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How can I access Windows 11 on my new Intel MacBook?

I had my M1 MacBook stolen and now have an intel i7 MacBook I'm running the exact backup from the old one but i cannot access windows 11 as there is a compatibility issue how do i access the info??


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.6

Posted on Sep 1, 2024 9:12 AM

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Posted on Sep 1, 2024 11:34 AM

How did you recover your files to the new laptop - from what kind of backup? Not sure it matters, but might be useful to know


Basically, though...if you were running Windows 11 ARM in a Parallels VM in macOS on Apple Silicon, or something like that, and you recovered a backup of that onto an Intel computer, then you are now trying to run an ARM compatible guest OS on an Intel host...which cannot work.


You need to reinstall Windows 11 (Intel version) onto a new guest OS and transfer the Windows 11 license (might need MS support for that). As for then getting the data off your existing ARM image...you should be able to get into the virtual hard disk and move files...but you might need to consult the Parallels community or Parallels support for that. I have a sense of how to do that - but my tolerance for risk and data loss might be higher than yours and it's advice outside my comfort range for giving.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 1, 2024 11:34 AM in response to Cheeso21

How did you recover your files to the new laptop - from what kind of backup? Not sure it matters, but might be useful to know


Basically, though...if you were running Windows 11 ARM in a Parallels VM in macOS on Apple Silicon, or something like that, and you recovered a backup of that onto an Intel computer, then you are now trying to run an ARM compatible guest OS on an Intel host...which cannot work.


You need to reinstall Windows 11 (Intel version) onto a new guest OS and transfer the Windows 11 license (might need MS support for that). As for then getting the data off your existing ARM image...you should be able to get into the virtual hard disk and move files...but you might need to consult the Parallels community or Parallels support for that. I have a sense of how to do that - but my tolerance for risk and data loss might be higher than yours and it's advice outside my comfort range for giving.

How can I access Windows 11 on my new Intel MacBook?

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