Do You Actually Need to Use Boot Camp? RELATED: Before you install Windows, stop and think about whether or not Boot Camp is the best choice for your needs.
There are a couple of drawbacks to consider. When you use Boot Camp to install Windows on your Mac, you’ll need to re-partition your drive, which is going to take up quite a bit of your available drive space.
Since storage on a Mac is fairly expensive, it’s something you should really think about. In addition, you’ll need to reboot every time you want to use Windows, and reboot again when you want to switch back to macOS. The benefit of Boot Camp, of course, is that you’re running Windows directly on the hardware, so it’ll be a lot faster than a virtual machine.
If all you need to do is run a few Windows applications on your Mac, and those applications don’t a lot of resources (like 3D games), you might consider using a virtual machine like (there’s a free trial), or to run that software instead. The vast majority of the time you don’t actually need to use Boot Camp, and you’d be better off using a virtual machine. If, however, you’re looking to play Windows games on your Mac, Boot Camp might be a good choice.
RELATED: For most people, though,. It’s something we use at How-To Geek every single day for testing software and running Windows. The integration with macOS amazingly well done, and the speed blows away Virtualbox. In the long run, the price is well worth it. You can even use Parallels to load your Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine while you are in macOS, giving you the best of both worlds. What Version of Windows Can I Run? Which version of Windows you can run depends on your Mac: recent models support only Windows 10, while some older Macs only work with older versions of Windows. Here’s a quick outline, along with links to Apple’s official lists of supported models.
Windows 10 is supported on. Windows 8.1 is supported on most, with some exceptions. Windows 7 is supported, for the most part, and you’ll need an even older Mac to run Windows Vista or XP.
Note that Macs can only run 64-bit, non-Enterprise versions of Windows. RELATED: To install Windows, you’ll need an ISO file of the installer. You can if you already have a product key, though. If you’re installing Windows 7, you’ll also need a USB drive at least 16GB in size for the installer and drivers. Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 do not any external drive for installation. How to Install Windows on Your Mac Ready to install Windows? It’s probably a good idea to before getting started, just in case. Odds are nothing will go wrong, but any time you’re partitioning things there’s always a chance. Done?
Let’s get started. You’ll use the Boot Camp Assistant application that comes on your Mac. Open it by pressing Command+Space, typing Boot Camp, and pressing Enter. The Boot Camp Assistant will walk you through partitioning, downloading drivers, and starting the installer for you. Click “Continue” and you’ll be asked which ISO file you’d like to use and how big you’d like your Windows partition to be.
RELATED: How you should allocate the space depends on how much space you want for your Windows system and how much space you want for your macOS system. If you want to resize your partitions after this process, you’ll need to use a third-party tool, so choose carefully now. Note that, if you’re installing Windows 7, the order here is slightly different: Boot Camp will first guide you through setting up your installer USB disk, then ask you about partitioning. When you’re ready, click “Install” and Boot Camp will start downloading drivers, which it calls “Windows support software.” The installer will also partition your disk, copy the installer to that partition, and place the drivers so they’ll run after installation. You can keep using your Mac while all this is running, though things will slow down a lot during the partitioning phase. Eventually, your Mac will reboot and you’ll see the standard Windows installer. Select the partition labeled BOOTCAMP if asked—do not install to any other partition, or you might end up removing macOS and losing all your data. (You did back up, right?) Windows will now finish installing normally.
The Windows on-boarding process might ask you to connect to the Internet, but you won’t be able to do this without drivers: just skip these steps until you get to your desktop, at which point the Boot Camp installer will appear. Proceed with the installer to set up your drivers, and you should be all set! How to Boot Into Windows On Your Mac By default, your Mac will still boot to macOS. To access Windows, you need to turn off your Mac, then turn it on while holding the Option key.
You’ll be asked which drive you’d like to boot from. If you’d like to boot to Windows by default, you set this, or using the Boot Camp Control Panel in Windows. You’ll find this in your system tray after installing Windows, though you may have to click the Up arrow to find it. This control panel allows you to choose the default operating system your Mac boots to, as well as tweak keyboard and trackpad settings. While in Windows, the functions as the Windows key, while the Option key functions as the Alt key. If you have a Touch Bar, you’ll see a complete set of buttons, similar to the Extended Control Strip in macOS.
