Can MacBook With M1 Chipset Run Windows 10?

Apple users might be surprised to hear this, but it looks like the new M1-powered MacBooks have an interesting turn of events. The new ARM-based M1 chipset is developed to run only the macOS and not Windows. However, developer Alexander Graf has successfully managed to run Windows on the MacBook!

MacBook Runs Windows: How Did Developers Do It

Before we dive into the details, there are a couple of factors one needs to understand. Apple switched to the ARM-developed M1 chipset recently for the new MacBook. Prior to this, users could get Microsoft Windows running on their MacBook using Bootcamp. However, with the new chipset, it isn't quite possible as Windows requires an x86 chipset, and the M1 processor is based on ARM.

But here comes along developer Alexander Graf who converted his MacBook to run Windows, and successfully so. The M1-based MacBook was made to run virtualized Windows 10. Graf used a modified version of QEMU, an open-source virtualization and machine emulation software for this. He used it to run an Insider Preview of the Windows 10 ARM. Additionally, the developer made use of Apple's Hypervisor framework that's designed for virtualization purposes.

Who said Windows wouldn't run well on #AppleSilicon? It's pretty snappy here 😁. #QEMU patches for reference: https://t.co/qLQpZgBIqI pic.twitter.com/G1Usx4TcvL

— Alexander Graf (@_AlexGraf) November 26, 2020

M1-Based MacBook Running Windows: How Good Is It?

While the performance was highly doubtful, Graf claims that the MacBook on Windows is offering a snappy and smooth performance. That said, several others who tried the same have reported several issues with the performance. For one, there were connectivity issues, which now seems to be under control.

One of the major questions asked is how good is it? It looks like the performance of the MacBook running Window 10 ARM seems to be quite high. A benchmark result of the laptop indicated better and improved performance.

A comparison between the Apple M1-based MacBook and the Microsoft Surface Pro X showed that the MacBook was running smoother and better than the Surface Pro X. The scores of the M1 chipset revealed about 60-85 percent faster. In other words, the MacBook with M1 chipset is currently the fastest Windows running ARM laptop available right now!