Hi, over ten years ago we needed to buy a commercial version of Windows in order to run it natively on a MacBook Pro under Bootcamp. How about now? If I want to run Windows 10 natively under bootcamp and sometimes via Parallels, do I need to buy a commercial version of Windows 10? I tried the demo version of Parallels but it seems to come with Windows. I am a bit confused. Could current users please clarify? Thanks
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Do we need to buy Windows to install it natively via Bootcamp?
- Thread starter hajime
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You can use Windows now without ever purchasing a license.
However, you won't get full use of Windows, such as customizing how the screen background appears, without paying for Windows.
There may be some apps, and some uses that you may want, that need that license.
But, you can download the ISO to install Windows 10, if you like, and use that with Boot Camp, or with whatever virtual machine solution you want to try.
You can download that installer ISO directly from Microsoft. It's a free download. You don't need to register, and no payment is required just to download (and install) Windows 10. Here's the link to that ISO...
However, you won't get full use of Windows, such as customizing how the screen background appears, without paying for Windows.
There may be some apps, and some uses that you may want, that need that license.
But, you can download the ISO to install Windows 10, if you like, and use that with Boot Camp, or with whatever virtual machine solution you want to try.
You can download that installer ISO directly from Microsoft. It's a free download. You don't need to register, and no payment is required just to download (and install) Windows 10. Here's the link to that ISO...
If you already have a PC that came with a legitimate copy of Windows I believe you can transfer the license to a new machine and have it activated under a digital license. That's what I did and haven't had any issues. I forget exactly how I did it but I'm sure you can look it up. I also use Windows Insider builds on my Boot Camp partition, that may affect why I was able to activate the way I did.
Probably just a regular ISO from Microsoft's servers, the one you get from downloading it directly from their website.