Virtual machines run inside software, so they are a bit slower, but they have some huge advantages.įirstly, everything inside the virtual machine stays inside the virtual machine. In addition, you can try out other operating systems on your current machine without having to create dual boot or triple boot systems. I’ve already written several articles on virtual machines because they are a great way to keep you safe from viruses and increase your privacy. The second best choice in my opinion if you need Windows installed locally on the machine is to use a virtual machine.
Overall, if you need a full copy of Windows and want to fully utilize the specs of your Mac, I suggest using Boot Camp.
You’ll also need to have about 50 to 100 GB of free space available on your Mac in order to install Windows. With a full copy of Windows, you can install any and all programs without limitation. This means it’ll be faster than any other method mentioned below. The advantages of using Boot Camp are two-fold: you get an entire copy of Windows installed and it is running directly on the Mac hardware. If not, you have to download an ISO version of Windows and install that onto a USB flash drive. The process of installing Windows using Boot Camp is straight-forward, but not something I think most consumers would be able to do unless they have a technical background. If you have a Windows CD/DVD with you, that makes it much easier.
I’ve actually already written an article on how to install Windows using Boot Camp. It’s a free tool included with all versions of OS X and it allows you to install a single copy of Windows alongside OS X on your Mac. If the EXE is dangerous, it won’t damage your main Windows installation.The most common solution you will read about online is using Boot Camp.
Make sure that you run malware scans regularly and, if you’re really unsure about whether an executable file is safe to run, you can use the Windows 10 sandbox mode to run software in an isolated container to test it out. As long as you only run software from sources you trust, executable files should be relatively safe. For most Windows 10 users, however, EXE files are there to be run, not made. There’s nothing stopping you creating your own software, especially if you combine it with Windows installer packages to make it easy to install. You can confirm how well popular software will run using WINE by checking the WineHQ database. Designed to emulate certain Windows instructions and libraries, using WINE to run an EXE file will have varying levels of success. You can also use the WINE emulator for Linux and macOS to run and install Windows EXE files on those platforms.
If you developed a Python script, for instance, you could use the chmod +x command to run it.
You’ll need to allow it in your System Preferences > Security & Privacy menu.Īs a Unix-based system, however, macOS does support the chmod command, allowing you to execute more basic scripts using the Terminal app. If the app hasn’t been installed from the App Store, and it isn’t from a developer it knows or trusts, then the app won’t be allowed to run. MacOS has a slightly different method for running software. The command chmod +x file would give a file named file the execute permission to run, for instance. On Linux, for instance, any file can be executable, but it requires a special file permissions flag to run it as a program using chmod. These platforms do have executable files, but they aren’t in the EXE file format. The way executable files work on Windows is entirely different to the way that programs run on other platforms, like Linux or macOS. Otherwise, if you want to create a “real” executable file, you’ll need to learn how to program. While this isn’t a true EXE file, it looks and acts like one, making it an easy way to create an executable file that can distribute software or files you’ve created with others.