Parallels can be set to use a MacOS VPN or you can run a Windows VPN, but the instructions provided on Parallels’ website for doing either are confusing for novice users. Parallels runs Windows within macOS, using what’s called a Virtual Machine. This allows you to quickly switch between the Mac and Windows desktops. You can even combine the two desktops, if you want, and run Windows software right on your Mac desktop from your Mac’s dock. Install or upgrade to Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac from my current version. Visit KB 124250. Install Windows in Parallels Desktop for Mac. Visit KB 4729. Migrate my current Windows PC to a Parallels Desktop for Mac virtual machine. For instructions, visit KB 123929. Register and activate Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac. Visit KB 124225.
Many Mac users are still unaware that you can install Windows 10 on Mac for free from Microsoft perfectly legally. Microsoft doesn’t actually require users to activate Windows 10 with a product key unless you want to customize the look of it.
Although you can of course purchase a Windows 10 license (which costs $119.99 from Microsoft) the only advantage of activating it is that it allows you to customize the look for Windows 10 such as the desktop, lock screen, styling, removal of watermarks etc.
For most Mac users that just want to install Windows only programs or games on macOS, this is not necessary and so you can enjoy Windows 10 for free. Here we show you how you can easily get Windows 10 on your Mac for free in little more than 10 minutes.
The best way to run Windows on a Mac is to install it in a virtual machine. A virtual machine allows you to run Windows and macOS at the same time so that you can switch between the two at any moment with just one click. By far the best virtual environment on Mac is Parallels which makes it extremely easy to install Windows on macOS.
The alternative to a virtual machine is to install Windows separately to macOS using Apple’s Boot Camp but this means that you can only boot your Mac in either macOS or Windows at one time – you can’t run them simultaneously.
For the needs of most Mac users that want to run Windows only programs on Mac, using a virtual machine is by far your best option. The only reason you may want to use Boot Camp is if the Windows program or game you want to use requires ActiveX such as if you want to play FIFA on Mac as ActiveX doesn’t work in a virtual machine.
Note that before you start, you should have at least 15GB of hard drive space free in order to install Parallels and Windows. However, we recommend having much more than this because that will only be enough to run Windows comfortably. If you want to install Windows only games and applications, you’ll need many more gigabytes of space. The good news is that if you’re running low on space, you can get an external drive for your Mac and install Windows on that although it’s generally better to install it on your Mac hard drive if possible.
Follow these instructions to install Windows 10 on Mac for free.
- Download Parallels for Mac. Although there are other virtual machines are available, Parallels is by far the easiest way to install Windows 10 on Mac. Parallels has been around for many years and the installation process in the latest version of Parallels 13 is now so automated and refined then it even downloads and install Windows 10 for you. All you need to do is install Parallels itself. You don’t even need to purchase it to try it – you can download a free trial of Parallels instead. You can also check out our full review of Parallels for Mac if you want to learn more.
- Double click on the Parallels installer. Note that you can’t just drag it into your Applications folder – you need to run the installer for Parallels to install in macOS. You may see a warning that “Parallels is an application downloaded from the internet. Are you sure you want to open it?” Click Open and you will then need to enter your Mac admin password in order to allow the installer to run.
- If you’ve never installed Parallels on your Mac before, when the installer is complete it will automatically launch the Windows 10 installation wizard. This conveniently installs Windows 10 on your Mac with no further action needed from you. Simply click Install Windows at the bottom and then skip to step 5 and sit back for about 10 minutes while Windows 10 downloads and installs.
- If you have previously tried installing Parallels on your Mac before, Parallels will detect this and you may not see the auto-installer above. Instead you will see the New Virtual Machine installation assistant below. Click on Get Windows 10 From Microsoft.
- You’ll be given a choice of Windows versions to choose from. Select the last option Download Windows 10 – don’t worry about the “If you have a license key” warning because as highlighted in the introduction to this tutorial, you no longer need to activate Windows 10 to actually use it.
- Parallels will then download a free ISO image of Windows 10. The ISO image is a fully functional free “unactivated” version of Windows 10. The only benefit that activation offers is the ability to customize Windows 10 with wallpapers, themes, lock screens etc and it also removes a small watermark on the lower right hand corner of Windows so you really don’t have to pay for an license if you don’t want to.
- If for any reason Parallels can’t download Windows 10, you can download the free ISO image of Windows 10 from Microsoft yourself and put it on a Pen Drive with at least 5GB of space. You would then have to select the second option in the Virtual Machine Wizard Install Windows from a DVD or Image File. If you go this route, make sure you download the 64-bit version of Windows and not the 32-bit version.
- Before the Windows installer starts, you will be prompted to create a Parallels account. This is done instantly when you enter your email and click Create Account – you don’t have to wait for any confirmation emails or anything, you just have to choose a password. You can also use your Facebook or Google account to sign-up instead.
- When you’ve created a Parallels account, you will see Windows being setup just as if you were installing it on a PC. This can take up to to ten minutes to complete and you’ll see a progress bar across the bottom.
- After the installer has run, Windows will start the final setup phase. Don’t worry if it seems to hang as it’s still working.
