Windows Emulation Software For Mac

Windows Emulation Software For Mac

No matter how much you love your Mac, there are times when we all need to occasionally run Windows. And to do that, you have a couple of choices. You can keep a Windows PC handy for the occasions when you need to access Windows. Or you can run Windows on your Mac using a tool, like BootCamp. 
Free Windows Emulator For Mac
Windows Emulation Software For Mac Installer
Windows Emulation Software For Mac High Sierra
Seamless Use Windows side-by-side with macOS (no restarting required) on your MacBook ®, MacBook Pro, iMac ®, iMac Pro, Mac mini ® or Mac Pro ®.Share files and folders, copy and paste images and text & drag and drop files between Mac and Windows applications. Easy Set-Up Parallels Desktop automatically detects what you need to get started so you are up and going. Bootcamp is a Mac native utility app which allow you to install Windows on your Mac computer. It creates partition for Windows OS and add Mac support software. So you can use your MacBook brightness, trackpad functions on Windows. But you need Windows installation DVD or ISO file. VMware Fusion is yet another best Windows Emulator for Mac. It is a safe, dependable and smooth-running Windows Emulator for Mac. Unlike other Windows Emulators, VMware Fusion lets you run only Windows desktop or separate Windows application in macOS.
Some people need Windows for gaming or they need a specific professional app that is old and runs only on PC. Thanks to some neat software tools, you can run Windows on your Mac and there are several different options for doing it. We'll cover the best of them here.
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What is a Windows emulator?The term emulation goes back to the days before the Mac started using Intel processors. In those days, because of the Mac's PowerPC hardware, running Windows was much more complicated than it is now. Software had to emulate the Intel hardware in a PC in order to install the software.
Now that the Mac is based on Intel hardware (at least until the whole range moves to Apple Silicon), it's much less of a challenge to run Windows. Software that allows you to install Windows is now more accurately referred to as virtualization software rather than emulation. But that's a technical distinction we don't need to worry about too much. For our purposes, emulation and virtualisation amount to the same thing.
Windows virtualization tools, or emulators will create a special partition on your drive. They need enough room for themselves, as well as space for the Windows installation and the Windows applications you want to use. Before you go down that road, free up some space with this tool — CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. It's a good junk cleaner that really focuses on storage. 
 1. Download the free edition and install CleanMyMac X if you don't already have it. 
2. From the menu on the left, choose Smart Scan. 
3. Press Scan. 
4. When it's finished, press Run to remove the files it has found and perform the task it has identified to speed up your Mac. Alternatively, press Review Details to examine what CleanMyMac X has found and choose what to remove.

Best Mac Windows emulatorsBoot CampIf you need a solution that doesn't cost anything other than the license for Windows, this is it. Every Intel Mac ships with Boot Camp which allows you to partition your startup disk and install Windows on the Boot Camp partition. 
Boot Camp's main advantage, other than cost, is speed. In Boot Camp, you don't run Windows on top of macOS, so it uses less RAM and fewer processor cycles than other solutions. However, you need to reboot your Mac every time you want to switch between Mac and Windows.
Reason to use: It's pre-installed on your Mac.
Parallels DesktopThis is one of the most popular ways to run Windows on a Mac. And like the other tools here, you can install not just Windows, but almost any OS you like. Its main benefit is that it is easy to set up and use and allows you to easily share files and hardware resources like a printer between Mac and Windows.
Parallels is updated every year and the current update runs on Big Sur, even though Apple has made lots of changes under the hood on Big Sur to support Apple Silicon-based Macs. It's also available in several different versions which support different numbers of users.
Reason to use: Works fast, no need to reboot.
VMWare FusionVMWare Fusion doesn't get updated as often as Parallels Desktop. However, it shares many of its features. You can run it full-screen, so that your Mac looks like a Windows PC. Or you can run it in a window, so that the whole Windows interface runs like a Mac app. The third option, which Parallels Desktop also shares, allows you to run individual Windows apps alongside Mac apps, while keeping Windows itself hidden. 
