How to run Windows apps on your Mac with CrossOver

Every now and then, a Mac user is going to say, «Man I wish there was a version of (insert program here) for Mac. I’d buy that in a heartbeat.» It’s happened to me more times that I really wish to count. Thankfully, most of the apps I want to run on my Mac exist as native apps.

However, there are a couple that slip through my fingers, like Microsoft’s Visio Professional. It doesn’t exist on the Mac side and I really need it for my day job as a software quality vice president.

Thankfully, there’s more than one way to run Windows apps on your Mac.

1. You can use Apple’s Boot Camp and run a full installation of Window natively on your Mac
2. Use a virtual machine like Parallels Desktop
3. Install Windows apps directly with CrossOver and use a Windows app like any other native Mac App

There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but that last one – installing Windows apps directly under CrossOver – is a bit different, and it offers some distinct advantages if you know how to get things going.

With CrossOver, you don’t install Windows and then the app. It’s all about the app, and only the app. Thankfully, while CrossOver is different, it’s not difficult to use. However, there are a few things you need to know. For example, CrossOver doesn’t run ALL Windows apps. Some run better than others, and some won’t run at all.

What’s the best way to install Windows apps?

When trying to determine the best way to install a Windows app, consider the advantages and disadvantages of the three different ways to run Windows on a Mac — natively, via VM or via CrossOver:

Feature	Dual Booting	Virtual Machine	CrossOver
Run without Rebooting	No	Yes	Yes
Run without Windows OS License	No	No	Yes
Runs ALL Windows Apps	Yes	No. Not all graphic-intensive features are supported	No. Some run. Some run OK. Some won’t run at all
Runs Apps at Native Speed	Yes	No	Yes
Needed to Run an App	Windows License, App License	VM License, Windows License, App License	CrossOver License, App License
Approximate Costs (App not included)	$120 — $200 for Windows 10	$80 for Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, $120 — $200 for Windows 10	$40 — $60 for CrossOver

How to install Windows apps on your Mac using CrossOver

If you want to install Windows apps on your Mac without all the overhead associated with Windows, follow these steps.

Navigate to CodeWeavers and download CrossOver.

Go to your Downloads folder and locate the Zip file you downloaded. Double Click it to open it. Archive Utility will Open it up and decompress the contents of the archive.

Double click the CrossOver.app in your Downloads folder. It will offer to move itself to your Applications folder.

CrossOver will start for the first time. When it does, it’s going to ask you how you want it to run. By default, it runs in trial mode. However, you also enter in your registration information or buy a license right from this page.

From the screen that appears, click the Install a Windows Application button.

Type the name of the application you want to run. CrossOver will search its database and display appropriate matches.

Click the Continue button.

Click the Continue button. Remember: CrossOver will not find and download the software you want to run for you. You actually have to have the installation file for the software you want to run.

Select a bottle.

What are bottles?

CrossOver is powered by the Wine Project. As such, all Windows apps are installed in «containers» called bottles (get it?). When you install an application for the first time, CrossOver will create a bottle and automatically place your application in it. When you install new applications, CrossOver will also give you hints about which apps can work and play well in the same bottle. If your apps can be installed in the same bottle, putting them together will save some space. If they can’t, CrossOver will tell you and suggest creating a new bottle. It will also suggest a name for it. Keep the suggestion or give the bottle a name of your own choice.

Click the Continue button.

Click the Install button.

The software will install. CrossOver displays a progress screen where it will run through not only the creation of the bottle, but it will download any needed support software, and then run the installer you chose. Once the installation process completes, you should be ready to run your software.

Find the bottle you just created and run your software.

Running Windows and Windows apps on a Mac can be challenging. Finding the right method for you and your needs can be equally as challenging; however, if you think about it, there are a number of ways to run Windows on a Mac.

Some are expensive. Some aren’t.

Some take time and are complicated. Others aren’t.

CrossOver isn’t just easy to use, it’s affordable. For less than 1/4 the price of Windows plus the price of the application you need to run, you can run it on your Mac. For the odd app out, this is a total no-brainer; and it’s fairly easy to do. If you want to make sure your app works with CrossOver before you give it a shot, you can always search for it on their website.

How to Run Windows Apps on M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini

Apple’s M1 chip has revolutionized the Mac with outstanding performance and incredibly power-efficiency. But there’s a catch; it’s architecture is radically different from the older Intel microprocessors, and that stops you from dual-booting into Windows using Boot Camp. Also, popular Windows virtualization software such as Parallels are yet to adapt to the new chipset. Don’t give up hope, though. If you use a MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro, or a Mac Mini with an M1 chip inside, you can still run Windows apps on it using the CrossOver compatibility layer.

What is CrossOver For Mac?

CrossOver is an application that provides a Windows compatibility layer on the Mac. It allows you to download, install, and run Windows apps in a simulated Windows environment without having to install Windows itself. It’s also updated for macOS Big Sur and fully supports the Apple M1 chip. Here’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt running — almost — perfectly on an M1 Mac with CrossOver.

