Microsoft just brought Windows to the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but not how you might think

Windows 11 on macOS through Parallels Desktop
(Image credit: iMore)

With the arrival of Apple silicon, like the new M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, running Windows on a Mac isn't as easy as it once was. There's no Boot Camp, for example, but that doesn't mean that Microsoft doesn't want you to run its operating system on Apple's hardware. And it isn't just Macs, either.

Introducing the aptly named Windows App, a new app that's also a website. But no matter how you use it you'll be able to run Windows in the cloud, via Windows 365, including all of your favorite and must-have apps.

The new app is available in preview form right now, which means there are a couple of catches to consider. But catches notwithstanding, you can now run Windows on not only your Mac but also your iPhone and iPad as well.

Windows App PREVIEW

Microsoft's blurb is very keen to make sure that you know that Windows App is in PREVIEW (capitalization Microsoft's) which means that it's prerelease software and that things could not work properly. Even those that do work could change, but that isn't the main caveat here. Right now you need a Microsoft business account to sign into Windows App, but that seems to be something that will change sooner rather than later.

Once you're signed in though, there's a lot to like here. You'll use the Windows App ... app on the iPhone or iPad but there's a website to use on the Mac. No matter how you access it, the Windows App experience includes multi-monitor support including custom resolutions. device redirection is also present so you can plug devices including webcams and even printers in and have them appear in Windows as if by magic.

If that sounds like something you could use you can learn more about Windows App on the Microsoft website and that's where you'll learn all about what PREVIEW means, too.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.