The latest version of Fusion supports Dark Mode and Sidecar, as well as the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar.
Reason to use: You can run more types of operating systems other than Windows.
Virtual BoxVirtual Box is an open source tool. That means it's free to use for individuals, but it also means that it's much less polished than either Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion. You also don't get the kind of support or help during set-up that you do with those apps.
If you're comfortable setting it up yourself and don't need help, and you're not bothered about features like Sidecar support or other extras, then Virtual Box could be a good choice for you.
Reason to use: It's free.
WineThe first thing to say about Wine is that if you're running macOS Catalina or later, forget about it. The official version of Wine won't run on Catalina as it's not a 64-bit app. There are unofficial ‘forks' of Wine that allow you to run 64-bit Windows apps on Catalina and later, but nothing official.
The second thing to say is that Wine is an acronym for ‘Wine is not an emulator'. So why include it here? Because it does much the same thing as an emulator. It allows you to run Windows apps on your Mac. However, it doesn't run Windows itself, so you don't need a Windows license to use it or install Windows on it. Like Virtual Box, Wine is open source and free to download and use. But you'll need to do your own research to find any help or support you need.
Reasons to use: When you need a particular Windows app.
Crossover for MacCrossOver is a version, or fork, of Wine made by CodeWeavers. It's not free, but it has been tested to ensure compatibility with a wide range of Windows apps. There is also a version available that comes with telephone support.
Reasons to use: Supports Many popular apps and games.
There are lots of different options for running Windows applications on your Mac, from Boot Camp, which almost turns your Mac into a PC, to Wine which doesn't even need a copy of Windows. 
Running Windows apps eats up a lot of memory. So when your Mac slows down (which it will eventually), use this tool in CleanMyMac X to speed it up.
The best solution for you depends on how much money you want to spend and how confident you are in setting up and running emulation or virtualization software. Whichever tool you choose, you should give your Mac a clean up first, to make plenty of room for Windows and the applications you want to use. 
Arnold 1.7.9
Amstrad CPC/CPC+ Emulator
Arnold is an extremely precise Amstrad CPC/CPC+ emulator, which can runjust about all software available for what was without question the besthome computer available in Europe in the 1980s.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Apple flash drive. Download File Size: 726 Kb
Atari800MacX 5.0.1

This is the the Macintosh OSX Port of David Firth'sFantastic Atari 800 Emulator. Ported is the SDL version of theAtrari800 emulator to Mac OSX, and added a full native Cocoa interface,including Preferences, Menus, File Associations, Help and more.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Mark Grebe
Modification Date: January 19, 2019
Requirements: macOS 10.12 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 21.8 MB
Basilisk II 1.0 (2019-09-08)
Basilisk II is an open source emulator of 68xxx-based Macintoshcomputers for Windows, OS X and Linux. With Basilisk II, one can bootMac OS versions 7.x through 8.1. Ports of Basilisk II are available forMac OS X, Windows, Linux and a number of lesser known systems. Usersrequire a Macintosh ROM image and a copy of Mac OS to use with theemulator.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Christian Bauer et al
Modification Date: May 4, 2019
Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 1.4 MB
Boycott Advance 0.4.1
Boycott Advance can run the majority of existing Gameboy Advancesoftware to some degree. High quality sound emulation is supported, withmany games sounding as good, if not better, than they do on the realhardware. Having said that, Boycott Advance is not a substitute for thereal hardware. If you want to play Gameboy Advance games, then buy areal Gameboy Advance. A number of hardware devices exist for backing uporiginal Gameboy Advance titles for use on Boycott Advance. Theseinclude the Flash Advance Linker and the XGFlash.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 465 Kb
BSNES 0.6.9
BSNES has a somewhat different purpose to most emulators; it focuses onaccuracy over performance. To that end, it does not include any gamespecific hacks, or idle-loop skipping optimizations commonly found inother emulators. To add to the fun, it uses a cycle accurate hardwareemulation. The net result of all this is the highest system requirementsof any software I've released to date; those without a G5 class machineneed not apply. If you meet the requirements, however, this is the mostaccurate SNES emulation available on the Macintosh platform.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 9, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 1.6 MB
DeSmuME 0.9.11
Nintendo DS Emulator.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: DeSmuME Team
Modification Date: April 7, 2015
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 1.5 MB Website graphics software.
