> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://solidsworks.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Can SOLIDWORKS run on a Mac? What the system requirements allow - URL: https://solidsworks.com/solidworks-mac/ - Published: 2026-11-01T14:53:06.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-14T11:42:47.000Z - Description: SOLIDWORKS Design needs Windows. Start with the Mac's chip, match the requirements to the desktop release, and choose between native model editing, file review and browser-based design. - Author: David Foster - Tags: Getting started SOLIDWORKS Design has [no native macOS version](https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/how-to-run-solidworks-on-a-mac/?ref=solidsworks.com). For editing desktop SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings, I'd use a Windows workstation directly or connect to one from the Mac, because its operating system, processor and graphics can match the CAD requirements. A Mac can also review files in eDrawings or run xDesign in a browser. Those routes serve different jobs, so choose the file you need to deliver before buying Windows or a virtual machine. ## Choose the route by what you need to change | Your job | Route to consider | Check before committing | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Edit a desktop part's features, an assembly's mates or its drawings | A Windows workstation, used directly or remotely from the Mac | Required SOLIDWORKS release, add-ins, workstation requirements and licence access | | Open a supplied model or drawing for inspection | eDrawings for Mac | File compatibility and whether the sender enabled measurement and review tools | | Start a browser CAD project | SOLIDWORKS xDesign | Whether the recipient accepts its file workflow and you can work online | | Run desktop SOLIDWORKS locally on an existing Mac | Assess a virtual machine with whoever supports your CAD setup | Intel or Apple silicon, host macOS, Windows architecture, listed hypervisor release and graphics | For example, viewing a bracket and adding review notes is a different task from changing its hole pattern and delivering the part, assembly and updated drawing. Ask the recipient which of those they need. If a course or employer specifies desktop SOLIDWORKS, get its release and required add-ins before choosing a Mac workaround. The [student access guide](https://solidsworks.com/solidworks-for-students/) covers the licence decision separately. ## Edit on a Windows workstation from your Mac An existing school or company workstation is the first route I'd check. SOLIDWORKS stays installed on Windows; the Mac displays and controls the remote session. This can keep you on the team's desktop release and add-ins without making the Mac itself the CAD host. Get the host ready before adding it on the Mac. For a direct connection to a Windows 11 PC, [Microsoft's Remote Desktop setup](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/connectivity-networking/how-to-use-remote-desktop?ref=solidsworks.com) uses Windows 11 Pro. Windows Home cannot host this direct Remote Desktop connection. On the Windows PC, check **Start > Settings > System > About > Windows specifications > Edition**, then enable **Settings > System > Remote Desktop** and note the **PC name**. Have the administrator approve the access and supply an account and a secure network route to that PC. On the Mac, [Windows App's direct-PC instructions](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-app/get-started-connect-devices-desktops-apps?ref=solidsworks.com) require macOS 12 or later on a device actively supported by its manufacturer, network connectivity to the PC and an account on it. Then: 1. Open **Windows App** and select **Devices**. 2. Select **\+ > Add PC**. 3. Enter the supplied hostname or IP address in **PC Name**, then select **Add**. 4. Double-click the PC and enter its account credentials when prompted. [![Windows App for macOS Add PC dialog with the empty PC name field outlined and the host name or IP address placeholder visible.