We already know that new M1 chip Macs can run Intel and ARM apps made for macOS and iOS, but Mac users who rely on Windows for some specific software have lost Boot Camp support.
However, CodeWeavers announced that CrossOver 20 now works on Apple-processed Macs, meaning the new M1 Macs can run Windows software directly on macOS.
CrossOver
If you're not familiar with CrossOver, it's a platform based on the open source Wine project that can run Windows environment on macOS and Linux. In other words, it allows users to install and run Windows software on other operating systems even without installing a full version of Windows like you do in a virtual machine.
While Apple and Microsoft have confirmed that the new ARM-based Macs no longer support Windows (at least for now), CodeWeavers developers were able to run CrossOver 20 on M1-chip Macs.
The latest version of CrossOver emulates Windows Intel binaries on macOS through Rosetta 2 technology, which emulates x86 binaries on new ARM Mac hardware. That's amazing when you consider that we're talking about the cheapest device you can buy from Apple, which is thermally regulated and doesn't have a GPU core.
The CrossOver team successfully installed some Windows software on M1 Macs, including the desktop version of the popular game Between Us and even Team Fortress 2. Although the game had some lag, it ran fine most of the time, as you can see below. .
Running CrossOver 20 on Macs with an M1 chip was only possible with macOS Big Sur 11.1 beta, which brings critical fixes to Rosetta 2 technology. Users running the latest beta version of macOS can now experience Windows software on the newest Macs with CrossOver 20.0.2.
Check out the full blog post on the CodeWeavers website for more details on CrossOver 20 on M1 Macs.
