Windows 11 will not be compatible with any Intel Mac, much less M1

Microsoft introduced the week Windows 11 A bombo and a platillo. And the first question that came to mind is whether it can be installed on Macs, as with Windows 10. And when we start testing the first betas of that software, we already know the answer: officially not. Not in the Macs with an Intel processor, much less in the new Apple Silicon.

Perhaps it has been due to demands from Intel, which lately is trilling with Apple for the project (which is already a reality) Apple Silicon. And I say this because the relationships between Microsoft y Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), They are not bad. The last test we have seen in how Microsoft has hurried to recode its Office and launch a native version for the Apple M1 processor.

Microsoft unveiled Windows 11, the next major update to its operating system for PCs, on Thursday. While it comes with an updated design and even the ability to run emulated Android apps, not everyone will be able to install the new version. In fact, Windows 11 will not be compatible officially with no Mac based on Intel processors.

Windows is known to run on a multitude of different computers, but this year, Microsoft seems to have chosen to increase the hardware requirements to be able to run Windows 11. Once available, the update will require a 64-bit processor of 1 GHz or higher. fast, at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, a DirectX 12 compatible graphics card and support for TPM 2.0.

TPM 2.0 will bring tail

TPM, or Trusted Platform Module, is a chip integrated into the motherboard of a "modern" computer to ensure the integrity of the operating system security, similar to what Secure Enclave does on Macs. You can control cryptographic keys, DRM management, etc.

The problem is that not all computers have TPM 2.0 since it was introduced in 2014. And when it comes to a part-assembled desktop PC, there is a high probability that it does not have a TPM chip, although it can be added.

Windows 11 requires your computer to have this TPM 2.0 chip.

Because of this requirement, since no Mac has such a TPM chip, you probably won't be able to run Windows 11 on it, at least not officially, until someone pulls out a patch that it prevents Windows 11 from requiring said chip, or that it "emulates" that it carries it and the software believes that it does incorporate it and allow itself to be installed. It will be easy.

Apple has never offered support for the TPM 2.0 standard on Intel Macs, making them all incompatible with the latest version of Windows. If you run the tool published by Microsoft to check if your PC has the necessary hardware to run Windows 11, you will receive a message that says “this PC can't run windows 11«.

In theory, Apple could update the firmware of its Intel machines to enable TPM 2.0 support using the processor, but this seems unlikely as Apple is slowly discontinuing Intel Macs and even newer M1 Macs are not compatible with any version of Windows.

In other words, for those who want to run Windows 11 on a Mac, the only option, for now, is to use a virtual machine, as it will not work through Boot Camp. Windows 11 will arrive as a free update this fall. In the meantime, you can join the beta program of Windows Insider to test the new operating system now. On a PC, of ​​course.