HOW TO Run Boot Camp in Catalina

1 Off to Boot Camp

Using Boot Camp is pretty straightforward, as long as you’re running Catalina and have a licence key for Windows 10. If this is the first time you’ve used Boot Camp, you should click Open Boot Camp Help before proceeding.

2 Download Windows

Boot Camp knows which model of Mac you’re using, so that Help button shows you information that is relevant for your particular Mac. Current Macs can only install Windows 10, so Apple provides a link to download that.

3 Prepare your Mac

Boot Camp asks you to select the Windows file, and then to specify how much disk space it should use for Windows. It will then partition your hard drive – creating a separate section where it can install Windows.

5 Windows meets Mac

Once it’s installed, Windows automatically runs the Boot Camp Installer as well. This is provided by Apple to install additional software that Windows needs to control your Mac’s mouse, keyboard, and other components.

7 Mac Control Panel

Let’s use that control panel to switch back to the macOS. Look at the Startup Disk panel in System Preferences and you’ll see an identical control panel on the Mac that lets you switch between macOS and Windows.

4 Wait for Windows

Boot Camp switches over to the standard Windows installer program. You’ll need to create a new user account for Windows, but the process is otherwise automatic so you can go and make a cup of tea while you wait.

6 Windows Control Panel

The System Tray – the little arrow on the right of the Windows Taskbar – includes a diamond-shaped Boot Camp icon. This can show Help files, and a Control Panel that allows you to switch between macOS and Windows.

8 On the Desktop

You can now see the Boot Camp partition on the desktop alongside your Mac’s main hard drive. You can remove this by running the Boot Camp Assistant once more – but, of course, you won’t be able to run Windows anymore.