- Windows will then go into the final setup phase and you’ll then be warned it could take several minutes (although it should only be a few minutes at most). Make sure you don’t turn off your Mac or press anything.
- Finally, you’ll see an “Installation Complete” message and hey presto, you’ve got Windows 10 on your Mac.
- When you use Windows for the first time, you will hear and see various pop-ups in Windows as Parallels automatically detects hardware on your Mac. This is one of the best things about Parallels as it instantly integrates Windows with your Mac. With other virtual environments, you usually have to manually configure ports, hardware and sharing between your Mac and PC but Parallels automates the entire process so that your Mac and PC work in harmony from the start. You’ll even see all of your Mac desktop documents on your Windows desktop without having to do anything.
- You may also see a Windows Activation screen pop-up but you can simply click Close it unless you’ve bought a full license for Windows and have a product key.
- If you’re installing Windows only Office applications, we’ve provided full instructions on how to run Publisher on Mac and run Access on Mac. You can also install Office by going to the Windows 10 Start Menu and selecting Get Office.
And that’s it – you’ve installed Windows 10 on your Mac for free. The only cost you’ll face is that after 14 days, the free trial of Parallels will expire. You’ll then have to choose whether to buy a license for $79.99 or you can choose an annual subscription of $79.99 per year which includes free upgrades.
Parallels is updated frequently to keep apace of updates to macOS and Windows so this may work out cheaper in the long run than having to buy a new version every year if new versions of macOS and Windows are released. You don’t have to upgrade every year but the likelihood is you’ll need to upgrade at least every 2-3 years or so as Macs, macOS and Windows evolve.
One thing to be aware of is that you may notice that your Mac’s cooling fans go into overdrive when installing Windows via Parallels and running Windows on your Mac. This is because running a virtual environment is a very intensive process for your Mac’s resources and Windows will need a lot of RAM and CPU power to run on your Mac.
The system requirements for Parallels are an Intel Core processor with a minimum of 4GB of RAM but it recommends 8GB of RAM. However, even when running it on a MacBook Pro with a 2.3 GHz Intel Core iZ with 8GB, it’s still pushing it. If you check Activity Monitor, you may notice that Windows 10 sometimes uses all of your CPU resources.
Don’t be alarmed by this – your Mac can handle it but you should reduce the number of applications running on your Mac to a minimum to help Parallels and Windows operate as smoothly as possible. The best advice is basically to use Parallels on the newest Mac possible with the most RAM possible. The latest iMac Pros have 8, 10 or 18 Core processors which will handle Parallels virtualization software with ease.
The latest version of Parallels has some nice new touches and has been optimized for Mojave. It supports the new Dark Mode and there’s also a handy picture-in-picture mode that allows you to keep your Windows desktop window in view at all times while you work in macOS.
Parallels is also the only virtual machine for Mac that works with the latest generation of Touch Bar MacBook Pros. You can configure the Touch Bar to launch Windows apps such as Internet Explorer, OneNote, Chrome etc or change volume, brightness and other settings. You can see the full set of preconfigured actions and configurations built into Parallels 13 by default below:
You can even configure it so that your Windows Task Bar:
is the same as your Touch Bar for easier launching of apps:
You can pretty much configure the Touch Bar to work however you want although it can get quite complicated to setup specific actions as you need to know a little about XML code but you can find full instructions how to do so here.
Parallels can be used to install any operating system including Linux and older versions of Windows. However, we don’t advise installing older versions of Windows unless you really need them, especially as old as Windows XP because it is no longer supported by Microsoft.
We hope this tutorial has shown you how easy it is to install Windows 10 on your Mac for free but if you have any questions, problems or suggestions, let us know in the comments below.
Parallels Desktop for Mac lets you run Windows and Windows apps on your Mac, shoulder to shoulder with OS X.
Pros
VM setup choices: With Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can set up a virtual machine by using a Windows 10 disc image; by migrating Windows from a PC, either over a network or from an external hard drive; or by using the version of Windows you installed with Apple's Boot Camp, if you previously went through that process. Or you can run a second copy of OS X, earlier versions of Windows, or Chrome OS in the Parallels virtual machine.
Choice of views: After setup, select how you want to see and work with Windows. If you choose the Coherence view, Parallels folds Windows into OS X, placing a collection of Windows controls in the OS X menu bar and dock, giving you access to the Start menu, Action Center, and System Tray icons. Exiting the Coherence view presents the traditional Windows desktop and apps gathered in a separate window. Either way, it's easy to move between OS X and Windows environments.
Solid integration: Through Parallels, you have quick access to the Windows 10 Store and the Edge browser and the ability to call on Cortana for help. Copy and paste works seamlessly between environments.
Cons
Almost too well integrated: The Coherence view sweeps away the Windows desktop, but the way it merges the Windows and OS X environments can feel cluttered, with Windows and OS X controls crowded into the menu bar, for example.
Bottom Line
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Parallels Desktop for Mac does a good job of letting you work in the OS X and Windows environments simultaneously, switching between Mac and Windows apps. You have several options for how to blend Windows into OS X, although at times the merged OSes can feel a bit crowded.