Windows 11 has been out for a while now. It also made a lot of buzz; some good, some bad.

It has, in fact, caught the attention of a slew of non-Windows users as well. For instance, a plethora of Mac users also want to give Windows 11 a go. If you belong in that camp, then you’re at the right place. In what follows, we’ll go through the exact methods to install Windows 11 on your M1 Mac. So let’s get started.

How to Install Windows 11 on Your M1 Mac

The biggest hurdle for Mac users is the strict requirements to run Windows 11. One of them is a TPM module. Thankfully, there are a couple of ways to work around these requirements, install and then run the Windows 11 on your M1 Mac.

The first method, using the UTM app, comes free of cost. All you’ve to do is install the UTP app, get the Windows 11 ISO files, and run the app on top of the UTM virtualizer. Here’s how you can get started with it.

1. How to Install Windows 11 on an M1 Mac using the UTM app

UTM is an open-source, virtualization software that lets you run any other operating system on top of your Mac. To get started, head to the official website and download the UTM app from there.

While your download completes, grab the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft's download page.

Install the UTM app and then launch the Windows 11 ISO file in it. Now you just have to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

On the main menu, select the + sign to create a new virtual machine. Now select the Virtualize option, and pick Windows to create an environment for your Windows 11.

utm app
windows operating system

Click on Browse and select the Windows 11 ISO image you’d just downloaded, and then click on Next.

Now allocate the RAM and CPU cores to run the Windows 11; for smooth functioning, we recommend you choose at least 2 cores and 4 GB of RAM. After you've set everything up, click on Save.

utm hardware

Alright, so you’ve already done all the heavy lifting now. From here, click on the Play button and boot your device. Go through the Windows 11 setup, follow the on-screen instructions, and complete the Windows 11 installation.

utm windows

That’s it. You can now run Windows 11 on your M1 Mac for free.

2. How to Use Parallels

Parallels is a proprietary desktop virtualization software. In fact, when Windows 11 first came out, it was the only tool that could run the Windows 11 on your M1 Mac.

The only caveat is that you’ll have to pay for its subscription, though. To get started, head to the official Parallels website, and download the app from there.

Install the app, launch it and you'll then see the app Installation Assistant. From there, click on Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file to select the Windows ISO file you’d downloaded earlier for running it on the virtualizer.

installation assistant
parallels installation assistant

Select the specific use case you’ll be using the app most for, and click on Continue. Follow the on-screen instructions and your installation will be complete in a few minutes. Do this, and you’ll be able to run the Windows 11 on your M1 Mac easily.

Installing Windows 11 on an M1 Mac

When the Windows 11 operating system first came out, there weren’t many methods available to run it on your Mac, let alone on the M1 Mac with its silicon chip. As time has passed, however, some creative tweaks have appeared that now let you run the operating system without any hassles. We hope one of these methods did the trick for you, and you can run your Windows 11 on M1 Mac seamlessly.