Windows Via Bootcamp Mac Download

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Boot Camp is a free utility software designed by Apple, Inc. That allows users to install Windows OS (Windows XP, Vista and 7) or GNU/Linux OS on Intel-based Mac computers. This software features two programs- Boot Camp Assistant and Boot Camp. Boot Camp Assistant allows users to partition their hard drive as well as resize an existing HFS+ partition if needed.

One of the best things about using a Mac is that you can have it all. Apple doesn’t make macOS available to other platforms, but Windows (and Linux, for that matter) is available as a download. With Boot Camp Assistant on Mac, you can load Windows onto your macOS machine and enjoy both platforms seamlessly. When it comes to apps and games, sometimes Windows is the only way to go!

Why install Windows on Mac

Many who choose to buy a Mac do so because they’re just not Windows fans. But, some apps just don’t run on macOS – or may be better on Windows. So you’ll definitely need to know how to install Windows on Mac.

It opens up a new realm of PC gaming, too. The games selection on macOS is limited; even with Apple Arcade, native PC gaming is still best on Windows.

Many professional apps are only available to Windows devices. This is especially true now that Apple has ended support for 32-bit apps. Many developers with Windows and macOS versions simply abandoned the macOS platform to focus on their Windows apps.

Luckily, most modern Macs can run Windows just fine. As you’ll see, even older Macs are very capable of running the latest version of Windows via Boot Camp.

How to Boot Camp a Mac: System requirements

Apple’s guidance on Windows 10 via Boot Camp is a bit fuzzy. Officially, it says these three devices support Windows 10 on Mac:

  • iMac (2012 model or later)

  • iMac Pro (any model)

  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

You should also be running the latest version of macOS (at the time of writing, that’s macOS Catalina). Boot Camp comes pre-loaded on macOS, but if you don’t have it, download the Boot Camp Support Software here.

You can have as little as 64GB free storage space on your machine, though Apple says 128GB provides the best experience. To find out how much free storage space you have available on your Mac, select > About This Mac from the menu bar. In the popup window, simply select “Storage” to see how much space you have available.

How to prepare your Mac for Windows install

The reason 128GB of free space is recommended is Boot Camp for Mac (or Mac Boot Camp, whatever you prefer) essentially divides your hard drive in two: one for Mac, one for Windows. Automatic Windows Updates require 64GB storage, so 128GB gives your Mac plenty of storage to operate.

Apple’s list of machines officially available for Boot Camp all came with 128GB storage as a standard. Again, any Mac with as little as 64GB free space will work, but performance will suffer once you start getting below 128GB.

Boot Camp on Mac will not provide more room for Windows than Mac. Simply put, Boot Camp divides your storage space in two equal parts; if you have 100GB free space on your machine, it will not afford more than 50GB to Windows, which we know is inadequate. It will not allow 64GB for Windows, and 36GB for Mac. Boot Camp automatically affords very little space for Windows, which you can change.

You will need a USB flash drive with at least 16GB free space to install Windows 10 for Mac using Apple’s Boot Camp. The exception here would be the following machines machines running macOS El Capitan (10.11) or later, which don’t require a USB drive:

  • iMac (2015 or later)

  • iMac Pro

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  • Mac Pro

How to use Boot Camp to install the Windows 10 ISO

Windows Bootcamp Download On Mac

An ISO file is a disk image; there’s nothing fancy about it, it’s simply the archived version of any platform, like Windows. When you download the Windows 10 ISO file, you’re simply downloading the latest version of Windows!

