Get the right Windows image
Download Windows 11 from Microsoft with the architecture and language shown before you begin.
MacUVMWindows 11
Available on the Mac App Store
UVM for Mac – Run Windows 11 as a Virtual Machine
UVM is built on UTM, the open-source virtual machine project for macOS. It matches your Mac, prepares an official Windows 11 image, and guides you from download to a working desktop, so Windows apps, EXE files and 3D games run alongside macOS.
Official Windows sourceDownload Windows 11 from Microsoft
Matched to your MacARM64 or x64 selected automatically
Guided installationRoutine setup handled for you
Start here, on this page
Choose your Windows version and start right here
You do not need to leave this page to begin. Pick the Windows version you plan to run and the Mac you own, and UVM shows the exact steps for that combination. The checklist stays here, and the full walkthrough is one click away if you want the long version.
From Windows download to a working desktop.
UVM turns the decisions that usually interrupt a virtual machine setup into a guided Windows installation.
Let UVM prepare the machine
Your Mac architecture, installation media, drivers, and practical defaults are prepared in one flow.
Reach the Windows desktop sooner
On supported Windows ARM installs, UVM handles routine region, keyboard, network, account, and guest-tool steps.
What UVM can do
Built around the parts that usually go wrong.
The Windows path stays visible from image preparation through installation, recovery, and everyday use.
Prepare official Windows media
UVM downloads Windows 11 from Microsoft, shows the selected edition, language, and architecture, then prepares it for installation. A Windows license is not included.
Install with practical defaults
Choose CPU, memory, and storage, then let UVM handle routine Windows ARM setup such as drivers, locale, keyboard, networking, the local account, and guest tools.
Recover and continue
Keep an unfinished installation for another attempt. New Windows ARM machines can save in the background and resume later, with a cold-start fallback when a saved state cannot be restored.
Choose by what you need
UVM is for Windows-first Mac users.
Choose the guided Windows path when that is your main job. Choose a general virtualization tool when exploration and advanced configuration matter more.
Choose
UTM
UVM
Main goal
Explore many operating systems and configurations
Install and use Windows 11 on Mac
Experience
Broad controls and a ready-made system gallery
Guided Windows setup and practical defaults
Best for
Developers and virtualization enthusiasts
People who primarily need Windows
UVM is an independent app based on the open-source UTM project. About
Installing Windows 11 on Apple silicon Macs
Windows 11 does not boot natively on an Apple silicon Mac. Boot Camp is gone, and Apple does not ship Windows drivers for M-series hardware, so the practical answer is a virtual machine. Built on UTM and QEMU, UVM runs the ARM64 edition of Windows 11 in a window beside macOS, with macOS still one Cmd-Tab away. The wizard checks your chip before it downloads anything, shows the edition and architecture on the install card, and never pairs an x64 image with an ARM Mac, which is the most common cause of a failed setup.
Expect 30 to 45 minutes, most of it waiting. Setup reboots several times and the VM window can go black for a minute between reboots; that is a guest restart, not a crash. UVM stages the VirtIO display and network drivers before the first boot, so resolution changes and NAT networking work without driver hunting. Keep the Mac plugged in, leave about 20 percent of its drive free, and never force quit the app while Setup is writing to the sparse disk. For screenshots, hardware sizing, and every common error, open the complete guide:
Run EXE files and Windows apps on a Mac
An EXE is a Windows executable, so macOS cannot open one on its own. Compatibility wrappers work for a subset of programs, but they are not Windows and they do not install device drivers, ActiveX controls, or anything else that expects a real Windows registry. A virtual machine avoids that guesswork: you install the program the way its vendor intended, inside a genuine Windows 11 desktop, and launch it from the Start menu.
UVM makes the file handoff straightforward. Turn on the shared folder and it appears in File Explorer as a mapped network drive, so you can drag an installer from the macOS side, run it in the guest, and save the result back to a folder both systems can see. Most x64 applications run through Windows 11's emulation layer on Apple silicon; native ARM64 builds run at full speed. Kernel-level drivers, anti-cheat engines, and hardware dongles are the usual exceptions, so check the vendor for an ARM64 build first. See also:
3D games in a Windows virtual machine
A virtual machine shares the Mac's GPU rather than owning it, so it is not a replacement for a gaming PC. That said, 3D acceleration is enabled by default in UVM's Windows machines, and lighter titles, older DirectX games, emulators, and course-recommended 3D tools run well in a window. We tested a 3D racing game on an Apple silicon Mac with the default settings: it launched, accepted keyboard input, and stayed playable without touching a configuration file.
