Does Windows 11 Home work with parallels 26

Pat Anderson 20 Reputation points
2026-06-17T20:38:18.91+00:00

I have a new Mac air M5 (2026). On my old MacBook Pro I was running windows 10 inside parallels. I went to install Windows 11 on my new Mac air and it automatically installed win 11 PRO inside parallels. I prefer Win 11 HOME. I bought Home with license key but I cannot get Windows Home to work even after I deleted the 11 Pro vm. I really need some help.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update
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  1. Marcin Policht 107K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-06-17T21:21:08.1+00:00

    In short - this is not officially supported. For a workaround, refer to

    https://forum.parallels.com/threads/is-windows-11-pro-required-when-using-windows-in-parallels-18-on-m1-m2-macs.359786/

    be advised that Windows Home Edition isn't officially supported by Microsoft to run on M-Series Mac computers, while Windows 11 Pro Edition is. You can run Windows 11 Home Edition at your own risk, you will not be eligible for support from Microsoft should you have any problems with your Windows installation. If you acknowledge and accept the risks, you can perform the steps below to create such a virtual machine: 1. Download Windows 11 24H2 ISO from Microsoft: Windows 11 Arm on M-chip Macbooks - www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11arm64 2. Once downloading of the image is completed, terminate the installation and delete your virtual machine from Control Center (right-click the virtual machine name > Remove). 3. Run Parallels Desktop, then click on the Parallels icon in the Mac menu bar > Control Center > + > 'Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image file' > select the image > Continue > in the dropdown menu select Windows Home Edition > follow on-screen instructions.


    If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

    hth

    Marcin

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