When Apple moved from Intel to Apple Silicon, virtualization on the Mac changed almost overnight.

Back in 2020, the situation was confusing. Parallels was moving fast. VMware Fusion was still catching up. VirtualBox was basically absent on Apple Silicon. UTM and QEMU existed, but the experience was not always smooth. Boot Camp was gone. Running old x86 virtual machines suddenly became a much harder problem.

A few years later, the picture is much clearer.

Apple Silicon virtualization is no longer experimental. It is mature enough for daily work, testing, software development, security labs, Linux experiments, and even running Windows 11 — but only if you understand one important rule:

On Apple Silicon, ARM virtualization is the normal path. x86 virtualization is gone. x86 emulation exists, but it is not the same thing.

That one sentence explains most of the confusion.

Virtualization vs emulation: the key difference

On Intel Macs, you could run x86 Windows or x86 Linux virtual machines because the Mac itself used an x86 CPU. The guest OS and the host CPU spoke the same basic instruction set.

Apple Silicon Macs use ARM64 processors. That means ARM operating systems can be virtualized efficiently, but x86 operating systems cannot be virtualized in the old way.

So today we have two different categories:

TaskReality on Apple Silicon
Run Windows 11 ARMWorks well, especially in Parallels and VMware Fusion
Run ARM LinuxWorks well in Parallels, VMware Fusion, UTM, and VirtualBox
Run macOS ARM as a VMWorks, useful for testing and clean environments
Run old x86 LinuxPossible through emulation, slower
Run old x86 WindowsPossible in some tools, but usually slow and limited
Run old Windows gamesUsually not the best use case for a VM

This is not a Mac-specific problem. It is an architecture problem. Apple Silicon is fast, but it is not an Intel CPU.

The best option for most people: Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop is still the most polished virtualization solution on Apple Silicon.

If your goal is to run Windows 11 on a modern Mac, Parallels is usually the easiest answer. It can download and install Windows 11 ARM, integrates well with macOS, supports shared folders, clipboard integration, Coherence mode, and generally feels like a commercial product built for people who do not want to fight with VM settings all day.

Microsoft officially lists Parallels Desktop as an authorized solution for running ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise on Apple M-series Macs. That matters because the early Apple Silicon Windows story was full of uncertainty. Today, it is much more straightforward.

However, there are still limitations.

Windows 11 ARM is not identical to Windows 11 x64 on a normal PC. Many x86 and x64 apps run through Microsoft’s translation layer, but not everything works perfectly. Some drivers, low-level tools, anti-cheat systems, old hardware utilities, nested virtualization features, and certain games may fail or perform poorly.

Use Parallels if you want:

  • the smoothest Windows 11 ARM experience;
  • good macOS integration;
  • a simple install process;
  • a paid tool that mostly “just works”;
  • a practical Windows environment for Office, browsers, testing, and many developer tools.

Do not expect it to replace a dedicated Windows gaming PC or a machine needed for low-level Windows driver testing.

VMware Fusion Pro: the comeback option

VMware Fusion used to be one of the default virtualization tools on Intel Macs. During the Apple Silicon transition, it felt like VMware was behind Parallels for a while.

That has changed.

VMware Fusion Pro now supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon Macs and has become a serious option again. The biggest change is licensing: VMware Fusion Pro is now available free for personal, commercial, and educational use from Fusion 13.5.2 and newer.

That is a big deal.

For a long time, Parallels had the advantage because it was polished and easy. VMware now has a strong argument: it is capable, familiar, and free.

Use VMware Fusion Pro if you want:

  • a free virtualization solution from a major vendor;
  • Windows 11 ARM or ARM Linux VMs;
  • a more traditional VM workflow;
  • a tool that feels familiar if you used VMware in the Intel Mac era;
  • something suitable for labs, testing, and development without a subscription.

The downside is that Parallels still tends to feel more integrated and user-friendly. VMware is good, but it may require slightly more patience depending on your workflow.

