Windows To Go for Mac: Installation and Usage Guide - Tools

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Updated by Linda on Jul 20, 2023 

| Home > Windows System To Go Translation: Updated by Linda on July 20, 2023  | Home > Windows System To Go

If you've bought a Mac with the standard 256 GB of storage and now find yourself needing to run a Windows-only program, don't despair.

Your Mac's SSD might not have enough space to run Windows, but you can still install Windows on an external drive and use Windows To Go on your Mac. This is the ideal solution when your Mac's hard drive has limited space and you need to run Windows applications urgently.

However, neither Apple nor Microsoft has provided any official configuration to support Windows To Go on a Mac. As such, this article aims to explore and test whether it is possible to use Windows To Go on a Mac or not.

What is Windows To Go?

Windows To Go is a Microsoft feature available in Windows 8/8.1/10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education, which enables running Windows systems through external storage devices like USB. With Windows To Go, you can create a genuine Windows environment on a Mac without the inconvenience of installation.

Windows Enterprise users can utilize Volume Activation for Windows licensing to deploy Windows To Go workspaces on compatible host computers. However, a Microsoft-certified USB drive and a host computer are required to create a Windows To Go workspace on a Mac.

* Refer to the solution for creating Windows To Go without the Enterprise edition.

The Windows To Go host computer should meet the following technical specifications for seamless operation:

1 GHz or faster processor
2 GB or higher RAM
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.2 or greater graphics driver
USB 2.0 port or higher
USB boot enabled in the firmware
Firmware architecture compatible with the architecture of the image used for Windows To Go workspace

Some USB drives that support Windows To Go include IronKey Workspace W700, Kingston DataTraveler, Spyrus Portable Workplace, and so on.

When Is Creating Windows To Go on Mac Useful?

Windows To Go on Mac is an incredibly useful feature for contemporary work environments aiming to adopt a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. This feature typically proves beneficial in two scenarios:

When your Mac's internal storage doesn't have enough space to dual boot macOS and Windows OS.
When you want to run Windows-exclusive games and applications on your Mac.

* Fascinating "Game" topics on Mac include:

Can I Use Windows To Go on a Mac?

Regarding the main issue, you cannot use Windows To Go directly on a Mac. This is because the Windows To Go feature was discontinued by Microsoft in 2020, and it is only accessible for Windows Enterprise and Education editions.

However, Apple has an equivalent software for Windows To Go called Boot Camp Assistant. So, you can use Apple Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows environment on the bootable drive and run Windows on Mac.

如何使用Boot Camp Assistant创建Windows To Go USB驱动器

要使用Boot Camp创建WTG USB，请确保您有以下Mac设备：

MacBook 2015 or newer
MacBook Air 2012 or newer
MacBook Pro 2012 or newer
Mac mini 2012 or newer
iMac 2012 or newer
iMac Pro (all models)
Mac Pro 2013 or newer

If you have a compatible Mac, you can run Windows on Mac via USB by following these steps:

Step 1. Check Secure Boot Settings

By default, the Secure Boot setting is set to Full Security. However, if you have altered it, ensure you switch it back to Full Security before installing Windows. This ensures that you can utilize any Secure Boot settings without impacting your startup process.

check secure boot settings

Step 2. Create a Windows Partition with Boot Camp

Open Boot Camp Assistant from the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. Here, first-time Boot Camp users will need to specify some settings, such as partition size and others.

create windows partition on boot camp

Step 3. Format the partitions

When Boot Camp Assistant is done, your Mac will restart to the Windows installer. When the installer asks where to install Windows, select the Boot Camp partition and click Format. Usually, the installer selects the Boot Camp partition automatically.

Step 4. Install Windows

Just unplug any unwanted external devices from your Mac, click Next to install Windows, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 5. Install Windows Drivers

Upon completion of the installation, your Mac will start up in Windows and automatically download the appropriate Windows drivers. However, if the automatic driver installation does not initiate, you can find suitable Windows drivers on Apple's website and download them manually.

Step 6. Dual Boot to Windows

Now, restart your Mac and press the Alt/Option key while booting up. Select the Windows partition. Also, connect your Windows To Go USB drive to your Windows environment on your Mac.

Step 7. Connect the WTG USB to your Mac.

When the Windows To Go USB drive is connected to your Mac, use the Boot Camp drivers on the USB drive to copy them to the Windows OS on the USB drive.

Step 8. Install Boot Camp Drivers

下载并安装适用于所有Mac硬件的Boot Camp驱动程序，然后在这里完成工作。

是否存在一种简单的方法来为Mac创建Windows To Go USB驱动器？

Using Windows To Go on a Mac might be possible with the Boot Camp Assistant, but it's a rather technical and time-consuming method. Hence, not everyone can employ this approach.

But don't worry, you can use the easy alternative method to create a Windows To Go USB for Mac with the tool - OS2GO.

OS2GO is a third-party utility designed to create Windows To Go USB drives. With this software, you can conveniently install Windows 11, 10, 8, or even Windows 7 on a USB drive and subsequently connect it to your MacBook to run Windows applications on macOS.

There's no need to undergo the lengthy Boot Camp process or limit yourself to using only Windows Enterprise and Education editions in WTG. The program can swiftly and cost-efficiently create a WTG USB for Mac as follows.

Step 1. Install OS2Go on your Windows computer. It will show the used space on your system drive. Insert a USB drive with a capacity larger than the used space on the system drive. Select the target USB drive and click Next to proceed.

Step 2. OS2Go will warn you that the following action will erase all data on your drive. Make sure you've backed up all important data. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 3. Adjust disk layout. The default disk layout on the target drive will be identical to the source drive. You can also customize the layout to suit your needs. Check the option provided if you're using an SSD as the Windows boot drive. Then, click Proceed.

Step 4. OS2Go will then begin creating the portable USB drive. This process may take some time, depending on your operating system and network conditions. Once the progress reaches 100%, the USB drive will be bootable.

Step 5. Insert the portable Windows USB drive and start your computer. Press the necessary key (F2, DEL, F10, etc.) to access the BIOS. Select the option to boot from the USB drive.

注意: 请确保便携式USB驱动器和目标计算机的启动模式（UEFI或Legacy）相同，否则可能无法启动。

Closing Remarks

Windows To Go is the perfect solution to run Windows on a Mac without taking up space on the hard drive. However, the WTG USB drive cannot be used directly on a Mac, so you need to use the alternative Boot Camp Assistant to make it work.

Unfortunately, Boot Camp Assistant is too technical and complicated for some users. Hence, the optimal choice for using Windows To Go on a Mac is a third-party tool called OS2GO.

The software is compatible with all the latest Windows and Mac devices. Furthermore, it enables seamless running of Windows programs on Mac without any issues. Hence, give OS2GO's free trial a try today to create a WTG USB for your Mac!