To see the function keys (F1, F2, etc.) simply hold down the Fn key. There’s no way to make this the default in Windows. How to Remove Windows From Your Mac If you want to remove Windows from your Mac and free up space, reboot into macOS and open the Boot Camp Assistant again.
You’ll see the Restore Disk to a Single Volume option. Boot Camp Assistant will automatically remove Windows and expand the macOS partition for you, reclaiming all of that space. Warning: This will delete all the files on your Windows partition, so be sure you have backup copies first!
Today's technology has come a long way in closing the divide between Windows and Mac applications, especially in the enterprise. However, a gap still exists for some and requires a bridge to move between computing environments. For Mac users, the stalwart tool has been the Microsoft Remote Desktop connection.
Available now through the Mac App store, it allows users to remotely connect to a Windows desktop to access local files, applications, and network resources. Note: If you want to access Microsoft Remote Desktop on a newer Mac running macOS Sierra, check out instead. In order to get started with Microsoft Remote Desktop, you must begin by downloading it from the Mac App Store. Click the blue 'App Store' icon in your dock.
Or, you can download it from our sister site Download.com. Next, open the application by clicking through the grey 'Launchpad' icon and clicking on the Remote Desktop app icon. Or, you can use the searchlight feature by clicking the looking glass at the top right of your home screen, or by using the shortcut Command + Space Bar, and searching for 'Microsoft Remote Desktop.' Opening the app should look like this: If you think you'll be frequently using this remote desktop connection, now would be a good time to set it in your dock. Right click (control + click) on the icon, mouse over 'Options,' and click 'Keep in Dock.' This will keep you from having to look for the icon every time you need to use it.
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At this point you'll need to enable remote access on your target PC. For a Windows 8 machine, the fastest way to get this done is to search for 'Allow remote access to your computer' and click on that when it comes up. You may need an administrator password to complete this step. Under the 'System Properties' box you should see 'Remote Desktop' and the button labeled 'Allow remote connections to this computer' should be selected. Next, you'll need to select the users who will be able to be accessed through the remote desktop connection.
Now, search for 'System' and click it when it appears. Turn off hibernation and sleep settings for the target PC, as you won't be able to access it remotely if it falls asleep. SEE: (Tech Pro Research) While still in 'System,' it's a good time to go ahead and get your full PC name if you don't already have it, as you'll need it to set up the connection.
Click on 'Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings' to find the full PC name and write it down. Enabling a Windows 7 computer is a little different, but you can find out how to do that.
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Head back to your Mac and click the 'New' button at the top left of the Microsoft Remote Desktop screen. You'll be prompted to fill in quite a few fields. The first thing you'll need to input is the connection name. This is simply what you want to call the connection and it has no real bearing on the connection itself. For example, you could call it 'John's work computer,' or 'Jennifer's PC.' Next, you'll need to input the PC name (the one you wrote down from earlier), or the IP address so your Mac knows where to find your PC.
The next line down allows you to configure a Gateway, which would let you connect to virtual desktops or session-based desktops that are on your company's network. Check with your network administrator to see if there is a gateway you are to use. Credentials is where you will type in the domain, username, and password for the target PC so you can log in through the remote connection. Resolution, colors, and full screen mode are all personal preferences for how you want the remote desktop to launch on your machine. If you're not sure, start with the standard settings and go from there.
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If you want to configure peripheral devices for your remote desktop, you can find options for that under the middle tab, 'Session.' The first choice is a drop-down menu for sound. You can disable sound, have it play on the remote PC, or have it play on your Mac. If you want to connect to an administrator session on a Windows server, click the box next to 'Connect to admin session.' The next option to 'Forward printing devices' will make your local printers available during your remote desktop session. 'Swap mouse buttons' will allow you to use left click commands with a right-click Mac mouse.
The last tab at the top of the window is 'Redirection.' This is where you would choose a local folder you wanted to be available during your remote session. Click the '+' button, choose a name for the folder, and input the folder's path to have it available. When you are finished configuring your remote desktop, click the red close button at the top left of the dialog box and your new remote desktop will be added.
To start a session with that desktop, simply double-click it to begin. If you want to edit, duplicate, export, or delete that remote connection, right-click (control + click) on the desktop name to access those options. If you don't think Microsoft Remote Desktop is the option for you, here are some other options available at Download.com:. What do you think? Is there a better way to access your Windows applications? Tell us in the comments.