Microsoft says running Windows 11 in Mac M1 virtual machine "is not a supported scenario"

Windows 11 is just a month away from release, and Microsoft has confirmed that it does not consider running the upcoming OS even inside a virtual machine (VM) such as Parallels desktop to be a "supported scenario".

The confirmation was provided to The Register, which ran into problems when trying to run a pre-build of the upcoming OS on Parallels Desktop 17.

In response, a Microsoft spokesperson categorically stated that the company does not support running its future OS on Apple M1-based computers, even as part of special software. This is a strange development considering that Windows 10 on Mac M1 worked just fine in Parallels Desktop environment.

This situation prompted the publication to contact both Parallels and Microsoft. While Parallels quickly released an updated version 17.0.1 of their virtual machine to fix the issue (at least for now), Microsoft took the opportunity to drop support for this usage scenario entirely. This could be frustrating for users looking to run Windows on their Apple M1 Macs using virtualization technologies.

How Parallels, a traditionally Apple-friendly company, will handle the situation remains to be seen. If Microsoft at least doesn't get in the way, the chances of normal operation of the virtual machine are exceptionally high. But if Microsoft strives to get in the way as much as possible, the future of Parallels Desktop may turn out to be quite cloudy.

Source: theregister

Illustration: parallels