Dolphin 5.0
Dolphin is an emulator for two recent Nintendo video game consoles: theGameCube and the Wii. It allows PC gamers to enjoy games for these twoconsoles in full HD (1080p) with several enhancements: compatibilitywith all PC controllers, turbo speed, networked multiplayer, and evenmore!
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Dolphin Team
Modification Date: Current
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher - 64-bit - The Development versions are the better choice with macOS 10.13 and higher
Download File Size: ~17 MB - Development versions are released every time a developer makes a change to Dolphin, several times every day!
DOSBox 0.74-3
A port of DOSBox, an engine for playing classic and forgotten games for DOS on modern systems.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: DOSBox Team
Modification Date: June 27, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 4.2 MB
Emulator Enhancer 3.0.1
The Emulator Enhancer plugin adds a number of additional features tomany of the emulators available from this site (bannister.org). Theseinclude:
USB Gamepad and Joystick support
Aspect ratio correction
Bilinear Filtering
Full screen mode
Network game play (preliminary)
Screen Curvature
VBL Synchronised Video
Full instructions on how to use the library can be found in the download package.
License: Shareware, $30
Developer/Publisher: Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 30, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 589 Kb
Erockus Arcade 6.8
Erockus ARCADE is an interface app for SDLMAME. 
Erockus ARCADE does not actually play games.
Erockus Arcade is designed to simplify the use of SDLMAME.
Erockus ARCADE is not supported nor endorsed by the people behind SDLMAME.
Erockus ARCADE may not work with all versions of SDLMAME.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Eric Richards
Modification Date: September 25, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 7.9 MB
Frodo 4.4.1
Frodo is a robust Commodore 64 Emulator for the Macintosh.
Frodo was developed to reproduce the graphics of games and demos withhigher precision than the existing C64 emulators. To that end, Frodo candisplay raster effects correctly that only result in a flickering messwith other emulators. In addition to the precise VIC emulation, Frodofeatures a processor-level 1541 emulation that is able to handle about50% of all fast loaders. There is also a faster 1541 emulation for fourdrives containing .D64, .X64, .T64, or .LYNX files. Sound (SID)emulation is also provided.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 1.4 MB
Genesis Plus 1.3.2
Genesis Plus is a Sega Genesis/Megadrive emulator for Mac OS X.
Genesis Plus features very accurate emulation of the original SegaGenesis, even to the point that some software which has problems on thereal hardware exhibits the same behaviour under emulation. Thisemulation comes with accurate sound support, saved states, and savedgame support.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 517 Kb
Jum52 1.1.1
Atari 5200 Emulator
Jum52 supports reasonable compatibility with Atari 5200 titles. At thepresent collision detection is a bit hit and miss (no pun intended) butotherwise the emulator is solid enough. High quality sound emulation isprovided.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 391 Kb
KiGB 2.0.6
KiGB is a Nintendo Gameboy emulator for Mac OS X.
KiGB features detailed and accurate emulation, which brings with itexcellent compatibility. Support for both Game Genie and Game Sharkcodes is included, as well as extremely high fidelity sound support.KiGB can even emulate the Super Gameboy.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 668 Kb
Mini vMac 36.04
Mini vMac is an open source emulator of 68000 based Macintosh computers.The project's main goal being an accurate emulation of the MacintoshPlus computer. In addition to the Macintosh Plus, variations of MinivMac can emulation the Macintosh 128K, 512K, 512Ke, SE and Classicmodels.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Paul C. Pratt
Modification Date: October 7, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.7 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 59emu Kb
Mugrat 0.4.5
For many years now I have been porting emulators by others to MacOS. Mugrat marks my first attempt at writing one of my own, in this caseto emulate the Colecovision.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 30, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 409 Kb
Mupen64Plus 2.5.9
Mupen64Plus is a cross-platform plugin-based N64 emulator which iscapable of accurately playing many games. N64 emulator and plugins forLinux, Mac OSX, FreeBSD, and Windows
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Mupen64Plus Team
Modification Date: February 10, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.8 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 2.7 MB
Nestopia 1.4.2
Nestopia is a Nintendo NES emulator for Mac OS X.