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/fc/4cfc073a-f190-4bcc-b2ab-759be23dfa61/content/images/2026/11/remote-v1-article.webp)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/fc/4cfc073a-f190-4bcc-b2ab-759be23dfa61/content/images/2026/11/remote-v1-article.webp?ref=solidsworks.com) PC name identifies the Windows computer you connect to. SOLIDWORKS runs on that Windows host. If your organisation supplies a managed desktop or app feed, follow its connection instructions instead of these direct-PC steps. Before relying on any remote arrangement, ask the administrator to confirm the host's SOLIDWORKS requirements, graphics, licence and remote-access configuration. A successful connection establishes access; it doesn't establish how responsively your assembly will rotate or rebuild. Have the supported arrangement checked with a representative project before committing to it. ## Use eDrawings for viewing and review If you only need to inspect the file, start with the free [eDrawings app for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/edrawings/id1209754386?mt=12&ref=solidsworks.com). Its supported types include SOLIDWORKS parts (**SLDPRT**), assemblies (**SLDASM**) and drawings (**SLDDRW**), alongside eDrawings files. You don't need to install Windows just to take this route. The viewer doesn't replace desktop feature, driving-dimension or mate editing. Unavailable tools can be a file-permission issue. The [Measure tool requires a measure-enabled document](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/edrawings/c%5FMeasuring%5FRequirements.htm?ref=solidsworks.com); a non-draft quality broken view also disables measurement. On Mac, [review-enabled files activate markup, move and cross-section tools](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/edrawings/c%5FeDrawings%5Ffor%5FMacintosh.htm?ref=solidsworks.com). Ask the sender for a file published with the permissions you need. There is no separate eDrawings Professional for Mac to buy as a fix. Check the viewer release against macOS. The [eDrawings 2026 requirements](https://www.solidworks.com/support/system-requirements?ref=solidsworks.com) list macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14\. The App Store's macOS 10.14 installation minimum is a different condition from this release-specific support list. Also, those macOS rows apply to eDrawings, not desktop SOLIDWORKS modelling. ## Choose xDesign when the browser workflow fits [SOLIDWORKS xDesign runs in a Mac browser](https://www.solidworks.com/product/solidworks-xdesign?ref=solidsworks.com) without a local desktop installation. It is a separate design product on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The [official product comparison](https://www.3ds.com/store/solidworks-xdesign?ref=solidsworks.com) distinguishes its cross-compatibility with native SOLIDWORKS files from desktop SOLIDWORKS Design's full compatibility: xDesign provides multi-CAD-style interoperability with associative updates and limited feature-level edits. It also lists no offline use for xDesign. I'd settle the handoff before starting a shared project in xDesign. Ask, “Do you need to continue the desktop part's feature tree and assembly mates, or is the agreed geometry exchange enough?” If the requirement is to continue editing native desktop files, use the desktop route. A file opening successfully is an incomplete check of whether the recipient can make the next intended change. “Deployed from the cloud” can describe a different product. The same comparison lists SOLIDWORKS Design as a local, PC-only installation. Its cloud deployment does not turn desktop SOLIDWORKS into a Mac browser application. ## Check a local virtual machine against the exact release First identify the Mac. Open **Apple menu > About This Mac**: [Apple's chip identification instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/116943?ref=solidsworks.com) distinguish **Chip** followed by an Apple chip name from **Processor** followed by an Intel name. This check needs no software installation. [![About This Mac window for an example Mac mini with the Chip row showing Apple M2 Pro.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/fc/4cfc073a-f190-4bcc-b2ab-759be23dfa61/content/images/2026/11/about-v1-article.webp)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/fc/4cfc073a-f190-4bcc-b2ab-759be23dfa61/content/images/2026/11/about-v1-article.webp?ref=solidsworks.com) The Chip row identifies this example as Apple silicon. An Intel Mac uses Processor instead. Next, use the required desktop release's column in the [SOLIDWORKS system requirements](https://www.solidworks.com/support/system-requirements?ref=solidsworks.com). Windows and hypervisor versions are separate entries: | Desktop release | Windows 11, 64-bit | Windows 10, 64-bit | Listed Parallels Desktop for Mac | | --------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------ | -------------------------------- | | SOLIDWORKS 2025 | Supported | Support ends at 2025 SP5 | 20.2.0 | | SOLIDWORKS 2026 | Supported | Not supported | 26.0.1 | | SOLIDWORKS 2027 | Supported | Not supported | To be announced | The desktop processor requirement is **x86\_64: Intel 64 or AMD64**. For SOLIDWORKS 2026, the same page specifies 16 GB RAM, with 32 GB recommended, recommends SSD storage, and calls for certified