How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro

1. How To Run Windows 10 On Macbook Pro
2. How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro M1
3. How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro 2020
4. Windows 10 On Mac Pro
5. How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro

Is it possible to install Windows 10 on MacBook? The answer is, yes. You can run macOS and switch it to Windows anytime you want. Apple has provided the Mac computer with a utility that can help you install Windows and switch between these two OSs. In this article, we are going to show you how to install Windows 10 on MacBook.

See also: How To Connect MacBook To A Projector

Here's an alternative method of running Windows on your Mac: use Oracle VirtualBox to run Windows as a virtual machine. This section is by Nik Rawlinson. VirtualBox is a free download from here. Fastest hard drive for macbook pro. 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. A virtual machine is one of the best ways to run Windows desktop software.

Before You Start

Backup Data

Installing Windows 10 on MacBook isn't that complicated. But it will be better to back up your data just in case something unwanted happens in the middle of the process.

How To Run Windows 10 On Macbook Pro

Internet Connection

You will need the Internet connection to download Windows 10 disk image (ISO file). So, make sure you have a dedicated Internet network, connected to your Mac.

Data Storage

In order to install Windows 10 on MacBook, you must have enough disk space. You will need at least 64GB of storage or 128GB would be better. To check how much data storage is available on your MacBook, click the Apple logo > About This Mac > Storage.

Check System Requirements

How to find macbook pro storage. Installing something without checking its requirements can give you problems. To install Windows 10, your computer must have at least 1 GHz of processor and 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit. Here is the list of MacBook models that are compatible with Windows 10:

• MacBook Pro (2012 and later)
• MacBook Air (2012 and later)
• MacBook (2015 and later)

How To Install Windows 10 On MacBook

Download Windows Disk Image

You can download Windows 10 by typing 'Windows 10 disk image (ISO file)' on your browser, and choose the one that comes from Microsoft official site. The other option – you can click this link and it will direct you to Microsoft Software Download page. Now, follow these steps:

1. Once you are on the page, click the 'Select Edition' box and choose the edition you want. Then, click Confirm.
2. On the next page, choose your language and click Confirm.
3. Select 32-bit Download or 64-bit. Wait until the downloading process is completed.
4. The Windows 10 Disk Image (ISO file) will be stored in the Download folder of your MacBook.

Launch Boot Camp Assistant

Boot Camp Assistant is a utility that comes with your MacBook. It will help you to install Windows 10 on MacBook. You can find it in the Utilities folder. To go there, the first, open Folder > Applications > Utilities. Here, find Boot Camp Assistant and click on it. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Once the Boot Camp Assistant opens, click Continue.
2. The new page will open and you will see the Windows 10 ISO file there. Otherwise, you click the Choose button next to the ISO Image box and go to the Download folder. Choose the file and click Open.
3. Now, drag the partition between macOS and Windows to format the size of Windows 10. Adjust it according to your needs. When you are ready, click the Install/Format button on the bottom-right corner.
4. After the installation process is done, your MacBook will reboot into Windows 10 setup.

Install And Set Up Windows 10

All you need to do next is following the on-screen prompts.

1. The first popup screen will ask you to choose the language.
2. On the second page, you will be asked about a product key. If you don't have one, click 'I don't have a product key'.
3. Choose Windows 10 Pro or Windows Home, and click the Next button below.
4. Select Drive 0 Partition X and click Next.
5. Choose Express Settings or Customize Your Installation.
6. Type username and password to create an account and click Next.
7. If you don't want to use Cortana personal assistant, click Not Now.
8. On the 'Welcome To The Boot Camp Installer' screen, click Next.
9. Read and tick the accept box in the License Agreement screen, then click Install.

There are the steps I took to get Windows 10 on my spare mid-2009 15″ Macbook Pro. Why? Because science! And because I like Windows 10 and because Apple stopped OS support on that machine sometime back. But mostly because I wanted to learn a bit more about UEFI systems and their boot-up sequence.

Resulting configuration

• Hardware: Macbook Pro (mid-2009) (with nVidia GeForce 9600M GT)
• Operating system(s): Only Windows 10 – no MacOS or Linux
• Boot mode: Legacy BIOS (not UEFI, else endless reboots with nVidia)
• Disk mode: MBR
• Disk encryption: Windows Bitlocker encryption

How to get there?