Nestopia is by far the most compatible of any NES emulator for Mac OS X.Using cycle-exact emulation, it is able to run titles that rely onprecise timing, and which therefore break under other emulators. Itsupports five extra sound chips and an astonishing 143 mappers. Thisaccurate emulation comes at a cost; Nestopia requires an 800MHz machinefor full speed; but if you have one, this is the best available NESemulation for Mac.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 1.1 MB
OpenEmu 2.2.1
Retro video game emulation for macOS.
For the first time, the 'It just works' philosophy now extends to opensource video game emulation on the Mac. With OpenEmu, it is extremelyeasy to add, browse, organize and with a compatible gamepad, play thosefavorite games (ROMs) you already own.
This one does it all and in a well done interface. Nintendo, SuperNintendo, Nintendo 64, PlayStaion, Sega Genesis, Atari 2600, Game Boy, PSP etc.and more.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: OpenEmu Team
Modification Date: January 25, 2020
Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 43 MB - The experimental version supports MAME
Rainbow 1.5.8
Atari 800 Series Emulator
Rainbow was one of the first emulators available for Macintosh. Despitethis, it has fairly good compatibility with original software. The MacOS X version adds an improved GUI and significantly improved sound tothe original version.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 469 Kb
ScummVM 2.1
ScummVM is not an emulator.
ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphicalpoint-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their datafiles. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executablesshipped with the game, allowing you to play them on systems for whichthey were never designed!
ScummVM lets you run these adventures: Adventure Soft's Simon theSorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 andBroken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit theEarth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM(Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system. SCUMM is used formany games, including Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Maxand more. Compatibility with supported games is continually improving,so check back often.
Among the systems on which you can play those games are Windows, Linux,Mac OS X, Dreamcast, PocketPC, PalmOS, AmigaOS, BeOS, OS/2, PSP, PS2,SymbianOS/EPOC and many more..
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: The ScummVM Team
Modification Date: January 15, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.7 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 24.5 MB
SDLMAME 0.214
Command line Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. 
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: @roni
Modification Date: September 25, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 101.1 MB - SDL Mame 0.214
Download File Size: 5.6 Kb - SDL Runtime Library 2.0.10
Download File Size: 542 Kb - M64 - Application to run SDL MAME without launching the terminal
SheepShaver 2.5 (2019-09-08)
SheepShaver is an Open Source PowerPC MacOS run-time environment. Thatis, it enables you to run PowerPC Classic MacOS software on yourcomputer, even if you are using a different operating system. However,you still need a copy of MacOS and a PowerMacintosh ROM image to usethis program. SheepShaver is distributed under the terms of the GNUGeneral Public License (GPL). If you are using a PowerPC-based system,applications will run at native speeds (i.e. without any emulationinvolved). On other systems, SheepShaver provides the first PowerPC G4emulator, though without MMU, to enable the execution of MacOS Classic.Performance with the current CPU emulator using basic just-in-time (JIT)translation techniques is roughly 1/8-th of native speeds.
FeaturesFree Windows Emulator For Mac
- SheepShaver runs MacOS 7.5.2 thru MacOS 9.0.4
- PowerPC G4 emulation on non-PowerPC platforms, direct execution otherwise
- Basic but portable JIT engine (x86, x86_64, mips)Windows Emulation Software For Mac Installer
- Copy and paste of text between MacOS and the host OS
- File exchange with the host OS via a Unix icon on the Mac desktop
- Color video display with support for run-time resolution switching
- Run-time depth switching from 1 bpp to current host depth settings
- Native QuickDraw 2D acceleration for BitBlt and FillRect operations
- CD-quality stereo sound output
- Networking: SheepShaver supports Internet and LAN networking via Ethernet and PPP with all Open Transport compatible MacOS applications
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Gwenole Beauchesne
Modification Date: September 8, 2019
Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit - If you have an existing SheepShaver setup, you can simply replace the application with the new application
Download File Size: 1.4 MB
SMS Plus 1.3.4
SMS Plus is a Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear emulator for Mac OSX.
