And if you ever switched from Mac to Windows, you might have ended loving both operating systems. But what do you do if you love them both equally? Have both operating systems installed on your computer! I found myself once in this position. Both OS have their pros and cons, but I could never decide on only one of them. Luckily, I could install windows on my mac and have the taste of both worlds. And here’s how I did it.
What Will You Need?
Even before you think of replacing your operating system, you need to ensure that your computer meets the requirements. According to Microsoft, standard requirements for Windows 10 are:
1 GB of RAM16 to 20 GB of storage (sometimes even more)1 GHz (or faster) processor with at least two coresGraphics card that supports DirectX 9 (or later)Display that supports at least 800 x 600 resolution
And according to Apple, standard requirements for Mac OS are:
4 GB of RAM35.5 GB of storageIntel Core i3 processor (or better)Graphics card that supports OpenGL 2.0 (or higher)Display that supports at least 1024 x 1024 resolution
On top of that, you’ll also need:
An empty USB driveA clean copy of Windows or Mac OS operating system image
Of course, before going to the next step, I highly recommend you back up your files and information.
How To Get Windows on Mac
Run Boot Camp Assistant
Every Mac comes with Boot Camp Assistant integrated into the computer. This assistant helps you install Windows on a Mac by guiding you through the whole process.
Insert the USB Flash Drive with the Windows Image File
Boot Camp Assistant can only help install the needed tools (drivers) to ensure Mac runs properly using a Windows operating system. However, now you will need to insert the USB flash drive with the Windows image file. When you insert it, you can click the Continue button again. Without inserting the USB flash drive, you won’t be able to continue to the next step.
Dedicate the Storage for Windows OS
Windows operating system requires space, and in this step, Boot Camp Assistant helps you create the space for installing Windows onto your Mac. As mentioned earlier, you need to have at least 30 GB free of free storage space. By allocating the space for Windows operating system, you will be creating a partition where the computer will store all Windows files. This means that your Windows won’t interfere with Mac operating system if you decide to keep both operating systems installed on your Mac. You get to choose between dividing the storage space equally or sticking with creating a 32 GB partition, as recommended by the assistant. If you don’t plan on using Windows too much, 32 GB is enough. But if you plan on using Windows more or use both operating systems equally – dividing the storage in half is a good idea.
Select the Partition
You’re a step closer to installing Windows on your Mac, and in this step, you have to confirm which partition you would like to install Windows onto. You should choose the partition that you’ve created earlier, which is named Bootcamp (if you didn’t change the partition name in the process).
Reformatting the Partition
Whenever you install a new copy of Windows, the partition has to be reformatted to meet the Windows file requirements (NTFS file system). This is one of the final steps before you start the installation process. All you have to do is click format to format the selected partition. After that, follow the on-screen instructions as they help you start the Windows installation. Congratulations, you have successfully installed windows on mac and upon the restart, choose Windows from the boot menu to switch to Windows on your Mac!
Can You Install Mac OS on a Windows-based PC?
If you’re using Mac, it is very easy to install Windows on your Mac, thanks to the Boot Camp Assistant. However, Mac OS isn’t made for computers that aren’t Apple’s official computers. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do so. Many people do it by acquiring the operating system image from sources such as TechSpot. From there, here’s what you need to do next on your Windows-based PC: From there, you have to select the disk drive and create a partition for Mac OS and click the Install button to start the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. When your computer restarts, you will be asked which operating system would you like to use to reboot the computer. Choose Mac OS, and you will successfully switch to the Mac OS on your Windows-based computer.
Conclusion
The process is simple. Once you have everything you will need, you only have to start the installation process and work with the installer to set up a new operating system on your computer correctly. This way, you will have two operating systems installed on your computer (both Windows and Mac), so you will be able to switch between them whenever you restart your computer. This is perfect for someone who is in a dilemma or needs to use both operating systems for work. And if you ever come to a decision of which operating system you would like to keep, all you have to do is format the partition of the operating windows you don’t want to keep. This will delete the operating system from your computer, and you will only have one installed.
