Windows VM on M1: will MS Office desktop applications work ?

T

TheodK

Member
Dear all,
Could anyone please share some experiences with me about MS Office desktop software within Windows for ARM?
It's nice to have Windows 10 and 11 for ARM running in Parallels VMs, but what does this say about MS Office desktop applications?
Do they run without problems or do you need new ARM versions as well?
I'm interested in how well Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and Project performs on an M1 MacBook Pro.
Theo
 
Thanks cnaks,
I read all the Q&As at Microsoft.com and my conclusion is that Microsoft is only half-way converting the Office apps to be compliant with ARM. Access, Project and Teams in particular are not working yet.
So I'll have to wait ...
Theo
 
TheodK said:
Thanks cnaks,
I read all the Q&As at Microsoft.com and my conclusion is that Microsoft is only half-way converting the Office apps to be compliant with ARM. Access, Project and Teams in particular are not working yet.
So I'll have to wait ...
Theo
Click to expand...
I have a subscription to Microsoft 365 and while I have the actual apps installed on the Mac side of my M1 iMac I can run the office apps in the Windows 11 ARM - albeit the Cloud versions - and they work fine. I just don't like the Cloud versions because they need the document files to be in my OneDrive account not in Apple's iCloud. So I would assume that at least the Microsoft 365 versions will actually install on the Windows 11ARM VM. (Have not actually tried it because I like my documents on the Mac side and in my iCloud account so I can see my Word and Excel documents easier on my iPad when I need them.)
 
Swandy,
Thank you for the response.
In my case I do need the desktop (pro) applications. And as there is no MS Access nor MS Project for the Mac, I use a Windows VM for this. As long as Microsoft Office does not fully support ARM, I will not buy a new M1 MacBook Pro.
By the way: I removed MS Teams from my Intell MacBook Pro. It consumes over 50% CPU when running a meeting. In a Windows VM the same meeting needs only 30% CPU and runs smoothly next to the other applications.
Theo
 
TheodK said:
Swandy,
Thank you for the response.
In my case I do need the desktop (pro) applications. And as there is no MS Access nor MS Project for the Mac, I use a Windows VM for this. As long as Microsoft Office does not fully support ARM, I will not buy a new M1 MacBook Pro.
By the way: I removed MS Teams from my Intell MacBook Pro. It consumes over 50% CPU when running a meeting. In a Windows VM the same meeting needs only 30% CPU and runs smoothly next to the other applications.
Theo
Click to expand...
Hi, kindly let us know if you are facing any issue running Microsoft office on Intel Mac.
 
Hi DesbasmitaM,
I do not have issues with Microsoft Office within Parallels on Intell Mac.
I did have issues with Microsoft Office on Intell Mac, but that has nothing to do with Parallels :).
The reason for my question is: I want a new MacBookPro, but I do not want issues with Microsoft Office within Parallels on an M1 Pro.
For now it seems that the desktop versions of Access, Project and Teams are not ready for professional use yet.
Theo
 
Hi all, I wondered if anyone could clarify things for me. I'm an amateur at this. I've gone to the trouble of installing Parallels and then the Insider Windows 11 on my M1 MacBook air (to save my employers buying a separate windows laptop for me). I need to be able to run Excel, Word, and Outlook desktop apps (not 365) in the virtual Windows environment.
Have I now, correctly, figured out that this is actually not yet possible? If so, does anyone have any idea when Microsoft will be making an official version of Windows 11 and its desktop apps available for M1 Parallels? If it's only a case of waiting until later this year then I might wait. Does anyone have any advice?
 
MichaelH85 said:
Hi all, I wondered if anyone could clarify things for me. I'm an amateur at this. I've gone to the trouble of installing Parallels and then the Insider Windows 11 on my M1 MacBook air (to save my employers buying a separate windows laptop for me). I need to be able to run Excel, Word, and Outlook desktop apps (not 365) in the virtual Windows environment.
Have I now, correctly, figured out that this is actually not yet possible? If so, does anyone have any idea when Microsoft will be making an official version of Windows 11 and its desktop apps available for M1 Parallels? If it's only a case of waiting until later this year then I might wait. Does anyone have any advice?
Click to expand...
This may not be an answer, but I also have a MacBook Air 10,1 (M1). First recommendation, avoid Insider Preview and install the current release version that you find if you select "New" in Parallels. It took me until February to discover it was available. Reinstalling everything was a pain, but worth the effort. I use Microsoft Office and also Visio. The only problem I have encountered was last year, when I found Access did not save. Note to Microsoft and they provided an update (not for me, as quite a few had the problem). Main point, Windows on ARM provides emulation for Intel programs. So far as I can see, and I may be wrong, this is how some/all Office programs work. I have a very old Metrowerks Windows program purchased more than 20 years ago that still seems happy on the M1.
 
That is a great answer, thank you. Sounds like I should take this approach - am I right that if I use the current release version (instead of Insider) then I'll need to pay for a Windows 11 licence (and Office) to activate it? Not a problem, just planning ahead.
 
MichaelH85 said:
That is a great answer, thank you. Sounds like I should take this approach - am I right that if I use the current release version (instead of Insider) then I'll need to pay for a Windows 11 licence (and Office) to activate it? Not a problem, just planning ahead.
Click to expand...
To be honest, I found that, even with Insider Preview, I had requests to Activate using a licence key. I would not suggest getting this directly from Microsoft. It is worth shopping around. In general, though I am not a lover of Amazon, I find that they can provide this quite cheaply, usually through a third-party supplier. Activation with Microsoft is electronic and, once you have a key, they attach it to your Microsoft account and allow you to erase and reinstall at will. Moving to the release version, I had to confirm that it was "The same computer". I kept both VM versions for a short time to make sure everything came across. The only free-standing (not 365) Microsoft program I have is Visio, and I had to do "The same computer" procedure on that. If you already have a Windows licence, it is worth checking that the computer name remains the same on your reinstall.
 
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