Windows: Installing Windows on Macs

In order to run Windows on Macs, students need to obtain a copy of Windows and either a program or device that will allow Macs to run different operating systems.

Please note that newer Mac computers running an Apple Silicon processor (M1) are not able to install Windows through the Boot Camp utility or via virtualization at this time.

Windows Installer

Through UW-Eau Claire, there are two different ways students can obtain Windows, depending on the student.

All students are able to download a free copy of Windows 10 through WISC. 

Students who are enrolled in the College of Business, IS majors, and CS majors are also eligible to download Windows 10 through Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching. Unlike WISC, Dev Tools for Teaching includes a variety of programs including Visio, Visual Studio, and XNA Game Studio that are necessary for the classes these students will take. Students log into Dev Tools for Teaching with their normal UWEC credentials.

Running Windows

Owners of Macs will be able to run Windows in one of two ways. The first is by using the built in utility tool called Boot Camp. Boot Camp allows Windows to run at full capacity, meaning it will run with little to no lag. However, the computer needs to reboot whenever you switch between Windows and Mac. For more information on using Boot Camp with Windows, follow the directions provided by Apple Support.

If students do not want to reboot their computer every time they switch between Mac and Windows, they can choose to purchase a virtual machine. Virtual machines, such as Fusion and Parallels, allow both Windows 10 and the Mac operating systems to run at the same time. This allows users to easily switch between both operating systems. However, because virtual machines allow both operating systems to run at the same time, the computer runs slower due to its resources being split between the two. For more information, follow the directions either for Fusion or for Parallels.