Parallels is a software you can purchase from apple.ca at $69.95+tax for the education edition, you will also need to purchase a Windows license. Parallels is probably the most user- friendly option in terms of setting up Once Parallels is installed on your Mac it will work just like a Windows machine on top of macOS, allowing you to use Internet Explorer and use Windows exclusive software. A virtual machine is a secondary operating system such as Windows or Linux running in a separate window on your Mac’s desktop. Parallels is an application that creates what is called a virtual machine on your Mac. The first option is a really neat piece of software called Parallels. If you have chosen to go the Mac route but run into needing to use a Windows-only software you are not out of luck. I know that there are many students out there who, like myself, are Mac users and find themselves struggling with that one or two pieces of software that require a Windows operating system to work.

Software like PowerBI, Microsoft Visual Studio, and Microsoft Access all require Windows to work properly. As a MacBook Pro user studying computing and information systems at Saint Mary’s, I found myself running into a few compatibility roadblocks.