Do you still prefer to use Windows programs and play PC games on your Mac? Fortunately, you don’t need to buy a new computer. You can run Windows on your Mac without even removing macOS.
There are many reasons why someone would want to run Windows on a Mac. Some users may want to test programs on different operating systems, while others like to play games that only work on Windows.
Mac’s built-in Boot Camp Assistant makes the process easy, but should you use it? Learn the pros and cons to decide for yourself.
What is Boot Camp Assistant?
Boot Camp Assistant is one of the ways to run Windows on your Mac. Boot Camp Assistant is a tool built into every Intel-based Mac. Apple introduced it alongside Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in 2007.
Initially it only supported Windows XP and Windows Vista, but the release of Boot Camp 5.0 also brought support for Windows 7. Later versions of Boot Camp allowed the installation of Windows 7, 8 and higher on Intel Macs.
Unfortunately, Boot Camp Assistant isn’t available on Apple’s silicon Macs, so if you have an M1 or M2 Mac, your only option is to use virtualization software like Parallels Desktop to run Windows. Even then, you’ll only be able to run ARM-based Windows, so you’ll be limited in terms of the programs you can run.
You can find Boot Camp Assistant either in Apps > Utilities or Launchpad on your Mac.
Here is a list of Intel Macs that support Boot Camp:
- MacBook 2015 or later
- MacBook Air 2012 or later
- MacBook Pro 2012 or later
- Mac mini 2012 or later
- iMac 2012 or later
- All iMac Pro models
- Mac Pro 2013 or later
First, you need at least 64 GB of free storage to install Windows on your Mac. Apple recommends 128 GB of free storage space for the best experience. Although there is little chance of anything going wrong during the installation process, you should always back up important files before you begin.
Boot Camp Assistant does not allow you to run Windows and macOS simultaneously, unlike virtual machine applications such as Parallels or VMWare. Instead, it creates a partition for the second operating system.
Installing Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp is extremely easy. All you have to do is download a Windows ISO file and choose how much space you want to allocate to the partition created for the second operating system. You will not be able to change the partition size after installation is complete.
When you run Boot Camp, it automatically detects the ISO file. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
The Benefits of Using Boot Camp to Run Windows
Boot Camp is undoubtedly the best way to play Windows games on a Mac as it performs better than any virtualization software. Since different operating systems do not run simultaneously, all of your Mac’s hardware resources are allocated to Windows applications.
Here are some other benefits of installing Windows with Boot Camp:
1. Boot Camp is free and built into Macs
Macs that support Boot Camp Assistant come preinstalled with the Dual Boot Utility. The only thing you need to download is a Windows ISO file.
Boot Camp is completely free and does not require a subscription like most virtualization programs. Also, since it is an Apple program and not a third-party program, you don’t have to worry about it being dangerous.
2. Boot Camp is fast
Unlike virtualization programs which tend to be slow, Boot Camp offers much more stable performance. This is because Boot Camp installs Windows on a separate partition that uses less memory.
A virtualization program runs two operating systems simultaneously (you can minimize Windows while using macOS), but with Boot Camp you can only use one operating system at a time. This also makes Boot Camp the best option for playing games and using resource-intensive apps.
The Cons of Using Boot Camp to Run Windows
The fact that Boot Camp is free and included only with Macs may convince some people to use it on a virtual machine application, but like everything, it has its downsides.
1. You can’t use two operating systems at the same time
Boot Camp does not allow you to run two operating systems at the same time. To switch between different operating systems, you need to reset your Mac and choose the operating system you want to run on the start screen. This is perhaps the biggest drawback of Boot Camp Assistant.
2. No interoperability
Since you are not using both operating systems simultaneously, there is no way to transfer files from one operating system to another.
This lack of interoperability means that any file you save in Windows will not appear in macOS; likewise, you won’t be able to access any of your macOS files on Windows.
You can still easily share files between Mac and Windows using a USB flash drive or cloud service.
3. Boot Camp takes up a lot of spaceYou need to create a partition to install a second operating system on your Mac. As mentioned above, the partition size should be at least 64 GB, although Apple recommends 128 GB.
Regardless of how much space you choose to allocate, it’s clear that you need to give up a large chunk of your hard drive if you want to get the best performance while using Windows.
4. You cannot change partition size after installation
Once you finish installing Windows through Boot Camp Assistant, you cannot go back and change the partition size when you add more storage to your Mac.
Instead, you have to delete the partition, uninstall the operating system, and reinstall it. And as you can see, no one would want to deal with this headache.
Boot Camp is far from perfect
Running Windows on a Mac is almost necessary for some people, and there are plenty of ways to do it. While the Boot Camp method is probably the easiest, the downsides, like creating a fixed partition before installation and lack of interoperability, may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
On the bright side, you don’t have to be a tech guru to install Windows with Boot Camp on your Mac. Once you install it with an ISO file, you can start playing your favorite Windows games on your Mac as if it were a PC.