How To Run Windows Program On Mac For Free
On a Mac, you have several options for installing software that allows you to run Windows and Windows applications:
Virtual Machines. We recommend using a virtual machine program, ideally Parallels or VMWare Fusion, to run Windows applications on a Mac without rebooting.For maximum performance, which is particularly necessary for gaming, we recommend dual-booting Windows with Boot Camp instead.
- Run Windows and Windows applications locally:
- To dual-boot between macOS and Windows, use Apple's Boot Camp. This approach provides the most compatibility with Windows software and peripherals, but does not allow you to run Windows and macOS applications at the same time.
- To run Windows in a virtual machine within macOS, use Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or VirtualBox. This method will allow you to run Mac and Windows applications concurrently, though the virtual machine does not support as much Windows functionality as a dual-boot configuration.
- To run Windows programs without having to install Windows itself, use a Windows compatibility layer, such as CrossOver Mac. This option typically offers good functionality for a limited set of Windows applications.
- IUanyWare
IUanyWare is a client virtualization (CV)service available to Indiana University students, faculty, andstaff. With IUanyWare, you can use a web browser or mobile app to runcertain IU-licensed software applications without having to installthem on your computer or mobile device.
See Set up and use IUanyWare.
Windows runs great on a Mac, but if you only need to run a few specific Windows application on your Mac, then you might be able to do just that without needing to go to the expense or hassle of installing Windows on it.
Here I'm going to look at two applications - one free, one a commercial product - that will allow you to do just that.
The first is Wine. This is a program - actually, it's a compatibility layer, but that's rather a mouthful - that has its roots in Linux, but also works on OS X. Wine is far from perfect, and can't handle every Windows app, but it still offers pretty broad support for a whole range of Windows applications.
Wine itself doesn't offer an OS X download, but the third-party application WineBottler brings everything Wine has to offer to the Mac. And best of all, it's free.
WineBottler is fully compatible with OS X 10.11 El Capitan.
Prefer a commercial application? No problems. Take a look at CrossOver for Mac. Not only is CrossOver compatible with thousands of Windows applications, but you can also try installing unknown and untested Windows application into it. Many times they just work, and those that don't work perfectly might work well enough for your purposes.
Subscriptions start at $40, and there's a free trial available so you can test it before committing.
Neither of these products beats actually running Windows on your Mac, but if you only need to run a small number of applications then taking this route can save you money, hassle, as well as precious disk space on your Mac.
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