Not all Windows apps may run well on CrossOver, however. So, it’s best to head over to the CrossOver compatibility database and check out the compatibility rating — on a scale of 1-5 stars — for any specific Windows app that you want to run on your M1 Mac. You can also check that before installing an app in CrossOver itself.

That said, CrossOver isn’t free — it costs $14.95 for a single license or $20.95 for a license with 12 months of support. However, it does offer a fully functional 14-day trial, which is what we recommend that you use first.

How to Run Windows Apps on M1 Macs

Installing CrossOver is not complicated in the slightest. Just head over to the CodeWeavers website and download CrossOver. Then, install CrossOver just like you would any other program and you’re ready to go.

The following steps will show you how to use CrossOver to install and run a Windows-only program on an M1 Mac.

Step 1: Launch CrossOver.

Step 2: Select the Install a Windows Application button.

Step 3: Type the name of the Windows application that you want to install. Then, pick it from the search suggestions. As an example, let’s search for and pick the charting platform MetaTrader 4.

Step 4: You will see a compatibility rating for the selected program — as long as the app has a rating of at least three stars, you should be able to run the app without major issues. Ideally, however, a program should have 4-5 stars to run properly. If you want to proceed, select Continue.

Step 5: Select an installer source. Usually, CrossOver will automatically come up with a direct download link for an app and you won’t have to do anything. But in some cases, you must manually download the program’s installer using your web browser and select the file from your Mac’s download folder — use the Choose installer file or Choose installer folder to do that and select Continue.

Step 6: Select a “bottle.” But what is it? A “bottle” is basically the simulated Windows environment that you must use to run the selected program. In most instances, CrossOver will automatically select the correct “bottle,” so simply click Continue.

Step 7: Install the app. CrossOver will automatically download the required files — or use the files from the download installer — and begin to install the program. It will also install any dependencies that the application needs to run properly.

Step 8: You may have to deal with a few pop-up prompts along the way. If CrossOver fails to add something, it will ask you to Retry or Skip — if it fails repeatedly, consider skipping the file.

Step 9: After installing the program, select the Bottles icon from the top-left of the CrossOver window. Then, select the program “bottle” on the side-bar and double-click the program’s icon to run it.

If CrossOver managed to install the program properly, you should be able to use it without issues.

CrossOver makes it ridiculously easy to run numerous Windows apps on your M1 Mac. Not every app will work optimally (and some won’t run at all), but that’s as good as it gets for the time being. So, what are your thoughts about CrossOver? Sound off in the comments below.

The 5 Best Ways to Run Windows on Your Mac

Find out which option best fits you

While macOS is made to run using Mac hardware, it is not the only operating system that can run on a Mac computer.

Plenty of other operating systems, including Window and Linux, will work on a Mac device. That makes the Mac among the most versatile computers you can buy. Here’s what we’d use to install Windows on a Mac.

Boot Camp

Supports Windows 7, 8.1, and 10

Windows runs natively on Mac hardware for best performance

Requires a full Windows license for the initial install.

Cannot run Windows and Mac OS concurrently.

Perhaps the best-known option for running Windows on a Mac is Boot Camp. Included free with your Mac, Boot Camp allows you to install Windows and then choose between Mac and Windows on startup.

Because Boot Camp runs Windows directly on your Mac’s hardware (there is no virtualization or emulation to be performed) Windows can run at the best possible speed your Mac is able to deliver.

Installing Windows on your Mac is no more difficult than installing Windows on a PC. Apple even provides the Boot Camp Assistant to partition the startup drive to make room for Windows as well as to install all the drivers Windows needs for special Apple hardware.

Virtualization

Run both macOS and a guest OS side-by-side.

Not limited to Windows; a large number of guest operating systems are supported.

Performance tuning and customization needed to achieve the best performance.

May impact the performance of your Mac.

Virtualization allows several operating systems to run on computer hardware at the same time. Virtualization abstracts the hardware layer, making it look like each operating system has its own processor, RAM, graphics, and storage.

Virtualization on the Mac makes use of a software layer called a hypervisor to emulate all of the underlying hardware. As a result, the guest operating system running on the virtual machine does not run as fast as in Boot Camp. But unlike Boot Camp, both the Mac operating system and the guest operating system run at the same time.

There are three primary virtualization apps for Mac:

• Parallels: The first to bring virtualization to the Mac. Parallels supports a wide range of guest OS, including Windows, Linux, and Mac.
• VMWare Fusion: Fusion is the Mac virtualization app offered by VMWare — a leader in virtualization tech. Fusion supports the installation of many different operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• VirtualBox: Oracle supports an open source virtualization app known as VirtualBox. This free virtualization app runs on multiple computer systems, including Mac. Like the other virtualization apps, VirtualBox can be used to run many different operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Installing the virtualization apps is similar to any other Mac app. Guest OS may be more involved with some customization required to obtain the best performance. All three apps have lively forums and support services to help with tuning the performance.