If you're looking to install Windows on your Mac, Boot Camp is the best way to go. Whether it's for a great gaming experience or you just want to try out Windows 10 on Apple's svelte hardware, here's how to get it all set up.

1. Apple Boot Camp Support Software For Mac
2. Mac Image To Boot Camp Download
3. Mac Boot Camp Switch

In order to install Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp, you need a disc image (referred to as an ISO). If you have your Windows install media you can make your own disc image from your install media. Insert your Windows DVD or USB installation media. Feb 01, 2019  Most Mac computers can run Windows 10 in a dual boot environment with the help of a utility called Boot Camp. This means that when the Mac starts up or reboots, you can choose between booting into Mac OS or booting into Windows on the same computer.

What you'll need before you install Windows 10 on your Mac

Before starting anything else, be sure you have a Mac that supports Windows 10. Straight from Apple, these are the compatible models:

• MacBook Pro (2012 and later)
• MacBook Air (2012 and later)
• MacBook (2015 and later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• iMac (2012 and later)*
• Mac mini (2012 and later)
• Mac mini Server (Late 2012)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)

If you own an iMac with 3TB or more, check out this Apple Support document for more information on installing Windows 10 on your machine through Boot Camp.

Do you have a Mac that can run Windows 10? Good! Make sure you have at least 64GB of free space on your hard drive for the Windows installation. During the installation process, you can set the Windows partition to whatever size you want, as long as the drive has enough storage.

Finally, update your Mac's OS to ensure there are no compatibility problems. You'll also want to perform a backup of your Mac in the (rare) case that something goes wrong.

How to download the Windows 10 ISO file

To start, we need to grab a Windows 10 ISO file from the Microsoft website. You can download it straight to your internal hard drive.

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Windows 10 ISO download page.
2. Click the dropdown menu below Select edition.

3. Click Windows 10 in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update section. You can download the Creators Update through Windows once it is installed.

4. Click Confirm.

5. Click the dropdown menu below Select the product language.

6. Click your language of choice.

7. Click Confirm.

8. Click 64-bit Download.

9. Click Save. The ISO file will now be downloaded.

Once the file has finished downloading, continue on to the next set of steps.

How to install Windows 10 with Boot Camp

Once you've downloaded a Windows 10 ISO, you can complete the following steps.

1. Launch Boot Camp Assistant from the Utilities folder in Applications.

2. Click Continue. Boot Camp should automatically locate the ISO file on your system.

3. Click and drag the slider in the partition section. It will be set to 48GB by default, but you can add as much storage as you want within the limits of the drive.

4. Click Install. Windows support software will now be downloaded.

5. Type your password.

6. Click OK. Your Mac will restart and you will see the Windows 10 setup screen.

7. Choose your language.
8. Click Install Now.
9. Type your product key or click I don't have a key. You can enter it after the installation.
10. Click either Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Pro based on your preference.
11. Click Next.
12. Click Custom: Install Windows Only.
13. Click Drive 0 Partition X: BOOTCAMP. Do not choose anything else.
14. Click Next. Windows 10 will now be installed. Your Mac will restart several times during the process.
15. Click Use Express Settings or Customize Your Installation when the Windows 10 setup screen appears. In this case, we use express settings, as all can be changed after the installation.
16. Type a username. You can also add a password.
17. Click Next.
18. Choose to use or not to use Cortana.

Windows 10 will now boot fully, and you'll be able to use Windows normally.

How to install Boot Camp software on your Windows 10 partition

When Windows 10 loads for the first time on your Mac, a Boot Camp software installer will automatically pop up.

1. Click Install.
2. Click I accept the terms in the license agreement.
3. Click Install.
4. Click Finish when the installation is complete.

This is an important process, as it installs a bunch of drivers and software that will help make your Windows 10 experience as good as possible on your Mac.

How to return to macOS from Windows 10

One of the best parts of Boot Camp is how easy it is to switch back and forth between operating systems.

1. Click the Show hidden icons button in the Windows 10 taskbar.
2. Click the Boot Camp button.

3. Click Restart in OS X.

Your Mac will now restart, and you'll be brought right back to macOS. To get back to Windows 10, and indeed another way to switch from Windows 10 to macOS, is to restart your Mac and hold down the Option key on your keyboard until a boot menu appears. From here, you can choose which OS to load.

Updating Windows 10 and more

Now that you have Windows 10 installed on your Mac, you can update it to the Creators Update.

The easiest way to do so is to use Windows Update.

Apple Boot Camp Support Software For Mac

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click the Settings button. It looks like a gear.

3. Click Update & security.

4. Click Check for updates.

The Creators Update should begin downloading and will install. Follow the steps on screen, and you'll be up to date in no time.

Looking for more Windows 10 Creators Update help? Check out the ultimate guide over on Windows Central.

Updated March 22, 2019: Updated for macOS Mojave.

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A story about me, two Apple Watches, and five lost years

So I bought another Apple Watch. Here’s the story!

With a growing number of companies allowing employees to “BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device), more and more people are buying Macs. Some of those same companies require their employees to also be able to run Windows on their Macs. There are virtual machines that can run on Macs such as Parallels Desktop, but in my experience none run quite like “real” PCs, even on fast Macs. Fortunately, Apple has long supported a way of running Windows in a partition on a Mac, creating a dual-boot computer that can run both Mac OS X and Windows. In this Tech Tip, I’ll show you how to install Windows 10 on a Mac using Boot Camp.

