If you have a Mac with Intel, the truth is that you can run macOS X and Windows on a single computer. And this is perfectly possible since April 2006, when Apple surprised most of its users with the launch of BootCamp , a software that went from beta to almost finished with the arrival of Leopard, and whose purpose It is apparently simple: it offers the possibility of installing Windows on macOS , in such a way that it allows to have two completely and totally different operating systems on the same machine.
The truth is that its operation is as simple as it is simple, since the steps to follow are as intuitive as they are basic. Of course, it is necessary to have some minimum requirements so that everything goes as it should, and unnecessary technical problems do not arise.
It is also important to note that it is possible to use a 64-bit version of Windows, Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate), Windows 8 and even the recent Windows 10. However, it is always advisable to check with Apple support to find out which Mac models are compatible with different versions of Windows.
In summary, below, we indicate what are some of the basic requirements:
- A Mac with Intel and OS X version 10.6 or later
- At least 2 GB of RAM and 20 GB of storage space available on the drive or hard disk where we want to install Windows
- A blank DVD or USB storage device required for later installing Windows software drivers.
On the other hand, if everything goes well, the complete installation could take between 30 minutes to 1 hour , which in turn will depend on the speed of our internet connection, since the BootCamp application takes care of downloading the Latest version of the necessary drivers so that Windows can work perfectly on macOS.
And something very important that we should never forget: it is essential to have a legal Windows license . Although until a few years ago it was also essential to have an optimal drive, in order to use the Windows installation disc, today it is possible to create a Windows installer from an ISO file, which we can download directly from the page Microsoft website, and transfer it to a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage, or more.
Installing Windows on macOS step by step: useful guide
In order to install Windows on your macOS, you only have to complete the basic steps that we propose below:
- Open the BootCamp Assistant application . You can find it in the Utilities folder, within Applications, or search for it through the Spotlight functionality. You need to make sure you have the latest firmware, and install any software that may be necessary.
- Follow the instructions to create a hard drive partition for Windows. In the next step we will create an area within our hard drive that the system will use for the installation of Windows. This partition must have at least 30 GB of space. To select the capacity, you just have to drag the icon that serves as a divider, and thus configure the space you want macOS and Windows to have. You can also divide into equal parts, to make equal partitions.
- Now insert the DVD or disc into the optimal drive, or into the USB flash drive with the Windows ISO file. Once done, simply click on Start Installation.
- Choosing the partition. When asked to choose the partition where we are going to install Windows, simply choose the partition that says ‘BootCamp’.
- Formatting the partition. Now we must reformat the hard drive partition where we are going to install the new operating system, but this time we will do it with the help of the Windows installer. Just click Format.
- Follow the onscreen instructions. It will be what is necessary to finish the installation of Windows. BootCamp includes various drivers necessary for Windows to be able to recognize and detect Thunderbolt, the wireless keyboard and mouse, the trackpad, networking, audio, graphics, and the camera.
And how can we change the operating system?
One of the main advantages of this system is that we can switch between macOS and Windows depending on the operating system we want to use at all times.
To select it, we just have to restart our Mac and just when the blank screen appears, hold down the Option (Alt) key, until the icons for each operating system appear. Simply select Windows or Macintosh HD, and click on the arrow to start the one you want.