graphics cards and drivers. It says a GPU is required for optimal performance in a virtualised environment and excludes SOLIDWORKS Composer from virtualised environments. Windows Home editions and Windows To Go are not supported. Use the [workstation requirements guide](https://solidsworks.com/solidworks-computer/) if you're choosing a separate PC. ### Intel Macs: match the host as well as the guest [Parallels' requirements](https://kb.parallels.com/en/124223?ref=solidsworks.com) say Intel Mac support continues in Desktop 26; Desktop 27 is for Apple silicon only. On an Intel host, Parallels supports x86 guest operating systems and recommends Windows 11\. That makes the SOLIDWORKS 2026 entry worth assessing for an Intel Mac you already own, rather than assuming the newest Parallels release is the right one. Check the host macOS carefully. Desktop 26 lists Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15.5 or later, Sonoma 14.7 or later and Ventura 13.7 or later. Older macOS entries on that page carry a footnote: the installer installs an earlier Parallels version. That fallback would not give you the listed 26.0.1 setup. A matching processor family and hypervisor version still leave the Mac's graphics, resources and required add-ins to check with your reseller or CAD administrator. The [SOLIDWORKS team's Mac guidance](https://blogs.solidworks.com/products/solidworks/how-to-run-solidworks-on-a-mac/?ref=solidsworks.com) favours the Windows PC experience and warns of virtualisation's graphics and functionality limitations. A hypervisor listing doesn't certify every Intel Mac as a workstation. ### Apple silicon: application emulation doesn't settle CAD support On Apple silicon, [Parallels lists Arm Windows as the supported guest](https://kb.parallels.com/en/124223?ref=solidsworks.com). Its Desktop 26 requirements also describe x86 operating-system emulation as a preview. Neither statement adds Apple silicon or Windows on Arm to SOLIDWORKS' x86\_64 processor requirements. [Microsoft's guidance for the named M1, M2 and M3 Macs](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/platform-variants/options-for-using-windows-11-with-mac-computers-with-apple-m1-m2-and-m3-chips?ref=solidsworks.com) explains that Windows 11 on Arm can run x64 and x86 applications through emulation. That explains how a Windows application may launch; graphics, add-ins and CAD-vendor support remain separate questions. The page names particular Parallels versions and chips, so it isn't approval of every later Mac and hypervisor combination. [Parallels promotes SOLIDWORKS on M-series Macs](https://www.parallels.com/blogs/solidworks-mac-performance/?ref=solidsworks.com), but I'd keep desktop work on a suitable Windows host unless the organisation supporting your work approves the local arrangement. I wouldn't buy an Apple silicon Mac specifically for desktop SOLIDWORKS on the strength of a successful launch or an unqualified performance promise. ## Boot Camp doesn't resolve the support problem The [SOLIDWORKS requirements explicitly exclude Apple Macs running Windows through Boot Camp](https://www.solidworks.com/support/system-requirements?ref=solidsworks.com). [Apple's Boot Camp instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102622?ref=solidsworks.com) cover Windows 10 on specified Intel Macs, while SOLIDWORKS 2026 lists Windows 11. Older guides, including the SOLIDWORKS Mac blog post, still mention Boot Camp. Use the current release-specific requirements for a support decision. Repartitioning the Mac and getting Windows to start would leave the explicit SOLIDWORKS exclusion unresolved. ## Settle access and the handoff before paying Ask your school, employer or reseller for the required desktop release, add-ins and an approved way to access them. For a local virtual machine, check CAD, hypervisor and Windows entitlements separately; [Microsoft specifies a separate Windows 11 Pro licence for each instance](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/platform-variants/options-for-using-windows-11-with-mac-computers-with-apple-m1-m2-and-m3-chips?ref=solidsworks.com) in the Parallels arrangement it describes. Don't assume one software purchase includes the others. Use [official SOLIDWORKS download channels](https://www.solidworks.com/support/downloads?ref=solidsworks.com). A native macOS installer advertised as the full desktop modelling product does not match its supported platforms. Before committing the project to a route, have the recipient check a representative file in the required software: can they change the intended feature or mate, rebuild the model and use the drawing? That result is more useful than simply seeing a model on the Mac's screen.