UTM: the open-source enthusiast option

UTM is one of the most interesting tools in the Apple Silicon virtualization scene.

It is free, open source, built for macOS, and based on QEMU. It can use Apple’s Hypervisor framework for ARM64 virtualization, which makes ARM operating systems run close to native speed. It can also use QEMU emulation to run non-ARM architectures such as x86, PowerPC, SPARC, MIPS, and others.

This makes UTM very flexible.

Want to run ARM Linux? Good option.

Want to experiment with old operating systems? Also good.

Want to run a weird retro OS for a video, article, or lab? UTM may be the most fun tool in the list.

But there is a tradeoff: UTM is not always the smoothest option for Windows 11, especially if you want strong graphics acceleration or a polished desktop experience. The project itself notes that Windows gaming is not the expected use case because Windows GPU acceleration is limited.

Use UTM if you want:

  • free and open-source virtualization;
  • ARM Linux VMs;
  • macOS VMs;
  • retro OS experiments;
  • QEMU without writing long QEMU commands manually;
  • a tool that fits an enthusiast, researcher, or retro-computing workflow.

Do not use UTM expecting it to behave like Parallels for Windows gaming or heavy graphics work.

VirtualBox is back — but with a different role

In 2020, it was reasonable to say that VirtualBox was not a realistic Apple Silicon option.

That is no longer accurate.

VirtualBox 7.1 added macOS/Arm host support, and VirtualBox 7.2 expanded the story with support for Windows 11 ARM guests on Arm64 hosts, including macOS Arm hosts.

This is a major symbolic change. VirtualBox was the classic free VM tool for many Intel Mac users, and its absence on Apple Silicon made the transition feel incomplete.

Still, I would not describe VirtualBox as the best Apple Silicon virtualization tool for most Mac users today.

Parallels is smoother. VMware Fusion Pro is free and more mature for many normal VM workflows. UTM is more flexible for emulation and retro experiments.

VirtualBox is useful if you specifically like the VirtualBox workflow, need it for compatibility with existing lab material, or want a cross-platform open-source-style VM manager that now has an Apple Silicon path.

Use VirtualBox if you want:

  • a familiar VirtualBox-style interface;
  • free virtualization;
  • ARM Linux or Windows 11 ARM experiments;
  • cross-platform workflows;
  • teaching or lab material already built around VirtualBox.

Avoid assuming that old Intel-era VirtualBox appliances will magically run fast on Apple Silicon. If the guest OS is x86, you are back in emulation territory.

macOS virtual machines: surprisingly useful

One of the nicest parts of Apple Silicon virtualization is macOS-on-macOS virtualization.

This is not something every normal user needs, but it is extremely useful for developers, testers, security researchers, and content creators.

A macOS VM can be used for:

  • testing apps in a clean system;
  • trying beta software without polluting your main installation;
  • checking suspicious tools in a more isolated environment;
  • reproducing bugs;
  • recording tutorials;
  • experimenting with settings.

Parallels, UTM, and Apple’s own Virtualization framework make this much more accessible than it used to be.

The limitation is that you are virtualizing Apple Silicon macOS, not old Intel macOS. If you need to run an old Intel-only macOS release, Apple Silicon is not the right machine for that job.

Linux on Apple Silicon VMs

Linux ARM is one of the best use cases for Apple Silicon virtualization.

Ubuntu ARM, Debian ARM, Fedora ARM, Kali ARM, Alpine ARM, and many server-focused distributions can run well as virtual machines. For development and testing, this is often enough.

For QA engineers, developers, and security people, this is a very practical setup. You can keep macOS as your main system and run Linux environments in separate VMs for tools, servers, network labs, and experiments.

The main thing to remember is package availability. Most mainstream software exists for ARM64 now, but some niche tools, old binaries, closed-source utilities, and vendor-specific packages may still expect x86_64.

For normal Linux CLI work, ARM Linux on Apple Silicon is excellent. For reproducing a production x86 Linux environment exactly, it may not be enough.

