There are various tools for running Windows programs on Mac, some of which do not require the Microsoft operating system to be installed.
Today, in order to run Windows programs on Mac, there is no need to install the Microsoft operating system on Apple products, and it is easy to install Windows programs on Mac through emulators and peripheral tools developed for this purpose. In the following article, we will discuss how to do this along with introducing the best current options.
How to run Windows programs on Mac With Wineskin
The Wineskin application is one of the best options for providing the necessary environment for installing Windows programs on Mac, which is completely free for Apple computer owners. Also, unlike similar examples such as Wine, this project is constantly receiving updates and can be used on MacOS version 13 and products based on Apple’s proprietary chips.
The easiest way to install Wineskin on Mac OS is to use Homebrew. If you haven’t installed this tool on your PC or laptop in the past, you can download and install it by entering the following command in Terminal.
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
- After the Homebrew installation process is complete, enter the following command in the terminal and press the “Enter” key.
echo 'eval $(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)' >> /Users/$USER/.zprofile- Next, type the command below in the terminal and press the “Enter” key again to install the Wineskin application on the system.
brew install --cask --no-quarantine gcenx/wine/unofficial-wineskinWineskin application configuration
After installing the Wineskin application according to the steps mentioned above, you will still not be able to run Windows programs on Mac, and you must first apply the appropriate settings. You will be able to launch the new app by running “Wineskin Winery.app” in the Applications folder or using Spotlight on macOS.
- Inside the Wineskin application, click on the “+” sign at the bottom of the Installed Engines title to display the “Add Engine” window.
- From the drop-down menu, select the latest available version and then press the “Download and Install” button.
- In the opened window, you can define a desired name for the new engine and then click “OK“.
- The time required to download and install the new engine depends on your internet speed.
- After the download and installation of the new engine are complete, a notification will be displayed. Now it’s time to click on the “Create New Blank Wrapper” option.
- In the new window, enter a name in the specified box. Note that you will need this name in the next steps; So it is better to choose a short title.
- After typing the desired name, click on the “OK” button. Next, you will be asked to install two packages for the correct operation of the application.
- Mono package for running “Net” programs. Windows is used on Mac and the “Gecko” package is also used to display HTML-based content.
- After the process of receiving and installing the mentioned packages is completed, a Wrapper will be created.
- By default, you can see the “Wrapper” created at the address because; But clicking on it will not result.
- Applications > Wineskin > [your wrapper]
- For this purpose, right-click on it and then select “Show Package Contents“. Next, from among the displayed items, click on the “Wineskin” option.
- Then select “Install Software” and “Choose Setup Executable” options in the next windows.
- Finally, a window will open where you can define the “EXE” file address of the desired application.
- You can now exit “Wineskin” and use the displayed launchpad to run Windows applications on your Mac.
- Also, if the desired application does not need to be installed, you can choose “Copy a Folder Inside” instead of “Choose Setup Executable” in the previous steps and then specify the app folder.
How to run Windows programs on Mac With Wineskin with Parallels Desktop
“Parallels Desktop” application is another option for installing Windows programs on Mac. Of course, this tool installs Windows 11 alongside MacOS; But thanks to the “Coherence” feature, after the initial configuration, the user will no longer need to interact with the Microsoft operating system. How to work with the said app is mentioned below.
- First, download the “Parallels Desktop” application installation file using this link and install it on your Mac computer.
- At the first login to the app, select the “New” option and then click on “Get Windows 11 from Microsoft“.
- Finally, press the “Install Windows” key and wait until the process of receiving and installing the operating system is completed. Note that in this case, you will need a legal Windows license.
If you want to install Windows from another file, select “Install Windows or another OS from DVD or image file” in the previous step and then continue the installation process. Note that the selected file must be in ISO format.
- After the process is completed, you can create a new Windows 11 virtual machine and then install your desired applications on it.
- Now right-click on the Windows icon in the dock and select “Enter Coherence” from the “View” menu.
Now the Windows desktop will be hidden, But you can still continue to use apps based on it. You can have all the apps installed through “Parallels Desktop” in the Applications folder or through the Spotlight tool. When this feature is enabled, Windows apps will run like native Mac software. It is worth noting that the Windows 11 virtual machine is still running in the background, But it does not affect the user experience.
Frequently asked questions about How to run Windows programs on Mac
- What is the best program to install Windows 11 on Mac?
The Parallels Desktop tool provides the possibility of installing Windows alongside MacOS for users in recent versions of Apple’s operating system and products based on this company’s proprietary chip.
- What is the best way to run Windows programs on Mac?
Using external tools like WineSkin or Parallels Desktop can be the easiest way to run Windows apps.
- Is it possible to run Windows programs on Mac without installing the operating system?
Yes; Using the Wineskin application, you can use Windows programs on Mac without installing the Microsoft operating system.
In this article, we talked about “How to run Windows programs on Mac” and we are waiting for your experiences to use these methods. Please share your thoughts with us.
