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

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

It's Windows, but not as we know it.

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
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.

32 Comments Comment from the forums
  • FFR
    Does anyone actually want this
    Reply
  • Just_Me_D
    My take on this is Windows is becoming a web app. I supposed that’s fine for those who want to run the Windows OS for certain things while maintaining the Mac hardware.

    I may tinker with it at some point, but I already know that’s all it will be…tinkering.
    Reply
  • naddy69
    "Does anyone actually want this?"

    That's what I am wondering. Who is this for? Folks who need a Windows PC already have a Windows PC. Word/Excel/Outlook/Office 365 etc have already been ported to iOS and Android. And these are versions written for small touch screens. Windows and Windows apps are NOT designed for small touch screens.

    To me, it feels like Microsoft STILL believes that Windows is central to most people's lives. "What people REALLY want/need is Windows on their iPad".

    I can imagine a few die hard Windows geeks getting an iPad just to run this. The on-going pipe dream of "Mobile Windows" and all that.

    But the truth is, they would be better served just using the iPad as an iPad. Desktop Windows apps are not going to be particularly useful OR easy to use on a small touch screen.
    Reply
  • EdwinG
    This is an app for professionals.

    For instance, I manage a Windows server from my Mac, so I do need Microsoft Remote Desktop (or the Windows App) to access the desktop. I could also use PowerShell 7 for remote management.

    This is also useful for accessing company ressources in a controlled environment, because it transforms your iPad to being a glorified thin client,
    Reply
  • simonmann
    "Microsoft just brought Windows to the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but not how you might think" its exactly how I think
    Reply
  • Lee_Bo
    As a pro a/v installer and integrator, almost all the programming software is Windows based only. So I can see a use for this.

    But as Edwin said, this app is for professionals.
    Reply
  • FFR
    Lee_Bo said:
    As a pro a/v installer and integrator, almost all the programming software is Windows based only. So I can see a use for this.

    But as Edwin said, this app is for professionals.

    Legacy windows based, eg x86.

    Wonder what is going to happen to that programming software when windows switches to arm architecture.
    Reply
  • EdwinG
    FFR said:
    Legacy windows based, eg x86.

    Wonder what is going to happen to that programming software when windows switches to arm architecture.
    They will migrate to arm64 on Windows. Or run emulated, which is already the case for x86/amd64 on arm64.

    Some of them have already done so, like Visual Studio.
    Reply
  • FFR
    EdwinG said:
    They will migrate to arm64 on Windows. Or run emulated, which is already the case for x86/amd64 on arm64.

    Some of them have already done so, like Visual Studio.

    Don’t think they will migrate to arm64, it would be cheaper to migrate to iOS/mac os at this point.

    Emulation .

    Isn’t Visual Basic a Microsoft app? Guess 3rd party developers aren’t bothering with the transition.

    With the launch of windows as an app, Microsoft might be looking to end the surface line, not that it was ever a big seller.
    Reply
  • EdwinG
    FFR said:
    Don’t think they will migrate to arm64, it would be cheaper to migrate to iOS/mac os at this point.
    It’s easier to migrate from x86/amd64 to arm64 than it is to macOS/iOS.

    The set of APIs does not change when you change architectures (if you program in a 3rd or higher layer programming language, like C, C++ or Python). They change when you switch platforms.

    FFR said:
    Isn’t Visual Basic a Microsoft app? Guess 3rd party developers aren’t bothering with the transition.
    Visual Studio is Microsoft. Visual Basic is an old programming language.

    I can confirm that they are migrating. Photoshop has supported arm64 since 2021: https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/photoshop/kb/windows-arm-support.html

    FFR said:
    Emulation .
    That’s a transition solution. Both Apple and Microsoft use emulation for amd64 on arm64, that’s what Rosetta 2 basically is.
    Reply