Microsoft does not plan to support Windows 11 on M1-based Macs

Apple no longer supports BootCamp on ARM-based Macbooks, but users remain free to run Windows 10 or Windows 11 side-by-side with macOS. There is plenty of virtualization software to use Windows within macOS, such as VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop. If you plan to use Windows 11 in a virtual machine on your M1-based Mac, there is some unfortunate news for you. In a statement to The Register, Microsoft confirmed that it does not plan to provide official support for Windows 11 in virtual machines, and using Windows 11 on software, such as Parallels Desktop, is not "a supported scenario."

Despite refusing to provide active support for those running Windows 11 inside macOS, Microsoft did not say it would be illegal or against the rules. To put it simply, Windows 11 in a virtual machine will probably work similarly to how the operating system works on unsupported hardware. You can install Windows 11 (and maybe even receive cumulative updates), but do not expect any support or build updates. It is also possible that Microsoft will intentionally or unintentionally prevent users from installing Windows 11 using virtualization software. Recently, Parallels released an update to fix compatibility problems that made it harder to install Windows 11 inside macOS.

Interestingly, Thurrott.com says Microsoft expected to announce formal Windows 11 on ARM support for M1-based Macbooks in September. It appears that Microsoft either ditched those plans, or we have another case of bad communication from Microsoft. The latter is one of the reasons why the latest beta of VMWare's Fusion for ARM-based Macs does not support Windows. VMWare says lack of clarity about the matter in Microsoft's EULA prevents them from supporting Windows.

With the release of Parallels Desktop 17 in August, developers promised to provide full support for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Now it remains unclear how Microsoft's latest operating system will behave inside virtualization software.