Windows 11 ARM: good, but not magic

Windows 11 ARM is much better than many people expect.

For office work, browsers, many developer tools, light testing, and general Windows-only apps, it can be perfectly usable. On modern M-series chips, the performance can feel surprisingly good.

But it is still Windows on ARM.

That means you should be careful with:

  • hardware drivers;
  • anti-cheat systems;
  • old VPN clients;
  • low-level security tools;
  • old enterprise software;
  • nested virtualization;
  • some developer workflows that assume x86;
  • GPU-heavy Windows apps and games.

Microsoft’s own support documentation says that Windows 11 ARM on Apple Silicon has limitations, including scenarios that depend on an additional layer of virtualization.

So the honest conclusion is this:

Windows 11 ARM on Apple Silicon is great when you need Windows apps. It is not a complete replacement for a real x86 Windows machine in every professional scenario.

What about x86 VMs?

This is where expectations need to be realistic.

You can emulate x86 on Apple Silicon with tools like UTM/QEMU. Parallels has also experimented with x86 emulation support. But emulation is not the same as virtualization.

Emulation translates one CPU architecture into another. It is flexible, but slower.

This can be useful for:

  • retro computing;
  • old Linux distributions;
  • software archaeology;
  • screenshots and demos;
  • light experiments;
  • educational videos.

It is not ideal for:

  • serious daily productivity;
  • heavy x86 Windows workloads;
  • modern games;
  • performance testing;
  • malware labs where timing and architecture matter;
  • production-like x86 server testing.

If you really need x86 virtualization, keep an Intel Mac, a Windows/Linux PC, a mini PC, or use a cloud VM.

What should you choose?

Here is the practical recommendation.

Use caseBest choice
I want Windows 11 on my Mac with minimal painParallels Desktop
I want a free serious VM toolVMware Fusion Pro
I want open-source virtualization and retro experimentsUTM
I want VirtualBox specificallyVirtualBox 7.2+
I want Linux ARM for developmentVMware Fusion, UTM, Parallels, or VirtualBox
I want macOS test VMsParallels or UTM
I want old x86 operating systemsUTM/QEMU, but expect slower performance
I want Windows gamingUsually not a VM; look at native Mac ports, cloud gaming, Whisky/CrossOver, or a PC
I need exact x86 production parityUse x86 hardware or cloud x86 VMs

My personal take

The old Intel Mac world was simple: install VirtualBox, VMware, or Parallels and run almost any x86 OS you wanted. The Apple Silicon world is different. It is faster, quieter, more battery-efficient, and better optimized — but only when you stay within the ARM ecosystem.

For most modern tasks, that is fine. Windows 11 ARM is usable. Linux ARM is strong. macOS VMs are useful. Parallels is polished. VMware Fusion Pro is free. UTM is powerful and fun. VirtualBox is no longer missing.

But old x86 virtualization is not coming back in the same form.

That is the mental shift: Apple Silicon Macs are not bad virtualization machines. They are excellent ARM virtualization machines.

If your workflow accepts that, an M1, M2, M3, or M4 Mac can be a great VM host. If your workflow depends on old x86 VMs, you should keep another machine around.

Conclusion

Apple Silicon virtualization has grown up.

The question is no longer “Can I run virtual machines on an M1 Mac?” The answer is clearly yes.

The better question is:

What architecture do I need inside the VM?

If the answer is ARM64, Apple Silicon is excellent.

If the answer is x86_64, be careful. You are not really virtualizing anymore. You are emulating, and that changes everything.

For my own workflow, I would use:

  • Parallels Desktop for the smoothest Windows 11 ARM experience;
  • VMware Fusion Pro when I want a free, serious, general-purpose VM tool;
  • UTM for retro systems, experiments, and open-source flexibility;
  • VirtualBox only when I specifically need VirtualBox compatibility.

The Apple Silicon transition broke the old virtualization habits, but it did not kill virtualization on the Mac. It just forced us to be more precise about what we are actually trying to run.