How to Run Windows 11 ARM on Any M1 Mac

If you're an Apple Silicon Mac user, you might be wondering how to run Windows 11 ARM on your device. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of installing and setting up Windows 11 ARM on your M1 Mac.

To get started, download the UTM app for free from their website and drag it to the Applications folder to install it on your Mac. Next, download the Windows 11 VM for ARM from Microsoft's website, which requires a Windows Insider login (free to sign up for).

Once you have both apps installed, open UTM and click the + button to create a new virtual machine. Choose the amount of RAM and CPU cores you want to designate to Windows 11 (we recommend at least 8GB of RAM for better performance). Click Next, then select the Windows 11 VHDX ARM image you downloaded and choose 'Import Image'.

Next, click the 'Virtualize' button and select Windows as your operating system. Wait a few minutes for Windows 11 to launch in the VM on your M1 Mac.

Walk through the Windows 11 setup process as usual, choosing your region, account name, etc. Note that networking and internet will not work yet, so choose the option to have no network connectivity for now and let Windows 11 set itself up.

Click the big Play button to boot the Windows 11 VM and begin setup. Choose the amount of RAM and CPU cores you want to allocate to Windows 11, then click Next again. Click the 'Browse' button and select the Windows 11 VHDX ARM image you downloaded, with 'Import Image' selected, then click Next.

Finally, choose 'Virtualize' from the 'I Want to' screen and select Windows as your operating system. Your Windows 11 ARM VM should now be set up and ready to use.

Note that this walkthrough is specifically geared towards Apple Silicon Macs, so if you have an Intel Mac, there are many other ways to run Windows 11 in virtual machines like within VirtualBox, VMware, Parallels, etc.

If you have any questions or concerns about running Windows 11 ARM on your M1 Mac, please contact the moderators of this subreddit. We'll be happy to help you troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.

Macos m1 virtualbox