How to Install Windows 10 on a Mac

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A complete step-by-step guide for installing Windows 10 on your Mac
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This wikiHow teaches you how to install Windows 10 on your Mac using Boot Camp. Before you can install Windows 10 on your Mac, you must first download the Windows 10 installation file from Microsoft's website.

How to Download Windows 10 on Your Mac

  1. Make sure your Mac is updated to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or later.
  2. Go to the Microsoft installer page and select the edition of Windows 10 you’d like to download.
  3. Select your preferred language and click 64-bit download to begin downloading the Windows 10 ISO file.
  4. Open Finder, click the Go menu item in the upper left-hand corner, and find the Boot Camp Assistant icon. It looks like a grey hard drive.
  5. Double-click the icon, click continue when prompted, then click choose.
  6. Select and open your Windows 10 ISO file.
  7. Insert an 8gb or higher sized flash drive and click install.
Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Downloading the Installation File

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  1. To do so, click the Apple menu
    Mac Apple
    , then click About This Mac . Your Mac must meet the following requirements:
    • OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and later
    • One of the following Mac models:
      • MacBook Pro (2012 and up)
      • MacBook Air (2012 and up)
      • MacBook (2015 and up)
      • iMac (2012 and up)
      • Mac Mini (2012 and up)
  2. Enter https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 in your preferred browser. Make sure you perform this process on your Mac so that you receive the correct files when downloading. It will look like:
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  3. Scroll down, click the Select edition drop-down box, click a Windows 10 version, and then click Confirm .
    • If you don't know which version to select, just click Windows 10 .
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  1. Click the Choose one drop-down box, click your preferred language, and click Confirm .
  2. It's in the middle of the page. Doing so will prompt the Windows 10 ISO file to download to your Mac; once it finishes, you can proceed with installing Windows 10.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Configuring Boot Camp

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  1. It's the blue, face-shaped icon in the Dock.
  2. This option is on the left side of the menu bar that's at the top of your Mac's screen.
  3. It's in the Go drop-down menu.
  4. This icon looks like a grey hard drive.
  5. It's in the bottom-right corner of the Boot Camp Assistant window.
  6. This option is in the upper-right side of the window.
  7. Click it in the pop-up window to select it. You may have to navigate to the file's location (e.g., Downloads ) first.
  8. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will select the ISO file as the Windows 10 installation.
  9. it must be at least 8GB in size, so that bootcamp can install windows on that drive for use on current the Mac. if you do not insert a USB flash drive, you will see the message to insert one..'
  10. Click and drag the Windows 10 partition icon, which is on the right side of the window, left to increase the amount of hard drive space or right to decrease the hard drive space.
    • If you're satisfied with the amount of space reserved for Windows 10 and your Mac's default operating system, skip this step.
  11. Just re-do this section of steps until it gives you the results we are expecting.
  12. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will begin installing Windows 10 support software.
  13. This will reboot your Mac into the Windows 10 installation process.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Setting Up Windows 10

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  1. You'll select this information from the drop-down boxes in the middle of the window.
  2. If you don't have a product key, just click I don't have a product key .
  3. You can usually select Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro .
  4. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window.
  5. The installation process will resume; once it completes, your Mac will reboot into the Windows 10 setup window.
  6. You can click either Customize or Use Express settings .
    • Customize will allow you to go through and enable or disable specific features of Windows 10's personalization.
    • Use Express settings automatically enables all personalization features for Windows 10. You can disable these later if you like.
  7. Depending on your selected setup option, this process will vary.
  8. This entails adding a name for the primary user, as well as adding a password if you like.
  9. Cortana is Windows 10's version of Siri; you can click Use Cortana to set up your Cortana preferences, or click Not now to bypass the setup for now.
    • If you do decide to set up Cortana, you'll do so before proceeding to the next step.
  10. Once it does, the only thing left to do is finish installing the drivers needed to run Windows 10 on your Mac.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Installing Boot Camp Drivers

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  1. This button is in the bottom-right corner of the Boot Camp window.
  2. Do so begins the drivers' installation process.
  3. This setup process installs drivers to help Windows 10 work with your Mac's hardware (e.g., the touch bar on newer Macs), so you may see several pop-up windows with different drivers to install.
  4. It's at the bottom of the window. This will restart your computer, thereby completing the installation process. You have successfully installed Windows 10 on your Mac.
    • To switch between macOS and Windows 10, restart your computer and hold down the ⌥ Option key, then select your preferred operating system from the Startup Manager.
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    Can I switch back to macOS?
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    Community Answer
    Yes. To switch between macOS and Windows 10, restart your computer and hold down the Option key, then select your preferred operating system from the Startup Manager.
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      Tips

      • The Windows 10 Pro version is built around features that advanced users will benefit from. Unless you have extensive experience with Windows, you can probably get by with the Windows 10 Home version.
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      • Back up the Mac device to an external hard drive to prevent data loss.
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      • If your current USB flash drive has data, back up that drive as well. The bootcamp program will wipe all data off that flash drive.
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      Warnings

      • If your Mac only barely meets the minimum requirements to host Windows 10, consider upgrading to a newer Mac first. Maybe think about getting a Windows 10 computer as well.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 .
      2. Download the Windows install file.
      3. Install and launch Boot Camp.
      4. Open the Windows ISO in Boot Camp.
      5. Insert a USB flash drive.
      6. Create a Windows 10 partition.
      7. Click Install .
      8. Follow the Windows installer instructions.

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