Apple brings Windows 10 support to Mac in Boot Camp update

AppleInsider · August 13, 2015 1:45AM

Apple announced through a Support Pages document published Wednesday that the latest version of Boot Camp, which is currently rolling out to OS X Yosemite users as a system update, now comes with support for 64-bit versions of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.

In its document Apple details the process of installing a fresh copy of Windows 10 on a target Mac, while also covering upgrades from previous 32-bit or 64-bit Windows versions. In both cases, Boot Camp requires an ISO file to correctly install Windows 10 in its hard drive partition. Microsoft currently provides its 64-bit operating system as an ISO file, installation DVD or on a USB flash drive installer.

Along with Windows 10 software features, Apple says Boot Camp installs support the usual keyboard, trackpad and mouse hardware, along with USB 3 ports, USB-C on the 12-inch Retina MacBook, Thunderbolt, SD or SDXC card slots, built-in or USB Apple SuperDrive.

Apple also provides a list of Macs that support 64-bit versions of Windows 10:

MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch, Late 2012 to Early 2015)
MacBook Pro with Retina display (15-inch, Mid 2012 to Mid 2015)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012 to Early 2015)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012 to Early 2015)
MacBook with Retina display (12-inch, Early 2015)
iMac (Retina 5k, 27-inch, Late 2014 to Mid 2015)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012 to Mid 2014)
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012 to Late 2013)
Mac mini (Late 2014)
Mac mini Server (Late 2012)
Mac mini (Late 2012)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Installing Windows 10 on a Mac that sports a Fusion Drive, Apple's branding for hybrid SSD/HDD systems, creates the Windows partition on the mechanical drive. As such, operating speeds might be slower than OS X on the same computer, as Apple installs its Mac OS on the SSD side for optimal performance.

As of this writing Boot Camp 6 is slowly making its way to end users and may not yet be available in all areas. Users can manually check for system updates via the Mac App Store.

Boot Camp compatibility with Windows 10 comes one day after Apple released a pair of minor Boot Camp Support updates (1, 2) for running 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 on Mac.

zimmermann · August 13, 2015 2:16AM

Says a Dutch paper: MacBook's are the best Windows computers. Better than Dell's or Lenovo's. Even the trackpad works better...

staticx57 · August 13, 2015 4:44AM

Now only if Apple will release some quality drivers for windows. Some touchpad drivers would be nice.

cheesehead dave · August 13, 2015 7:25AM

I'm currently running it on a 2010 Macbook Pro without any issues.

danvm · August 13, 2015 7:29AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zimmermann

Says a Dutch paper: MacBook's are the best Windows computers. Better than Dell's or Lenovo's. Even the trackpad works better...

My experience with my MBA is that trackpad feels weird and the battery life is not the best.

MacPro · August 13, 2015 7:46AM

I wish Boot Camp enabled booting to an external drive for those of us with new Mac Pros. I have to use Windows to Go to enable this so I assume it is a limitation imposed by Microsoft on non Enterprise versions but it is damned annoying since Mac Pros have such small internal drives being designed to utilize externals for all but the OS and a few programs. OWC have the larger ones now but the cost is still OTW!

thewhitefalcon · August 13, 2015 8:08AM

staticx57 wrote: »

Now only if Apple will release some quality drivers for windows. Some touchpad drivers would be nice.

You think that's bad, older Macs won't install drivers for the SATA controller, forcing your hard drives to run at ATA speeds.

danvm wrote: »

My experience with my MBA is that trackpad feels weird and the battery life is not the best.

I really don't like the clickpads. I like the 2008-2009 MBA trackpad with the slim button, the tension of which I can easily adjust.

MacPro · August 13, 2015 8:22AM

thewhitefalcon wrote: »

You think that's bad, older Macs won't install drivers for the SATA controller, forcing your hard drives to run at ATA speeds.
I really don't like the clickpads. I like the 2008-2009 MBA trackpad with the slim button, the tension of which I can easily adjust.

I have never used Boot Camp so I am asking this out of curiosity, there may be a good reason What stops you adding the drivers you need once in Windows? I have to add all my own as I don't use Boot Camp or any Boot Camp drivers. I create my own Windows boot drives from on a new Mac Pro using Parallels or VMWare and Windows is on an SSD in an external Thunderbolt Dock and then simply select that as the start up disk on rebooting. Actually I do go and pinch a couple of Boot Camp drivers for the headphones and WiFi now I think about it but that's all. BUt as I say I have to add my own or let Windows add them automatically (which is a good first step) I especially like being able to install genuine AMD drivers for the dual GPUs.

I am wondering on further thought if Boot Camp does in fact prevent Windows from adding drivers or maybe the EFI partition is deliberately bricked someway?. Anyone care to explain Boot Camps workings in this respect?

thewhitefalcon · August 13, 2015 8:44AM

digitalclips wrote: »

I have never used Boot Camp so I am asking this out of curiosity, there may be a good reason (maybe the EFI partition is deliberately bricked someway?). What stops you adding the drivers you need once in Windows? I have to add all my own as I don't use Boot Camp or any Boot Camp drivers. I create my own Windows boot drives from on a new Mac Pro using Parallels or VMWare and Windows is on an SSD in an external Thunderbolt Dock and then simply select that as the start up disk on rebooting. Actually I do go and pinch a couple of Boot Camp drivers for the headphones and WiFi now I think about it but that's all. I especially like being able to install genuine AMD drivers for the dual GPUs.

