Cant Activate Win 11 on ARM in parallels on M1 pro

Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration of Parallels Desktop' started by RiccardoC6, Mar 5, 2022.

  1. RiccardoC6

    RiccardoC6 Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    Hi all, I'm stepping in here because I need to Activate Win 11 on ARM on my macbook pro M1 pro recently purchased.
    I'm running parallels 17.1 trial version just because I need to verify if my Commercial license of Autocad for Windows runs on it.
    Since I downloaded parallels, it installed by itself Win 11 on ARM, I didn't need to do anything.
    I Also have 2 non OEM licenses of Win 10 (upgradable to 11), but I CANT Activate windows in any way with these product keys. I read a lot on posts about this, but I didnt find an answer.
    What do I need to activate windows 11 on ARM on parallels? May I buy another digital license from the web?
    If I cant go over this everything become usless.
    Thanks a lot for help
     
  2. DebasmitaM

    DebasmitaM Forum Maven

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    1,142
    Hello, we would request you to contact Microsoft support and check with your existing license, if that can be used for activating Windows 11. If not, then you need to get a new Windows 11 activation key.
     
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  3. RiccardoC6

    RiccardoC6 Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    Hello thank you for your answer, I've read around that Microsoft does not give suopport to win 11 on Parallels, that's why I asked here.
    Anyway I can buy a digital license from the web and activate windows, with no problem if it will work fine.
    Just wanted to avoid to pay something that I cant use then.
    Thanks
    Best regards
     
  4. DebasmitaM

    DebasmitaM Forum Maven

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    1,142
    Hello, you can run Windows 11 Home Edition and Pro Edition under Parallels Desktop without any issue.
     
  5. RiccardoC6

    RiccardoC6 Junior Member

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    14
    I'm a bit confused...
    Does it mean I can choose to install win 11 home or Pro on a M1 Pro macbook instead of ARM version?
     
  6. RiccardoC6

    RiccardoC6 Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    May you please be more clear? I need info to decide whether buy license of Parallels or not. Can I install win 11 home or pro with a M1 pro Macbook?
     
  7. DebasmitaM

    DebasmitaM Forum Maven

    Messages:
    1,142
    Hello, yes. You can run Windows 11 Home or Pro Edition under Parallels Desktop. Any ARM based guest OS is supported on Parallels Desktop.
     
  8. GinoT

    GinoT Bit poster

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    2
    To make it clearer to everyone:
    Newest Parallels offers
    • "A new option in the Installation Assistant makes it easier to download and install Windows 11 on a Mac equipped with an Apple M1 chip."
    If you choose win11 from the startpage it installs Win11 not even asking you for "no key, activate later". Settings shows it as home version. A real multiversion file should in my opinion ask if you have a key to decide which options to install early.

    So you can´t activate a home version with a digital pro license. You go to activate/"problem - hardware changed". It shows every home device in your account, and the pro devices are greyed out:
    It says: Windows editions didnt match >>"Die Windows-Edition auf den unten aufgeführten Geräten stimmt nicht mit der Windows-Edition überein, die auf dem derzeit verwendeten Gerät installiert ist."<<

    You also can "showkeyplus" and type in the license key but it gives similar error.

    You have to download an iso, to move to Parallels. Without changing anything to manually it would/should ask you, if you want to install home, pro, etcpp.
    I have trouble with the Windows 11 22000 ARM iso I found so far, the touchpad ist pretty unusable.

    I will now try it the old way, with the 11/2021, official support document https://kb.parallels.com/125375
     
  9. RiccardoC6

    RiccardoC6 Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    I downloaded about 25 day ago, the latest Parallels 17 trial version. As I insatalled it also automatically downloaded and installed Win11 ARM version.
    Now, I'm reading that I can choose to install the "normal" version of Win 11 home or Pro. I think it is a misunderstanding due to the language barriers.
    I'm also in trouble because after I activated win 11 ARM with my product key, I got a message fot new updates for win11 ARM under Parallels, I decided to update it, but I'm locked on this screen of windows, it lasted for days until the trial version expired...
    I cant resolve this. I dont know what could happens if I buy the parallels license.. since it is freezed now
     

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    GinoT likes this.
  10. GinoT

    GinoT Bit poster

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    2
    My english (and wording) really has to be trained and my post edited:)
    I´m happy that the upgraded license is now properly shown in my account and selectable in my device list after some hours.

    >>You can choose the edition to use by the key you enter. But maybe you have to choose the right installation-version to get the key accepted.
    If you are logged in with your windows account after you activated the license they should be connected together, so with an active parallels license you could download it again, log in and choose "problems/hardware configuration changed" it should show your license. You can also try to check this at your account.microsoft.com/devices first.

    I recommend urgently directly after activation backup the VM file to another location. Because since today my license is now properly stored and shown in my licenses but if I try to connect it to a new VM it says >Your windows copy can´t be activated, the digital license has already been used for a reactivation on windows<
    "Ihre Windows-Kopie kann nicht aktiviert werden, da die digitale Lizenz für dieses Gerät bereits für die erneute Aktivierung von Windows verwendet wurde."

    A (Parallels) Windows ARM Download can theoretical be both, home and pro, from my understanding now.
    If I grab the iso manually, that Parallels put to download folder, Parallels is asking me which version to choose (remember, same iso).

    My question:
    Does windows really do some configuration when a pro version key is entered in a showed as "home" multiversion-installation, to made it professional?
    Because if it´s multiversion all licenses should work.?

    For me it´s not, but maybe because my license was special or needed some time to get properly upgraded to 11 and linked to my account. Yesterday it was not available to select, so it wont do the version switch. Today it´s selectable in parallels official professional installation (from download folder) but recognized that i already did one "hardware switch" yesterday. (error from the top of my comment)

    The mouse-pointer problems came from Parallels Gaming configuration, especially for hardware/mouse - gaming mode,
    so I now can use my inofficial download with an active license, but I´m afraid I´ll never get it transferred to a new VM if needed.
     
  11. DebasmitaM

    DebasmitaM Forum Maven

    Messages:
    1,142
    Hello, as per your attached screenshot it is a black screen issue. For resolving it, kindly follow this KB article. You can purchase Parallels Desktop and perform this troubleshooting step. In case, if you still face the issue our engineers can take remote of your system and resolve it.
     

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