you run the Mac version of Office 365 natively on your MBA? I'm using Outlook connected to a hosted version of Exchange for my personal email and the functionality on a Mac is close to the functionality available in Windows. Word, Excel, OneNote, and Powerpoint pretty much work the same. Access and Visio are not available on the Mac, but the audience for those are relatively limited.

 

[Quotenfrau]

I installed Windows 11 on MBA2022

I need to activate Windows, in offical MS Store 280$. In other stores its 129$ but the x86 version.

Can I buy x86 version and activate the ARM?

Its huge ripoff

 

[bogdanw]

It's a bit bleeding edge as far as casual use goes as MS periodically releases new builds that as far as I can tell, can't be upgraded in place but instead have to be treated as new installs.

From my experience, Windows Update worked without any issues on ARM.
You can also download individual updates and install them https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=arm64

I installed Windows 11 on MBA2022
I need to activate Windows, in offical MS Store 280$. In other stores its 129$ but the x86 version.
Can I buy x86 version and activate the ARM?
Its huge ripoff

Without activation, Windows works in a kind of a trial mode, you can’t personalize it.
Officially, Microsoft doesn’t sell Windows ARM licenses for consumers, only to OEMs.
From user reports, the ARM versions of Windows can be activated with any valid x86 license. If you have an old Windows 7 license no longer in use, that might work too.

 

[bobcomer]

Can I buy x86 version and activate the ARM?

Yes, you can buy the x86 version and activate an ARM version with the key that comes with it.

 

[Quotenfrau]

THANKS @bobcomer AND @bogdanw

 

[Cliff3]

From my experience, Windows Update worked without any issues on ARM.
You can also download individual updates and install them https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=arm64


Without activation, Windows works in a kind of a trial mode, you can’t personalize it.
Officially, Microsoft doesn’t sell Windows ARM licenses for consumers, only to OEMs.
From user reports, the ARM versions of Windows can be activated with any valid x86 license. If you have an old Windows 7 license no longer in use, that might work too.

Windows Update works fine, but as far as I can tell it does not update the entire build when MS makes one available on the preview site. The version available on the preview site is Windows Pro and my Win11 license is for the home version, so that didn't work. But, I can confirm that license keys for prior versions do work. I have a collection of Win7x64 Ultimate license keys from when I was a member of MS' evaluation program and I was able to successfully activate this version with that key.

Getting to the build that was released Feb 10 required the reinstall.