Apple Silicon & Windows on Mac: The Complete Guide

Apple Silicon is Apple's ARM-based M-series chip for Mac, combining strong performance, power efficiency, and unified memory design. These chips changed how Windows runs on a Mac: Apple Silicon Macs run Windows 11 on ARM in a virtual machine.

This article discusses how M1 through M5 chips improve performance, graphics, and memory bandwidth, provides practical RAM and CPU recommendations for virtual machines, and explains how to use Parallels Desktop, the only Microsoft-authorized solution for running Windows 11 on ARM on Apple Silicon Macs.

If your computer is an M-series Mac computer, that means you're using Apple Silicon, which is Apple's family of custom-built system-on-a-chip processors. These chips replaced the Intel processors used in older Macs and introduced a different architecture, called ARM, for running operating systems and applications.

This guide is your complete resource for Apple Silicon Macs. It explains what Apple Silicon is, how the M-series generations compare, and what the shift away from Intel processors means for compatibility and everyday use. We'll also cover what users should know if they want to run Windows on their Apple Silicon Mac, and how you can easily and safely run Windows 11 on ARM in a virtual machine with a Microsoft-authorized solution such as Parallels Desktop.

Apple Silicon is Apple's family of ARM-based, system-on-a-chip processors (the M-series: M1 through M5) that replaced Intel chips in Mac computers starting in 2020. Because they use ARM architecture, running Windows on an Apple Silicon Mac means running the ARM version of Windows 11 inside a virtual machine.

What is Apple Silicon?

Apple Silicon Macs use Apple's custom chip family, designed specifically for modern Mac computers. Introduced with the M1, these chips replaced the Intel processors used in earlier Macs and brought together the processor, GPU, memory, and other key components into a single system-on-a-chip (SoC). With all of that packed into one chip, Apple Silicon Macs tend to perform well and are twice as reliable as their Intel predecessors.

Another notable difference: Apple Silicon uses ARM architecture (as opposed to x86-64 architecture used by Intel Macs) and includes hardware-assisted virtualization. That combination allows compatible ARM-based operating systems, including Windows 11 on ARM, to run in a local virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac.

Overall, Apple Silicon stands out for combining:

• High performance with efficient power use.
• CPU, graphics, memory, and machine-learning hardware in one chip.
• Unified memory shared across system components.
• Tight integration between Apple's hardware and macOS.
• ARM architecture.

The M-Series chips at a glance

Apple has released five generations of Apple Silicon chips since 2020. Each generation builds on the same ARM-based system-on-a-chip design while improving CPU performance, graphics, memory bandwidth, power efficiency, and machine-learning capabilities.

Want to dive deeper into the latest Apple Silicon chips and how they work with Parallels Desktop? Read more about Apple's M4 and M5 chips.

Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs

What are the differences between Apple Silicon and Intel Macs? Apple completed its transition from Intel to Apple Silicon across the entire Mac lineup by the end of 2023. The shift changed more than just the speed of Macs: Apple Silicon Macs offer up to twice the battery life of Intel models, are quieter, and generate less heat.

Most notably, Apple's move from Intel processors changed Mac's underlying architecture from x86-64 to Arm64.

What does this mean? Intel Macs used the x86-64 architecture, while Apple Silicon Macs use Arm64, the 64-bit version of the ARM architecture. This architecture shift changed how operating systems and applications run on the Mac.

ARM-native software runs directly, while many x86 and x64 Windows apps work through Windows' built-in translation technology. However, apps that rely on specialized drivers or low-level hardware access may require compatibility testing.

This architecture change also shifted how you run Windows on Mac. Previously, Intel Macs could run the x86 version of Windows via Boot Camp, but that is no longer supported. Now, Apple Silicon Macs run Windows 11 on ARM within a virtual machine.

How much RAM do you need for a VM on Apple Silicon?

Because Apple Silicon uses unified memory, your Mac's RAM is shared between macOS and any virtual machine you run. This means the right RAM allocation for VMs depends on how much total memory your Mac has and what you're running in your Windows virtual machines.

Here are some CPU and memory setting allocation suggestions for Parallels Desktop users:

The following guidelines can help you determine the right memory configuration for your specific needs:

• 2-4 GB RAM: Light office work, browsing, basic Windows-only tools.
• 4-8 GB RAM: Everyday productivity, Office, accounting software, light multitasking.
• 8-16 GB RAM: Development work, multiple apps open, moderate multitasking.
• 16-32 GB RAM: Heavy development, data-intensive workloads alongside Mac apps.

If you're using Windows 10 or later, Parallels Desktop automatically allocates the required number of CPUs and memory to the virtual machine, ensuring optimal performance and a good experience. It is recommended that you use the default settings.

However, if you are not satisfied with the virtual machine's performance, you can manually specify the amount of CPU and memory your virtual machine can consume.

Keep in mind that giving a VM more memory does not always make it faster: allocating too much can reduce overall performance by leaving too little RAM for macOS and your Mac applications. As a general rule, avoid assigning more than half of your Mac's total memory to your virtual machines combined, since macOS also needs enough RAM to remain responsive.

Running Windows on Apple Silicon

If you want to run Windows on an Apple Silicon Mac, the only way to do so is inside a virtual machine, since Boot Camp doesn't work on M-series chips. The version you'll install is Windows 11 on ARM, built for the same architecture as your Mac's chip.

Parallels Desktop handles this end-to-end, and it's actually the only Microsoft-authorized way to do so on Apple Silicon.

Here's how to install Parallels Desktop and set up a virtual machine, in just a few clicks:

1. Install Parallels Desktop and start your free 14-day trial.
2. Get Windows 11 on ARM from Microsoft. Select Control Center > + > Get Windows 11 from Microsoft > Continue > Install Windows.
3. Activate your Windows license. If you don't have one, you'll need to purchase one.
4. Let Parallels configure the VM. CPU, memory, and storage are allocated based on your Mac's specs.
5. Complete Windows setup, using the same first-run steps as any new PC.
6. Install Parallels Tools for shared folders, copy-paste, and drag-and-drop between macOS and Windows.

Most everyday apps run natively or through Microsoft's Prism emulation layer with near-native performance. However, it's always wise to check software compatibility, particularly for specialty software or driver-dependent tools.

How Parallels Desktop helps you run Windows on Apple Silicon

The shift to Apple Silicon Macs changed a lot about how Macs work, from unified memory to performance. It also changed how Windows runs on Mac.

Parallels Desktop is the Microsoft-authorized solution for running Windows 11 ARM on Apple Silicon, built specifically for the architecture these chips use.

Ready to see how it runs on your own Mac?

Start a free 14-day trial of Parallels Desktop and try it with the apps you really depend on.