1. Get a Windows 10 DVD
   • Download the Windows 10 ISO [Microsoft link]
   • Burn it to a DVD
2. Boot the Windows 10 DVD in legacy BIOS mode
   • Put it in the drive and power up your Mac with Alt/Option pressed
   • At your Mac's bootup screen pick the DVD icon with ‘Windows' under it (do not pick the DVD icon with EFI under it)
   • Now wait till you enter the setup …
3. Convert your hard drive to an MBR style hard drive
   If you're already in pure MBR (not hybrid) mode, skip this entire section.

   WARNING: Backup all existing data because it will be deleted!

   • At the Windows setup hit Shift+F10 for a command prompt
   • Run diskpart
   • list disk (note your disk's number … like a 1 or 2 etc.)
   • select disk
   • clean (this will delete all partitions or volumes on the disk)
   • convert mbr
   • exit (this leaves diskpart)
   • exit (this leaves the command prompt, back to the setup)
4. Install Windows
   Nothing special here, regular installation process. When everything installs, you should boot right into the Windows desktop.
5. Install Apple Bootcamp drivers [thanks to this reddit post]
   • Once inside Windows 10, download Boot Camp 5.1.5722 Drivers.
     

     I suggest this specific version (5.1.5722) since I tried another version (5.1.5769) and it didn't work well

   • Extract the Drivers on the Desktop…
   • Run CMD or PowerShell as Administrator (Use the combination Shift + Fn + F10 for right-click)
   • CD into BootCamp5.1.5722/BootCamp/Drivers/Apple
   • Run BootCamp.msi

Post install fixes

1. Remove Apple's HFS windows driver
   Their presence kills Windows System Restore functionality. Open an admin command window and type
   cd windowssystem32drivers
ren AppleHFS.sys AppleHFS.sys.orig
ren AppleMNT.sys AppleMNT.sys.orig

Some additional notes if you want to deviate from the above or want to learn more

How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro M1

UEFI or Legacy BIOS – avoid endless reboots

In short, pick Legacy BIOS Home remodeling software for mac.

When you power on your Mac, it first runs the UEFI firmware. From there, your Mac can proceed into either native UEFI or switch to legacy BIOS (actually it's UEFI simulating a BIOS via the EFI-CSM module). If you purchased your Macbook Pro with the graphics card upgrade, you actually have TWO graphics cards inside. First is the integrated Intel graphics and then you also have a discrete nVidia graphics card. In UEFI mode, they are BOTH enabled and this will kill your Windows installation when you eventually install the graphics drivers. Windows 10 will endlessly reboot, entering automatic repair etc. I think this is a bug in the nVidia drivers and 99.99% they won't fix it. So if you have two graphics cards then you MUST pick the legacy BIOS path.

USB boot or DVD boot ?

Older Macbooks cannot boot from a USB drive (!). If you want USB booting, you need

1. a hybrid GPT disk [complicated, read below]
2. and then install rEFInd into that EFI system partition

How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro 2020

I chose the simpler route of staying all MBR and just using DVDs. I did have to buy a $15 external USB DVD drive since my internal DVD drive was busted. But worth it.

Hybrid MBR – feeling brave?

Windows 10 On Mac Pro

Maybe you want need more partitions on your system than MBR's paltry 4? Perhaps to enable macOS's filevault or to enable Windows Bitlocker? Although your BIOS booted Windows will still only see 4 partitions overall, when you boot into GPT macOS it should see even more. Of course, you'll need to cover those extra GPT partitions with a protective partition on the MBR side to keep them in alignment to avoid problem when altering partitions in the future from either side. That last bit adds some complications, so go forth only if you're brave (and have a backup).

How To Run Windows On Macbook Pro

WARNING: This deletes all data in all partitions. Backup data as needed

1. Switch to a hybrid MBR disk format
   • Get the Ubuntu Desktop ISO => Burn it => Boot into it as legacy BIOS mode
   • Run gparted and make sure you've selected the correct disk!
   • In gparted's top menu: Device => Create partition table => GPT
2. Create a partition for Windows 10
   • Still within Ubuntu, this time run terminal
   • Run sudo fdisk /dev/sda
   • Create a 500MB EFI system partition here
   • Create your Windows partition here
   • fdisk should mirror the GPT partitions in the hybrid MBR
   • If not, hit r (recovery) and hit h to create a hybrid MBR