Microsoft Windows has dominated the computer operating system market for decades, average at over 70% across different markets. Accordingly, it has the widest variety of applications for an array of functions.
These apps are not available on other operating systems such as macOS. Therefore, you require a Windows Emulator for Mac to run them on your Apple computer.
Best Windows Emulators for Mac
These are some of the best ways to run Windows software on Mac, with the help of an emulator and virtual machines.
Wine
VirtualBox
VMware Fusion
WineBottler
Boot Camp
PlayOnMac
Parallels Desktop
Remote Desktop
1. Wine
You can play Windows games on Mac with Wine. Wine is not a mere emulator but allows an environment for Windows apps to run on Mac without any hiccup.
It features backward compatibility for Windows versions as early as Windows 3.1x. They have added support for 64-bit Windows applications in the recent builds as well.
Wine also offers their open-source versions of the Notepad, Wordpad, Internet explorer and explorer.
DownloadWine for Mac
2. VirtualBox by Oracle
You can create a Virtual Machine to run Windows inside Mac OS. Create a VirtualBox using your owned copy of Windows.
VirtualBox allows you to use Windows 10 and an earlier version in full glory on a Mac computer. It is a better and wholesome experience than all ordinary Windows emulators for Mac who merely run few apps with glitches.
Virtual Machines can be calibrated for the required performance. You can control all aspects of your Windows, including RAM, storage, GPU and more.
Next on the list of emulators for Mac is Fusion by VMware. It is a virtual machine(similar to VirtualBox) to run Windows software on Mac OS based computers.
It has an exciting feature called the “Unity Mode”. It allows the virtual machine to display Windows Apps on your Mac OS desktop directly.
Moreover, you can directly launch your Windows emulator(virtual machine) from either the Dock, Launchpad or the Spotlight section. You don’t need to open Fusion to start the emulator.
Unlike VirtualBox, Fusion is a paid software, and it starts from $59 onwards.
DownloadVMware Fusion
4. WineBottler
WineBottler is a unique kind of Windows emulator for Mac. It allows you to run Windows apps on Mac without the fuss of installing a virtual machine or anything complicated.
With WineBottler, you can directly use Windows apps on Mac. Directly use .exe executable apps by double-clicking on them just like you do on Windows. Alternatively, you can associate the file with WineBottler by right-clicking on the file > open with > Wine.
The only major caveat of this emulator is that it does not support all the Windows apps. Its good for playing around with majorly popular apps and testing purposes.
Download WineBottler
5. Boot Camp
Boot Camp is an excellent utility tool for switching between macOS and Windows 10. The tool by Apple allows you to install Windows as a secondary OS on your Apple computer.
Apple has introduced a Boot Camp Assistant to guide users through the process of successfully installing Windows 10 on Mac. They also provided a detailed guide on the installing Windows through Boot Camp.
Switch between Windows and macOS by pressing and holding the Option (or Alt) ⌥ key during startup.
Check out Boot Camp
6. PlayOnMac
The next contender in the list of the best Windows emulator for Mac is Playonmac. It is based on the WineBottler principle and allows you to use several of the Windows application and games on macOS.
There is a separate library available for different categories of programs and applications on the app itself.
It is amongst the easiest Windows emulators for macOS out there. PlayonMac’s website has an unending compatibility list, which consist of compatible games and apps on the emulator.
DownloadPlayOnMac
7. Parallels
Parallels is a combination of Boot Camp and Virtual Machines. You can switch between Windows and macOS without requiring to restart your computer.
Furthermore, users can drag and drop files between the two operating systems. Drag and drop between the macOS desktop and Windows OS window. Alternatively, copy and paste between the two OS in the manual style as well.
Moreover, you can add shortcuts to Windows apps to your dock for the smooth one-click launch of the application.
Parallels Desktop is a paid application for Mac. It has a 15-days trials available, apart from the standard price of $79.99.