The hardware for the Sega Master System and Game Gear consoles is almostidentical from a technical standpoint, which means that when you emulateone, it is trivial to emulate the other. SMS Plus features accurateemulation of both systems, with full sound support. Just like most ofthe other emulators on this site, it can use GZ compressed ROMstransparently.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Ported by Richard Bannister
Modification Date: March 10, 2018
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 551 Kb
sixtyforce 2.0b1
sixtyforce is an emulator that runs Nintendo 64 games. It does this bydynamically translating the code that a Nintendo 64 uses into somethingyour Mac understands. Nearly every part of a Nintendo 64 has beenpainstakingly recreated entirely out of software to pull off such anamazing feat. Download sixtyforce and try it yourself!
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Gerrit Goossen
Modification Date: October 10, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 8 MB
Stella 6.0.2
The Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS), introduced in 1977, was themost popular home video game system of the early 1980's. Now you canenjoy all of your favorite Atari 2600 games on your PC thanks to Stella!
Stella is a multi-platform Atari 2600 VCS emulator released under theGNU General Public License (GPL). Stella was originally developed forLinux by Bradford W. Mott, however, since its original release severalpeople have joined the development team to port Stella to otheroperating systems such as AcornOS, AmigaOS, DOS, FreeBSD, IRIX, Linux,OS/2, MacOS, Unix, and Windows. The development team is working hard toperfect the emulator and we hope you enjoy our effort.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Stella Team
Modification Date: October 11, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.7 or higher - 64-bit
Windows Emulation Software For Mac High SierraDownload File Size: 3.6 MB
VICE 3.1
VICE is a program that runs on a Unix, MS-DOS, Win32, OS/2, BeOS, QNX4.x, QNX 6.x, Amiga, Syllable or Mac OS X machine and executes programsintended for the old 8-bit computers. The current version emulates theC64, the C64DTV, the C128, the VIC20, practically all PET models, thePLUS4 and the CBM-II (aka C610/C510). An extra emulator is provided forC64 expanded with the CMD SuperCPU.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: The VICE Team
Modification Date: March 30, 2017
Requirements: macOS 10.12 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 86.5 MB
VirtualC64 3.3.2
VirtualC64 emulates a Commodore 64 personal computer on your Macintosh.I started the project in 2006 to create a virtual CPU environment thatcan be used as a demonstrator program in a first or second year ofcomputer technology. Over the years I have added more and more featuresand the accuracy of the emulation has steadily increased. Despite one ortwo compatibility gaps, VirtualC64 is now able to run a large number ofC64 programs without errors.
License: Freeware
Developer/Publisher: Dirk Hoffmann
Modification Date: May 25, 2019
Requirements: macOS 10.13 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 12.5
Virtual ][ 9.2
Virtual ][ is a program that emulates the vintage Apple ][ computer onyour Macintosh.
Key features:
Emulates the Apple ][, ][+ and //e
Supports USB game pad or joystick
Save a machine and resume later on
Full-screen mode
Epson FX-80 emulation
Realistic soundeffects
Virtual ][ lets you play all the old Apple games, because it supportsall graphics modes, lets you control the game paddles with a USB gamepad or mouse and emulates the internal speaker. When you want totemporarily interrupt gameplay, Virtual ][ allows you to save theentire virtual machine, and continue later on from where you left off.
But Virtual ][ also supports more 'serious' software, because itemulates many peripheral devices: floppy disk, hard disk, mouse, matrixprinter, even cassette tape! It is also able to emulate the Z80Aprocessor, allowing you to run the CP/M operatng system.
License: Shareware, $44
Developer/Publisher: Gerard Putter
Modification Date: September 8, 2019
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit
Download File Size: 38.2 MB