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Getting Started
Both ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro are programs designed to run on the Windows operating system (OS). These software do not run natively on a Mac, and require that you install and set up Windows OS on your computer. Before following set-up options, start by:
Clearing Space. You need to have at least 64 GB of space to install Windows 10. Additional space is required to install software and store files. Therefore, you should aim to have at least 128 GB of free space available.
Downloading Windows 10. With a valid JHED ID, you can download a free copy through Hub. Click here to download.
M1 Chips
Apple's recently released computers with the M1 chip are not designed to run or support Windows at this time. If you have a mac with an M1 chip, you will not be able to install ArcGIS Pro on your computer. Please only follow the instructions below if your macbook has an Intel chip.
Installation Options
You'll need to follow one of two installation options:
Option 1: Dual-Boot Setup
This free option uses Apple's BootCamp software to create a dual-boot setup on your mac. A dual-boot setup allows you to restart and boot into either your Mac OS or Windows OS using BootCamp.
The following Mac models will support the 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home or Pro edition installed with Boot Camp:
- MacBook Pro (2012 and later)
- MacBook Air (2012 and later)
- MacBook (2015 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- iMac (2012 and later)
- Mac mini (2012 and later)
- Mac mini Server (Late 2012)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Make sure you have at least 64 GB, if not 128 GB, of free space to create a BootCamp disk partition.
Click here for Apple's instructions on using BootCamp.
Option 2: Run Windows in Parallel
Creating a virtual machine on your mac allows you to run an installation of Windows OS in parallel with your existing MacOS, and to switch from one to the other without booting into either one separately. Note that this option requires more RAM and CPU, as you'll be running two operating systems at the same time. If your computer is an older model, we recommend trying BootCamp instead.
VMware can be purchased directly from their website. For instructions on installation and setup, click here.
Parallels can be purchased directly from their website. For instructions on installation and setup, click here.
OpenGL and DirectX
Prior to ArcGIS Pro 2.3, it was possible to run ArcGIS Pro on a Windows virtual machine (VM) on MacOS using two common deployments: Parallels or VMware Fusion. However, at ArcGIS Pro 2.3, the minimum version requirements for OpenGL and DirectX increased beyond what is supported by the underlying MacOS. If you are maintaining one of these deployments using an earlier version of ArcGIS Pro, it will continue to work as long as you do not install ArcGIS Pro 2.3 or later. In this case, you should reject notifications that may appear when newer versions of ArcGIS Pro become available. If you are installing ArcGIS Pro for the first time on your mac, download version 2.2.
New M1 Chips
Apple's recently released computers with the M1 chip are not designed to run or support Windows. While some developers have managed to run the Windows OS on the M1 chip using CrossOver 20, an open-source project, there is currently no documentation or support for running the Windows environment, let alone ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Desktop, on the M1 chip.