Is the best Windows laptop an M3 MacBook Pro? It could be with Parallels Desktop.

You can run Windows 11 on M3 Macs with Parallels Desktop, and Microsoft even has a support document about it.

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What you need to know

Apple launched its new M3 processors in November of last year. Now, just a couple of months later, there’s an official support document about how to run Windows 11 on MacBooks and other Macs with M3-series chips. Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise can now be installed within a virtual machine on M3 Macs through Parallels Desktop. Specifically, Parallels Desktop 18 and 19 can work with M-series processors.

Support for M3 chips actually became available in November 2023 when the processors launched, but there’s now aMicrosoft support documentabout it.

Apple shifted away from Intelchips years ago, so there’s a good chance if you’re running a Mac in 2024 it has an M-series processor. That’s largely a good thing, since Apple has an incredible reputation regarding its processors.

My colleague at iMore Stephen Warwick said in hisMacBook Pro 16 review"the M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro is the pinnacle of portable Mac performance, a triumph of silicon engineering. There are now no excuses for owning an Intel-powered Mac."

For a niche of users, the only “excuse” remaining may have been needing to use Parallels Desktop to run Windows on a Mac. While Alludo, the makers of Parallels Desktop, added support for M1 and M2 chips last year, some holdouts may have stuck with Intel-powered Macs until now.

Apple takes many of the lessons it learns from making iPhones to improve its processor designs. For example, the M3 chips are the first computers to use the 3-nanometer build process. That process was used on theiPhone 15 Probefore being used to make M3 chips.

Parallels Desktop 19 |$99.99 / year at Alludo

Parallels Desktop allows you to run virtualized versions of Windows and Linux on Macs. With it, you can run over 200,000 Windows applications on your Mac side-by-side with your favorite macOS apps. Now, you can use Parallels Desktop on Macs with M3 processors.

Why run Windows on a Mac?

You may ask yourself, “why would anyone want to run Windows on a Mac?” There are a few good reasons to have a setup with Apple hardware with the option to run Windows.

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First, enterprise users require access to a wide variety of professional applications. Some of these are only available on Windows. Without a product like Parallels Desktop (or Windows 365) a professional user that prefers macOS or needs Apple hardware or software would need two devices. Some of the examples in the Parallels promotional video are a bit odd, since Microsoft Excel is already available on macOS natively. But plenty of accounting, professional, and enterprise apps remain Windows-only.

Similarly, students and teachers may need apps and services only available on Windows but have a MacBook for other parts of their workflow.

Developers also benefit from a dual-OS setup. You can develop and test apps and websites from a Mac even if those apps need to be run on a PC.

Despite Apple’s efforts to makemacOS into a gaming operating system, macOS still lags far behind Windows. More games are available on Windows and the vast majority of people who game on a computer use Windows.

We’ve come a long way from the stereotypical “PCs are for work and Macs are for creators” cliche, but the reality is that macOS and Windows still have their respective strengths and weaknesses. M3 support for Parallels Desktop lets you use the latest chips and hardware from Apple paired with Windows 11.

MacBook Pro M3 14-inch |$1,599$1,399 at Amazon

Get $200 off the M3 MacBook Pro 14-inch at Amazon in what is the lowest-ever price we’ve seen for the laptop despite only releasing late 2023. Available in Space Gray, this is a fantastic deal.

Limits of Parallels Desktop

While Parallels Desktop will open your computer to a vast range of applications and services, there are limits to the application. Running Windows 11 through virtualization has its limits, and there are other caps in place.

Microsoft explains that since the following features require an additional layer of virtualization that they don’t work through Parallels Desktop:

Additionally, 32-bit Arm apps from the Microsoft Store are not supported on Macs with M1, M2, or M3 processors. That limit is unlikely to affect many users as 32-bit Arm applications are being deprecated across all versions of Windows.

Those running Parallels Desktop on a Mac with an M-series processor will have the best experience when using 64-bit Arm apps, but x64 or x86 apps can run on those systems through emulation.

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.