Microsoft poured cold water in the hope that its Windows solution where ARM is compatible with Apple Silicon, saying running ARM versions of Windows 11 on Macs M1 is not “a compatible scenario.”
The software giant confirmed its plans to do so The Register last week, noting that Windows 11 will not offer official support for Macs M1 through virtualization or hardware. Microsoft did not go so far as to say that the practice is illegal, but the statement prevents the deployment of sanctioned virtual machines with the full support of the developer.
For months, users have relied on versions of Windows Insider, specifically those developed for ARM architectures, to run Windows 10 and 11 virtual machines with M1 silicon. This solution could also be in jeopardy.
As reported in the release, recent updates to the Windows 11 Windows Insider Channel Developer have resulted in hardware compatibility errors on Parallels virtual machines. Parallels released a one-time update that apparently fixed the issue, but it’s still unclear if the patch will remain. Microsoft could be exploring ways to break compatibility with what it now considers “unsupported scenarios” in attempts to end Windows 11 virtual machines on Apple devices, a move that could lead to a game of mice and cats with virtualization creators.
Parallels relied on versions of Windows Inside from Microsoft to introduce support for virtual machines on ARM hardware in April. Capabilities were extended to Windows 11 with the release of Parallels 17 in August, with the company promising full support for the operating system when it launches in October.
VMware, which markets another leading virtualization solution, is taking a different path. The company last week released a private beta version of VMware Fusion without official support for ARM versions of Windows, citing a lack of clarity on the issue in Microsoft’s end-user license agreement.
Blogger Paul Thurrott, who saw the report on Monday, said a source expected Microsoft to announce support for Macs M1 in September. Now it seems unlikely that this statement.