Remember, you might not need to install Windows on your Mac in order to run compatible applications. Microsoft Office was often cited as an excuse why companies needed to have employees use Windows, and the newest Mac versions are surprisingly similar to those on Windows. However, if you need apps such as Microsoft Access or proprietary apps that don’t have Mac equivalents, Boot Camp is the most compatible and speedy way to run those apps.

What You’ll Need

• A valid license for Windows 10
• A 32GB USB flash drive (if you’re installing Windows on a multi-drive Mac)
• A Mac with space for a Windows partition that fits Apple’s requirements to run Windows 10 (check the list at the bottom of this page for a complete list of compatible Macs) or a second drive.

Making an install USB disk for a multi-drive Mac
Heeding Apple’s advice, I used Boot Camp Assistant on a Mac running OS X El Capitan to create a USB flash drive Windows Installer disk. To do this, I first downloaded a Windows 10 ISO disk image from this Microsoft web page into the Download folder. Boot Camp Assistant can be found in the Applications > Utilities folder. Once launched, the app displays a screen with three options:

Next, I launched Boot Camp Assistant, checked the first two options — “Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk” and “Download the latest Windows support software from Apple”, then clicked Continue. The next screen (see screenshot below) has you select the location of the Windows ISO image and the USB flash drive as the destination to create a bootable USB drive for Windows installation, and then click continue. The process of moving the Windows files from the ISO image file to the USB drive and downloading the necessary support files and saving them to the installer drive can take a while.

Creating a bootable installation USB drive using Boot Camp Assistant

Installing Windows on a Single-Drive Mac
If you’re installing Windows on a Mac with a single drive, things are much easier. Just download the ISO image, launch Boot Camp Assistant, and you’re greeted with the following window:

Select the location of the ISO image (probably in the Downloads folder), choose a partition size for Windows by moving the slider between OS X and Windows left or right, and click the Install button. You may still be asked to download the Windows support software from Apple on another screen before the installation proceeds.

Installing Windows 10 from Boot Camp Assistant
Once the bootable installation USB drive has been created for a multi-drive Mac, quit Boot Camp Assistant, then launch it again. This time, check the last box — “Install or remove Windows 7 or later version” — then click Next. Note that you should not need to perform this task on a single-drive Mac.

Your Mac restarts, and you’ll see a very DOS-like message telling you that the machine has booted from the Boot Camp-created USB drive if that’s what you’re using. Soon the screen will turn purple, and show a message that says “Setup is starting”. Select the language, time and currency format, and keyboard type, then click Next.

You’ll be asked to activate Windows (see image below). With your licensed copy of Windows you’ll have a card or sticker with a 25-character product key code. Type it in, then click Next.

Enter the product key to activate Windows

A screen appears asking what operating system you wish to install (see image below). In my case, it was the 64-bit (x64) version of Windows 10 Home that I had purchased, so I selected it and clicked Next. You’ll need to accept the license terms by checking a box on the next screen, and then you can click Next one more time.

The next window asks where you wish to install Windows, and shows a list of drives and partitions. Boot Camp will have created a partition that is labeled BOOTCAMP. Select it, and then click the Format button below the list. This formats the drive in the Windows NTFS format, making it ready for the Windows installation. Finally, click Next one more time. Note that these steps may be bypassed when installing Windows into a partition on a single-drive Mac.

Selecting the BOOTCAMP partition in which to install Windows 10

This begins the installation of Windows, copying files, installing features and updates, and then finishing up. As with the creation of the bootable USB drive, this can take a while. Eventually your Mac will reboot into Windows 10, showing that it is “Getting devices ready”, then rebooting again. At this point, your Mac is a Windows PC, and will go through the process of setting itself up to use the Cortana intelligent assistant, asking you your name and password, and so on. Finally, Boot Camp runs itself on the Windows PC (see image below). Just click Next, accept the terms of the Apple license agreement, then click Next one more time.

Mac Image To Boot Camp Download

If you have any other third-party devices to install, be sure to download and install the necessary Windows drivers for those after Windows is up and running on your Mac. You’ll also want to make sure that Windows Defender is set up, that you check for and install recent Windows updates, and install any apps you’re going to use on your Windows device.

Switching Between Mac and Windows
Once everything is up and running, it’s a quick process to switch between your “two computers”. When your computer is running OS X and you wish to run Windows, just restart while holding down the Option key (Alt key on a Windows keyboard). After a few seconds, the available boot drives appear. In my case, there was one for El Capitan, one for Windows, and the OS X Recovery Partition. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Windows drive, press Return/Enter, and the Mac boots into Windows.

Likewise, if you’re running Windows and want to get back to the sanity of OS X, choose Restart from the Apple menu, and hold down the Option/Alt key on the keyboard. Select the OS X drive and press Return or Enter on the keyboard, and OS X is loaded.

How long does it take to switch from OS X to Windows 10? I timed it on a Late 2012 Mac mini Server, from selecting Restart to time I first saw the Windows login screen, and it took 1 minute and 39 seconds. Going from Windows 10 back to OS X? Just 58 seconds.

If you absolutely need to have Windows and OS X running simultaneously so that you can cut and paste between the operating systems, then I highly recommend one of the virtual machine environments described at the beginning of this post.

Mac Boot Camp Switch

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