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How to Run Windows 11 for Free on M1, M2, M3 & M4 Macs (Without Paying $100/Yr for Parallels)

If you upgraded from an older Intel Mac to an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac mini), you quickly discovered two annoying truths:

  1. Boot Camp is gone forever (Apple Silicon chips do not boot native x86 Windows).
  2. Parallels Desktop charges $99 to $129 every single year as a recurring subscription just to open a Windows program.

Here is what Parallels ads won’t tell you: VMware Fusion Pro 13—the enterprise-grade virtual machine hypervisor with full DirectX 11 3D hardware acceleration—is now 100% FREE for personal use.

Even better, VMware Fusion Pro includes a built-in “Get Windows 11” button that downloads and installs Windows 11 ARM automatically in 5 minutes. Here is the exact step-by-step setup guide.

⚡ Step-by-Step: Install Windows 11 on M1/M2/M3/M4 for $0

Step 1: Download VMware Fusion Pro (Free Personal Use)

Broadcom’s website can be confusing to navigate, so follow these exact steps:

  1. Create a free account at the official Broadcom Support Portal.
  2. Once logged in, click the My Downloads tab in the left sidebar and select Free Software Downloads available HERE.
  3. Click VMware Fusion and download the latest VMware Fusion Pro for macOS (Universal DMG) installer.
  4. Open the downloaded .dmg file and double-click the VMware Fusion icon to install it into your /Applications folder.
  5. When asked for a license key during first launch, select “Use VMware Fusion 13 Pro for free for personal use” and click Continue!

Step 2: Use the 1-Click Windows 11 Downloader

You do not need to hunt around Microsoft’s website for an ARM64 ISO file—VMware downloads it directly from Microsoft’s servers for you:

  1. In the “Select the Installation Method” window, click “Get Windows from Microsoft” and click Continue.
  2. Choose your edition (Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro) and language, then click Download Windows.
  3. Wait 2–3 minutes while VMware fetches the official Windows 11 ARM image and automatically builds the bootable .iso.
  4. Leave the default encryption option set to “Only encrypt the files needed to support a TPM” → click Auto Generate Password (so Windows 11’s virtual TPM 2.0 requirement is satisfied automatically without prompting you for a password on every startup!).
  5. Click Finish and press the big Play (▶) button to start your Windows 11 virtual machine!

Step 3: Bypass the “Let’s Connect You to a Network” Stuck Screen

When the Windows 11 setup screen reaches “Let’s connect you to a network”, it may not see the virtual network adapter yet because VMware Tools hasn’t been installed.

Do this 10-second bypass:

  1. Press Shift + F10 (or Fn + Shift + F10 on MacBook keyboards) to open a Command Prompt box.
  2. Click inside the black Command Prompt window, type this single command, and press Enter:
OOBE\BYPASSNRO
  1. Your virtual machine will immediately restart, and on the network screen you will now see a button in the bottom-right corner that says “I don’t have internet”!
  2. Click “I don’t have internet” → “Continue with limited setup” → type your name, and within 30 seconds you will arrive at the Windows 11 desktop.

Step 4: Install VMware Tools (For Full Retina Resolution & Internet!)

Once you see the Windows 11 desktop, the screen will initially look small and square. Let’s activate Retina display scaling, internet, and copy-paste sharing:

  1. In your Mac’s top menu bar (while VMware Fusion is active), click Virtual Machine → Install VMware Tools.
  2. Inside Windows 11, open File Explorer (📁) on the taskbar → click DVD Drive (D:) VMware Tools in the left sidebar.
  3. Double-click setup (or right-click Install on the PowerShell script if prompted) and follow the prompts to finish.
  4. Click Yes to restart Windows.

When Windows reboots, your screen will automatically snap to crisp Retina resolution, your internet connection will be active, and you can drag-and-drop files directly between your Mac desktop and Windows 11!

Need Help Setting Up Windows or Upgrading Your Mac in Chicago?

Whether you need a specific Windows accounting, engineering, or CAD application configured on your Apple Silicon MacBook—or need hardware repairs on your Mac or iPhone—our team at Arbor Mac in downtown Chicago is here to help.

Visit us at 8 S Michigan Ave, Suite 312 (Willoughby Tower across from Millennium Park) daily from 12pm–10pm, or check our Mac tech support pricing online in 10 seconds.

Bench-Tested Hardware & Recommended Tools

Apple Silicon Virtualization Essentials

Reliable high-speed external storage for hosting multi-gigabyte Windows ARM virtual machines.

Best VM Host Drive~$109

Samsung T7 Shield 1TB Rugged Portable SSD (1,050 MB/s)

Technician Note: Host your 60GB+ Windows 11 VM files externally to preserve your internal Apple Silicon SSD write longevity.

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FTC Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Arbor Mac Repair earns from qualifying purchases of bench-tested tools at no extra cost to you. We only recommend hardware and tools our Chicago bench technicians personally test and use.

Need Mac SSD Upgrades, Dual-Boot Setup, or Sensor Diagnostics in Chicago?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can M1, M2, M3, or M4 Macs use Apple Boot Camp to install Windows?

No. Apple Silicon processors use ARM64 architecture instead of Intel x86 chips, so Apple removed Boot Camp Assistant completely. Instead, Apple Silicon Macs run Windows 11 ARM inside a hardware-accelerated virtual machine right alongside macOS.

Is VMware Fusion Pro really 100% free for personal use on Mac?

Yes! Following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, VMware Fusion Pro 13 (which previously cost $199) was made completely free for personal use. It includes full DirectX 11 3D hardware graphics acceleration and an automated 1-click Windows 11 ARM downloader.

Can Windows 11 ARM on an M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac run regular x86/x64 Windows apps and games?

Yes. Windows 11 ARM includes Microsoft's built-in Prism x86/x64 translation engine (similar to Apple's Rosetta 2), allowing almost all standard 32-bit and 64-bit Windows desktop programs, Excel macros, and DirectX 11 games to run seamlessly.

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