Running Windows within a virtual machine means that you’re effectively running two operating systems at the same time, so you’re going to need plenty of processor power and memory to get decent performance when running your Windows apps.Įven so, most recent (Intel) Macs can still provide good performance when running Windows in a virtual machine, and it’s only 3D games and high-end graphics apps that need the extra power you can get from dual-booting with Boot Camp. This is definitely the most convenient option, as it means that you can run your Windows apps on the Mac desktop right alongside all your normal Mac apps, so there’s no need to dual-boot back and forth between the macOS and Windows as you do when running Boot Camp.īut virtualisation has disadvantages too.

However, the virtual machine mimics the workings of a PC, allowing you to install Windows on the virtual machine, and then install any Windows apps that you need to run as well. The virtual machine (VM) is simply an app that runs on the Mac just like any other Mac app. VMware Fusion to create a ‘virtual machine’ that runs within macOS itself. Instead of splitting your hard drive into separate partitions for macOS and Windows, you use a virtualisation program such as

This is where the other option, known as virtualisation, can come in handy. The only disadvantage of Boot Camp is that you lose access to all your normal Mac apps while you’re running Windows, which means you have to shut down Windows and boot back into macOS if you want to use Mac apps such as Apple Mail or Photos.

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