Set expectations before you install a 100 GB game. Give the guest enough memory, use full screen or a fixed window size to avoid repeated resolution changes, and prefer titles with modest GPU demands. Anti-cheat systems and kernel drivers are the hard limit, and many competitive multiplayer games refuse to start in any virtual machine. For single-player and older 3D catalogues, though, a Windows VM is often the simplest way to keep playing without a second computer. Read the test notes:
Is UTM the Best Free Windows Emulator for Mac?
UTM is a free, open-source virtual machine app for macOS and iOS built on QEMU. People looking for a UTM Mac setup or a UTM virtual machine usually want one thing: a Windows desktop on a Mac without paying for a commercial hypervisor. UTM delivers that, and it stays the best choice if you want to experiment with many guest operating systems, script QEMU arguments directly, or inspect every device in the machine configuration.
The trade-off is setup work. With UTM you choose the architecture, find the right Windows image, attach the VirtIO driver ISO, click through Windows Setup's region and account screens, and install guest tools by hand. UVM uses the same UTM foundation but narrows the job to Windows: it downloads the official Microsoft image, picks ARM64 or x64 for your Mac, stages the display and network drivers, and automates the routine setup screens. UVM is a paid Mac App Store app; UTM stays free.
So the honest answer is that UTM is the best free, general-purpose option, while UVM is the faster path if Windows is the only guest you care about. Both run Windows 11 on Apple silicon, both keep macOS available at the same time, and neither includes a Windows license. If you want to understand the engine, the open-source UTM project is a good place to start; if you want a working desktop this afternoon, use the guided flow above.
From the UVM blog
Guides for Windows on Mac
Step-by-step walkthroughs built on UTM and tested on Apple silicon Macs.
install Windows 11 on Mac step by step
A step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots, hardware sizing, driver checks, and fixes for the errors people hit most often.
How to open EXE files on Mac in a Windows VM
Run a Windows executable inside a real Windows desktop, with the shared folder used to move the installer across.
Share files between a Mac and a Windows VM
Turn on a shared folder in UVM, find the mapped drive in Windows, and check that files move in both directions.
3D gaming in a Mac virtual machine with UVM
What happened when we tried a 3D racing game with the default graphics settings on an Apple silicon Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Answers about Windows downloads, compatibility, licensing, and the open-source foundation.
What is UVM?
UVM is a macOS app that guides you from an official Windows 11 download to an installed virtual machine.
How is UVM different from UTM?
UVM is designed around guided Windows 11 setup, including architecture-aware downloads and automated installation steps. UTM is better suited to exploring many operating systems and advanced configurations.
Does it support Apple Silicon Macs?
UVM supports macOS 12 or later. Compatibility and performance depend on the Mac, guest operating system, and selected architecture.
Will I need a Windows license?
Yes. UVM can prepare Windows 11 Pro, but activation requires a separate Windows Pro license from Microsoft or an authorized seller.
Where can I download UVM?
UVM is available on the Mac App Store. Use the download link on this page to open its App Store listing.
Is UVM a Windows emulator for Mac?
It is a virtual machine, which is more accurate than an emulator: Windows 11 runs as a guest operating system on virtual hardware rather than being translated instruction by instruction. People use 'Windows emulator for Mac' as a catch-all phrase for this, and UVM fits that need. On Apple silicon it runs the ARM64 build of Windows natively, with x64 apps handled by Windows' own emulation layer.
Can I run EXE files and PC software on my Mac?
Yes, inside the Windows 11 guest. Install the program from its normal setup file, copy installers in through the shared folder, and launch it from the Start menu. Most x64 desktop apps work through Windows' emulation layer; low-level drivers and anti-cheat software usually do not.
Will 3D games run in the virtual machine?
Lighter and older 3D titles do, with 3D acceleration enabled by default. The guest shares the Mac's GPU, so demanding modern games and anything with kernel-level anti-cheat are out of scope. Give the guest enough memory and keep the window at a fixed size for the smoothest result.
UVM is available now.
Download UVM from the Mac App Store and begin the guided Windows 11 setup.