VM VirtualBox is an open source, cross-platform virtualization container that allows users to extend their existing computer to run multiple operating systems at the same time, including Windows, Linux, Solaris, and macOS. To get started on your virtualization journey, VM VirtualBox offers a free virtual machine license for personal, educational, or evaluation use. Wine apps appear on your desktop and in your dock just like native Mac apps do.A powerful, open source, virtual machine platform You don’t need to install Windows natively, which means you don’t need to dedicate disk space to Windows or run additional virtualization software. That said, Wine might just be the solution you’ve been looking for. Apps are more likely to crash or behave in unexpected ways compared to virtualization or running Windows natively. That said, not all apps will work, and some will exhibit odd behavior. It works by translating Windows API calls in real time so performance in apps that use Wine is generally very good. Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows software to run on top of macOS.

RELATED: Is Parallels Desktop Free on a Mac? Use Wine to Run Windows Apps With Wineskin You can install and use Windows 11 without a product key, but if you want to get rid of the pesky “Activate Windows” reminder, you’ll also need to pay Microsoft for a license. Note: These virtual machine apps don’t come with a Windows product key. Many virtualization apps don’t require that you sacrifice disk space for your virtual machine, unlike a dedicated Windows installation. Apps like Parallels have modes that allow you to effectively hide the Windows UI and use apps as if they were running natively on your Mac.

Virtualization is useful since you can just launch an app and have access to Windows in moments.

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