Before you start, be sure your USB drive is plugged into your Mac. Then, take the following steps:

  1. Head to the Microsoft Windows 10 ISO downloads page

  2. Select which version of Windows 10 you want from the drop-down menu (Windows 10 is likely the only option, here).

  3. Click Confirm

  4. From the dropdown menu, select the language you’d like for your version of Windows 10 for Mac.

  5. Click Confirm

  6. Select 64-bit Download

  7. In the popup, select your USB drive from the “Where” drop-down menu

  8. Click Save

How to Install Windows 10 on Mac with Boot Camp

Once you’ve downloaded the Windows 10 ISO onto your USB drive, make sure you backup your Mac using Time Machine, or a method of your choosing. Then, follow these steps:

  1. On your Mac, go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Boot Camp Assistant.

  2. Click Continue.

  3. If the system doesn’t automatically find your ISO image on your attached USB drive, select “Choose” to find its location.

  4. A slider may appear, showing Boot Camp is allowing 48GB for Windows. This is Apple’s default setting. Again, Windows 10 requires at least 64GB, and 128GB is preferred. If you see the slider, drag it to allow Windows as much room as is necessary to operate comfortably.

  5. Click Install.

  6. Type your Mac’s password.

  7. Safari 6.1 download for mac. Click OK.

Your Mac will restart. Instead of the normal macOS booting operation, you’ll instead see a Windows loading screen. You are essentially starting fresh, here. Now, perform these steps:

  1. Choose your language for Windows 10 on Boot Camp

  2. Click Install Now.

  3. Click Next.

  4. Select Custom: Install Windows Only

  5. Click Drive 0 Partition X: BOOTCAMP

  6. Click Next.

Windows is now being installed. Your Mac will restart a few times during this process. The first option you’re given is to use “express settings,” or custom. Express settings are fine; you can change settings later if you like.

Windows Via Boot Camp Mac Download Windows 10

It will also ask you to enter a username and password for this Windows 10 partition, just as you have to log-in to your Mac using macOS. After you’ve done so, click Next. Windows 10 will now boot on your Mac.

How to install Boot Camp on your Windows 10 partition

The first time you open Windows 10 on your Mac, a window will automatically appear for installing the Boot Camp download onto your Windows 10 partition. This is a critical step; it downloads drivers and software necessary to maximize your Windows 10 experience on Mac, and allows for seamless switching between the two platforms.

When you see the Boot Camp popup, take the following steps:

  1. Click Install.

  2. Accept the terms and conditions.

  3. Click Install.

  4. Click Finish once the installation has completed.

How to return to macOS from a Windows 10 Partition

There are two ways to go about this. The first is to select the “show hidden icons” option on the Windows 10 taskbar at the bottom of the screen. It will give you the option to “restart in macOS.” Clicking this will automatically reboot your computer into the Mac environment you’re comfortable with.

That’s a one-way street, though. A better practice to get into is simply restarting your Mac, and holding down the Option key during installation. A boot menu will appear, giving you the option to boot into macOS or Windows. This method is a touch longer, but is better if you need to navigate between the two operating systems often.

Do you really need Windows 10 for Mac?

Before heading down the Boot Camp Windows 10 for Mac route, think about whether or not you really need it. If you were using Microsoft Paint, to do things like annotate images, Capto is a great alternative for Mac. It has a simple, easy-to-use interface that allows you to do things like add thought bubbles and text to images. You can also perform many of Microsoft Paint’s more popular functions like drawing or paint-filling a selection.

Capto has the added benefit of being a robust screen recorder for Mac, as well as a lightweight video editor. Unless you’re really deep into Microsoft Paint’s feature-set, we think Capto will suit your needs just fine.

Bootcamp

If Microsoft Publisher is your thing, try Swift Publisher for Mac instead. It has over 500 templates with 2,000 clipart images to choose from, and over 700 layouts for business cards and labels. You can even use it to make barcodes for your small business! Swift Publisher is also Mac-native, and adheres to design guidelines that are more suitable to users familiar with the Mac environment.

If you just need a lightweight IDE for coding, you don’t need to install Windows 10 on Boot Camp to get Notepad++. Instead, give CodeRunner for Mac a try! It has code completion for most languages, and is extensible. You can even add languages you don’t see listed. CodeRunner is also highly customizable; if you don’t want it to automatically do things like add closing brackets, you can tell it not to! It also has documentation for most popular coding languages right in the app.