Download Parallels Desktop
8. Remote Desktop
In any case, if you do not fancy using a Windows emulator for Mac, then this might be the one for you. You should have a separate computer with Windows installed.
You can use macOS client on Windows 10 to remote control Windows from your Mac. Use it as a Windows emulator from your Mac computer.
The Windows computer need to be on for this to work,as only screen is being displayed on your Mac computer. The physical hardware still needs to run on the separate machine.
The setup process can be overwhelming for some users. Our advice would be to consult a person with computer knowledge for assistance in setting up Remote Desktop. There is a really helpful guide on the subject by the folks at HowToGeek, that can be found here.
Over to You
These were some of the best Windows emulators for Mac OS. For users who are looking to have features of Parallels or WineBottler for free, can use Virtual Machines of VirtualBox. There are methods that allow shortcuts to run an application directly just like Parallels.
PC users and Mac users have always had their differences and one of those is not being able to run .exe files on Mac computers. The problem is, there are certain useful applications of software that can prove to be important for the other and their OS unfortunately will not be able to run it. However, you can now have the best of both worlds as you can run .exe on Mac by using various applications. Here are just some of the best ones you can buy, download and use for free.
10. VirtualBox
Emulate Exe On Mac Iso
This is great because first of all, it is for free and considered to be a very good alternative to other .exe for Mac applications in this list. Most can even compare it to Parallels and Fusion, as Virtual Box creates an environment in which you can run Windows. In addition to that, this software can also run Linux applications.
9. CrossOver
This is an application which is referred to as an “emulator”, in which it emulates Windows while you are running your Mac computer. CrossOver does not require you to have a licensed Windows product in order for it to run. However, a downside to it is that you may not be able to run every Windows program you may want to emulate in your Mac.
8. Bootcamp
This is a very popular application amongst Mac users. In fact, it has become so popular that new Mac computers nowadays have it already installed as part of the system. On the other hand, there is a downside to having and using Bootcamp. The software will require you to reboot or restart your computer in order to run the second OS, which is the Windows. Other .exe for Mac applications will often just run it in another window without having to reboot at all.
7. Darwine
Best home cloud storage for mac. Another application that is free and can run Windows-based applications on Mac computers. Plus, it does not need a Windows license in order for it to run. However, like many virtual loaders, this application may not be able to run all types of Windows programs. The best way to go about this is to check first before making an attempt.
6. Wine/Wine Bottler
A lot of Mac users consider Wine or Wine Bottler as one of the best software to run .exe or Windows –based programs on Mac computers. First of all, it’s for free so there’s no reason why you wouldn’t use it in the first place. Then, Wine Bottler can even convert Windows applications into Mac applications. The only downside is that not all Windows apps can be converted especially the new ones as the developer takes some time to add support for them.
Emulate Exe On Mac Iso
5. Parallels Desktop
This is software which you can use to run .exe files on Mac computers. Parallels Desktop requires that you have a Mac computer with an Intel processor to be able to run the application. However, in order to use this, you will also need to have Windows installed in your hard drive. The good thing is you can keep your Mac and Windows separate from one another.
4. Fusion
Fusion is an application that was developed by VMWare and is for Mac users that have an Intel processor. This is like an alternative to Parallels Desktop and the company is already recognized as one that creates various virtual Windows environments which enables users to run many types of versions of Windows on the same computer.
3. Homebrew
Hombrew calls itself the “missing package manager for OS X”, in which its purpose like many in this list is to run Windows-based applications or .exe files, rather.
2. Bochs x86 PC Emulator
This is a portable package that allows you to run .exe or Windows, Linus and other types of operating systems for your Mac computer. Plus, it is for free and quite easy to use.
Emulate Exe On Mac
1. Guest PC
Emulate Exe On Mac Desktop
Similar to Bochs, Guest PC is an x86 emulator that runs Windows inside your Mac. Simply think of it as having another computer within your computer that does not require a separate CPU, monitor or keyboard. Even better, you can switch between Mac and Windows anytime you want with ease.