➤Mac M1: do they work with older macOS versions? 🕹

Summary

> Mac M1 compatibility with macOS Catalina or earlier versions
> Run an older version of macOS using an external disk
> Use a virtual machine to run older macOS on M1 Macs

In November 2020, Apple unveiled its new Macs equipped with the M1 chip. During this presentation, the firm said that the macOS Big Sur operating system had been designed to work only with this new processing technology.

Therefore, this limit prevents its compatibility with older macOS versions, such as Mojave and Catalina.

Today, the question is to know if this restriction is final, or if there are solutions to circumvent it. We answer them later in this article.

Mac M1 compatibility with macOS Catalina or earlier versions

Although Big Sur runs on both Intel and M1 chips, none of the previous versions of macOS are compatible with Apple's new processors.

For good reason, the operating systems released before Big Sur were created for Intel x86 processors. As for MacOS Big Sur, even though the M1 chips have the ability to simulate an x86 CPU, they are based on an ARM architecture with a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) design exclusive to the latest Macs.

Therefore, new M1 devices host macOS Big Sur and cannot revert to other Apple operating systems.

Run an Older Version of macOS Using an External Disk

To boot older macOS versions, some Mac users use an external disk.

However, while this is still possible on Intel-based Macs, this is not the case on the M1 models.

Use a virtual machine to run older macOS on M1 Macs

Another common way to run alternate versions of operating systems is to use a virtual machine. These software solutions, such as Parallels and VMware Fusion, allow you to install Windows 10 at the same time as macOS on your Mac.

On the other hand, for the moment, they unfortunately do not support M1 devices.

The Parallels site still reported that a new version of its software, this time compatible with new Macs, would be under development. As for VMware, it is also committed to providing virtual machines for Mac Silicon in the future.

Until viable solutions are proposed, to enjoy Mojave, Catalina and others on your Mac M1, you will have to use an older Mac model.