Best of all, Capto, Swift Publisher, and CodeRunner are all available free using Setapp’s 7-day trial, where you can give all of Setapp’s included apps for Mac a try. It’s a lot easier than booting Windows 10 on a Mac!

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When you install Microsoft Windows on your Mac, Boot Camp Assistant automatically opens the Boot Camp installer, which installs the latest Windows support software (drivers). If that doesn't happen, or you experience any of the following issues while using Windows on your Mac, follow the steps in this article.

  • Your Apple mouse, trackpad, or keyboard isn't working in Windows.
    Force Touch isn't designed to work in Windows.
  • You don't hear audio from the built-in speakers of your Mac in Windows.
  • The built-in microphone or camera of your Mac isn't recognized in Windows.
  • One or more screen resolutions are unavailable for your display in Windows.
  • You can't adjust the brightness of your built-in display in Windows.
  • You have issues with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in Windows.
  • You get an alert that Apple Software Update has stopped working.
  • You get a message that your PC has a driver or service that isn't ready for this version of Windows.
  • Your Mac starts up to a black or blue screen after you install Windows.

If your Mac has an AMD video card and is having graphics issues in Windows, you might need to update your AMD graphics drivers instead.

Install the latest macOS updates

Before proceeding, install the latest macOS updates, which can include updates to Boot Camp.

Format a USB flash drive

To install the latest Windows support software, you need a 16GB or larger USB flash drive formatted as MS-DOS (FAT).

  1. Start your Mac from macOS.
  2. Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac.
  3. Open Disk Utility, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  4. Choose View > Show All Devices from the menu bar.
  5. From the sidebar in Disk Utility, select your USB flash drive. (Select the drive name, not the volume name beneath it.)
  6. Click the Erase button or tab.
  7. Choose MS-DOS (FAT) as the format and Master Boot Record as the scheme.
  8. Click Erase to format the drive. When done, quit Disk Utility.

Download the Windows support software

After preparing your USB flash drive, complete these steps:

  1. Make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet.
  2. Open Boot Camp Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  3. From the menu bar at the top of your screen, choose Action > Download Windows Support Software, then choose your USB flash drive as the save destination. When the download completes, quit Boot Camp Assistant.

Learn what to do if you can't download or save the Windows support software.

Install the Windows support software

After downloading the Windows support software to your flash drive, follow these steps to install the software. (If you're attempting to resolve issues with a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard, it might be easier to use a USB mouse or keyboard until these steps are complete.)

  1. Make sure that the USB flash drive is plugged into your Mac.
  2. Start up your Mac in Windows.
  3. From File Explorer, open the USB flash drive, then open Setup or setup.exe, which is in the WindowsSupport folder or BootCamp folder. When you're asked to allow Boot Camp to make changes to your device, click Yes.
  4. Click Repair to begin installation. If you get an alert that the software hasn't passed Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.
  5. After installation completes, click Finish, then click Yes when you're asked to restart your Mac.

Learn more

If you can't download or save the Windows support software:

  • If the assistant says that the Windows support software could not be saved to the selected drive, or that the USB flash drive can't be used, make sure that your USB flash drive has a storage capacity of at least 16GB and is formatted correctly.
  • If the assistant doesn't see your USB flash drive, click Go Back and make sure that the drive is connected directly to the USB port on your Mac—not to a display, hub, or keyboard. Disconnect and reconnect the drive, then click Continue.
  • If the assistant says that it can't download the software because of a network problem, make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet.
  • Make sure that your Mac meets the system requirements to install Windows using Boot Camp.

If a Mac feature still doesn't work after updating the Windows support software, search for your symptom on the Apple support website or Microsoft support website. Some features of your Mac aren't designed to work in Windows.