Ultimately, Microsoft will decide whether to license and further develop the ARM version of Windows for M1 Macs with the new M1 processors. Apple’s software boss Craig Federighi made it clear last week that virtualisation of Windows on M1 Macs would be possible, but that it would be entirely up to Microsoft whether that would happen.

The developer Alexander Graf has already found a way how the ARM version of Windows could run on the M1 Mac. To do this, he made use of the Hypervisor.framework.

Who said Windows wouldn’t run well on #AppleSilicon? It’s pretty snappy here 😁. #QEMU patches for reference: https://t.co/qLQpZgBIqI pic.twitter.com/G1Usx4TcvL

— Alexander Graf (@_AlexGraf)
November 26, 2020

In benchmarks, Windows RT on the M1 Mac proves to be faster than on Microsoft’s Surface Pro, for which it is designed. It is also possible to run x86 programs with virtualisation, which is not as fast as Apple’s translator Rosetta 2, but it comes very close.

For general advice, read our tutorial showing how to run Windows on Mac. And those considering the virtualisation route should read our roundup of the best virtual machine software for Mac.

This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by David Price.