It's a weirdness of the older 32-bit EFI Macs. You can force the driver to install but it breaks other functionality.

MacPro · August 13, 2015 9:25AM

thewhitefalcon wrote: »

It's a weirdness of the older 32-bit EFI Macs. You can force the driver to install but it breaks other functionality.

Have you tried the Windows to Go approach I use? No Mac side influence that way, it may solve your issues. You can use a demo version of Windows Enterprise for 30 days to play and it keeps working after that, you just have to reboot once in a while after a few annoying messages. Windows to Go is a wee utility that comes with Enterprise and simply makes external, bootable Windows drives that run on a PC or a Mac, they are how Windows should be! You can do all this from Parallels too, as in create the drives from WtoG.

almondroca · August 13, 2015 10:19AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheesehead Dave

I'm currently running it on a 2010 Macbook Pro without any issues.

Good to know. Not sure what Win10 requires that Apple's list of compatible Macs is so short.

I think one of it's best features is Xbox One mirroring. The ability to play a game in another room with a Mac running Win10 is nice.

tallest skil · August 13, 2015 11:10AM

Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon

…older Macs won’t install drivers for the SATA controller, forcing your hard drives to run at ATA speeds. [It’s a weirdness of the older 32-bit EFI Macs.]

Huh. Sometimes I feel that my partition only copies at ATA speeds, but I’ve a fully 64-bit machine. Frigging Windows. The performance of 7, 8, 10 (and everything, really) is so laughably anemic that it boggles the mind that 80% of the planet operates on this garbage.

Originally Posted by digitalclips

I am wondering on further thought if Boot Camp does in fact prevent Windows from adding drivers or maybe the EFI partition is deliberately bricked someway?. Anyone care to explain Boot Camps workings in this respect?

I’ve been able to manually add drivers post-install. Not without problems, of course, but those are probably on me. I did something out of order once and my current Windows 10 install doesn’t recognize the Boot Camp driver for the Apple Keyboard, so I lose all the F-key functionality. I can’t re-add the keyboard to the list of components because it thinks it’s already there. I’ll just clean install.

I’ll also have to install a new driver for the GTX 980 I’m getting, so I imagine that’ll go the same way as any PC’s update would.

ds92jz · August 13, 2015 12:11PM

Windows 10 Pro runs great on my mid-2014 rMBP. Battery life does suffer however. Best to run it plugged in.

wozwoz · August 13, 2015 12:34PM

Moving from Windows 8 to Windows 10 would be nice ... but having to move from OS X Mavericks to the incredibly ugly and un-Mac-like Yosemite in order to do so, ... alas makes it a no go zone for me.

rezwits · August 13, 2015 1:54PM

So pre-2013 Mac Pros, just aren't up to snuff? Really? That's bogus. Mid 2012 is fine and should have been on the list, I don't have one, but if the Mid 2012 was on this list I would feel better FORCE Installing onto a 2010 or 2009 or even as way back as a 2006. But there are differences in the Mac Pro 2013 vs Cheese Grader. Lazy. 2012 should be on that list.

tallest skil · August 13, 2015 5:34PM

Originally Posted by rezwits

2012 should be on that list.

I think the problem is that Windows 10 (and 8) don’t officially support the Radeon 4xxx series (and maybe 5xxx), so Apple would have to write their own driver.

And that’s work, so they’re against it.

nikon133 · August 13, 2015 8:47PM

tallest skil wrote: »

I think the problem is that Windows 10 (and 8) don’t officially support the Radeon 4xxx series (and maybe 5xxx), so Apple would have to write their own driver.

And that’s work, so they’re against it.

There is Win10 driver for ATI Radeon™ HD 5000 Series on AMD web... but no luck for 4000 series...

chino79 · August 16, 2015 12:39PM

cheesehead dave - how are you running win10 on a 2010 macbook? do you have the ability to use the mac function keys (screen brightness, volume control) etc???

i upgraded to win10 from win7 on my mid 2010 macbook pro but found that i couldn't use the apple keys as i could when using win 7 as bootcamp 4 doesn't support win10.

any thoughts would be appreciated!

crowley · August 16, 2015 8:25PM

Has this arrived for everyone? I'm still on 5.1.4, with no updates in the Mac App Store, on a 2014 MacBook Air. Maybe it's rolling out very slowly across regions?

Only other thing I can think of that might make the difference is I'm on the public beta for new Yosemite patches.

crowley · August 16, 2015 8:34PM

Isn't available from here either... https://support.apple.com/downloads/

Though weirdly there are a couple of versions of Boot Camp (5.1.5x) up there that are newer than the version I have installed (5.1.4). Boot Camp does get updated via the App Store, right?

sincity036 · August 17, 2015 3:54AM

this is actually pretty useful, i've been waiting for the chance to test out windows 10

Apple brings Windows 10 support to Mac in Boot Camp update

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