They differ in the level of integration they make possible between your Mac and the emulated guest system running Windows, Linux, or an older version of macOS, but all three let you drag files between Windows and your Mac, and exchange data through the clipboard. All three also let you run Windows so that the full Windows desktop appears in either a window on your Mac or full-screen. All three let you run a Windows app in a window of its own on the Mac desktop so that the Windows app looks almost like a native Mac app. We reviewed the three full-featured virtualization apps for the Mac, two commercial, one open-source. This may change in the future, but at the moment that’s only a hope. If you have an Apple Silicon Mac, the only emulated systems you can use are the recent ARM-based versions of Windows and Linux. Keep in mind that most of these options are only available on Intel-based Macs. We have full tutorials on how to run old games on a modern PC and how to play retro video games. If you’re looking specifically to run old video games, virtualization software can help with that as well. Virtualization software also lets you run Linux or obsolete OSes on a modern machine. For example, if you have a 32-bit Mac app, you need to install a virtual copy of macOS Mojave or an earlier version in order to run your old software on a modern Mac. Virtualization software also lets you run apps that aren’t supported by your current OS. Virtualization software lets you use your powerful Windows apps while working in the ease and elegance of a Mac. The best icon editor on the market, Axialis IconWorkshop, exists only in a Windows version. The same applies to the best OCR app on the market, ABBYY FineReader. Microsoft Office, for example, is more powerful and flexible in its Windows version than its Mac version. Say you just bought a Mac and you want to run an app written for Windows because there is no Mac version of the app, or because the Mac version isn’t as powerful or convenient as the Windows version. Virtualization software lets you run apps written for an operating system that isn’t already running on your computer. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).

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