In today’s guide, I’m going to be showing you exactly how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook in 2021.
This is the version of the Windows 11 ARM that has just been released on the insider preview and it’s going to be quite different from the x86_64 build which was early leaked this year.
The performance of this build is going to be far more superior via the Windows 11 ARM, and you going to see how to set it up, quickly and easily.
Let’s get started!
Windows 11 Latest Release for 2021
After a long-waited 6 years, Windows 11 is finally here!
The all-new Windows 11 comes with an excellent user interface and experience, and some additional under the hood changes.
What’s more?
Well, it’s now pretty easy to learn how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook. This can be done in two ways:
- How to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook using the UTM for Mac app
- How to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook using the Windows 11 ARM build
For today’s guide, we’re going to be emphasizing how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook using the Windows 11 ARM build. This is because the performance of this build is far more superior to running the Windows operating system via doing an emulation with the UTM for Mac app.
Read More: Apple Silicon M1 13-inch MacBook Pro review...
In this guide, you’re going to learn how to run a virtualized ARM operating system on an ARM chip which gives out a performance that’s very close to the Windows 10 ARM, and much closer to what native ARM performance might be like.
How to Install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook Using the Windows 11 ARM Build
For the purpose of this guide, we’re going to be working with both an Apple and Windows PC. Below are the steps to follow when learning how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook using the Windows 11 ARM build:
- Check to see if you can install Windows 11 directly from your Windows 10 ARM installation
- Build your own version of the ARM operating system using the UUP dump.
- Run the UUP_download_windows.cmd.
- Download the 21390 build of the Windows 10 ARM build.
- Run your Windows 11 ARM on your Apple M1 Macbook.
The above steps can be broken down thus:
#1 How to Check if I can Install Windows 11 Directly from my Windows 10 ARM Installation?
This is very simple!
If you are a Windows Insider before the 24th of June, 2021 according to the below Parallels forum tread, then you’ll be automatically enrolled to install Windows 11 directly from your Windows 10 ARM installation.
It’s also a must that your PC meets a certain requirement before you’ll be able to install Windows 11 directly from your Windows 10 ARM installation
If you’ve been a Windows Insider before the 24th of June, 2021, but your PC does not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11, you then only get future dev channel builds.
Now if your PC meets all these requirements, then simply go to the Windows Update section in Settings and then click on the Update button.
However, if you were not enrolled, simply go to the next step to learn how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook.
#2: How to Build My Version of the ARM Operating System Using the UUP Dump
This should be done on a Windows PC.
This is because the UUP dump builds a batch file, and we’ll need to execute the batch file which downloads files directly from the Microsoft servers. An alternative method is to run Parallels on your Mac to help build your version of the ARM operating system using the UUP dump.
You can learn how to install Windows 10 ARM on the Apple M1 Macbook using Parallels desktop with the below video:
So on your Windows PC, or while running Parallels on your Apple M1 Macbook, go to UUPdump.net and download the latest ARM_64 build.
Select your preferred language, and click Next.
Click Next on the Choose edition page.
Leave everything at its default setting on the Summary page, and click Create download package.
This is going to download a .zip file that contains everything that we need for the setup.
#3: Run the UUP_download_windows.cmd
The next step to learning how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook using the Windows 11 ARM build is to run the UUP_download_windows.cmd.
Once your .zip file download is complete from step (2) of the guide, copy the files out of the .zip file and put it in a folder, and then run the UUP_download_windows.cmd, by simply double-clicking it.
What this’s going to do is that it automates the process, and once all the files are downloaded, it’d automatically create the ISO for you.
#4: Download the 21390 Build of the Windows 10 ARM Build
We are also going to need a copy of the Windows 10 ARM build, so using the same process in step (2), download the 21390 build.
You can do a simple 21390 search on the homepage of UUPdump.net.
I think we can use any Windows 10 build, but the 21390 build is the particular build that I use. And as you did in step (2), download the recent version of the Windows 10 ARM_64 build.
Repeat the same steps as in step (2) for the rest of this download and installation process.
PS: The main reason for downloading the Windows 10 ISO is because we need it to bypass the TPM requirement of the Windows 11 ARM.
#5: Run Your Windows 11 ARM on Your Apple M1 Macbook
The final step to learning how to install Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 Macbook requires you already having Windows 10 already installed on Parallels as we did earlier in step (2) of the guide.
The main reason we’re doing this is because we haven’t been supplied with the proper VHDX file, so we’re going to be using the Windows 10 WAN and do an in-line upgrade of Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Now, copy the two ISO files (the Windows 10 and Windows 11 ARM) you created from step (2) and step (4) of this guide into the Windows 10 virtual machine in Parallels.
