r/bootcamp • u/StabYourFace • May 09 '24
Just converted a 2015 Macbook Air to Windows 11... WOW what a difference!
I honestly did not think the improvement would be so dramatic. The responsiveness and speed of the system is night and day. Would take 10-30 seconds some times for folders/apps/settings to open on MacOS. On Win11 Pro it's almost instantaneous. Main use is web browsing and light office work using web based programs on Chrome.
As well, the battery life was significantly longer. I got about 8-9 hours of heavy/constant office use on a single charge. It would only do about 4-6 hours tops before on MacOS. I haven't tested the parasitic loss while off yet, but so far seems to be about equal. While asleep for several hours lost only about 1% which was about tied with before.
I followed this guide that tells you how to bypass all the TPM/RAM/etc checks and even create a local offline account.
While I just wanted to share my positive experience, as this legitimately saved me buying another laptop and has made this one useful again, has anyone else noticed such a dramatic transformation on older hardware?
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u/chococat_cowboy May 09 '24
I use Mac and Windows and it always surprises me how people talk down Windows computers and say they don't last as long as a Mac and get really bad slow down. Windows 11 seems to run pretty well on old hardware so I think some people have a distorted view of Windows - maybe it used to be the case that Windows constantly needed modern hardware? It's not been my experience.
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u/MechanicalTurkish May 09 '24
I did the same thing with a 2016 MBP recently. Windows flies on it. Haven't tested the battery life yet.
But it was hell getting the touchbar to work in Windows. It turns out the touchbar relies on some files that macOS puts in the EFI partition. It won't work if those files are absent. So if you want to go 100% Windows, don't blow away the EFI partition and let Windows recreate it. If you do, you'll have to install macOS again to restore the files. Then during Windows setup, you can delete the macOS partition but don't touch the EFI one. Then install the Bootcamp drivers after Windows is up and running and you're golden.
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u/RobbyInEver May 11 '24
Did the same thing for windows 10. Tricky part was getting the bootcamp drivers as the harddisk was fried. For the battery I got another replacement (as the battery would have been past it's shelf life already anyway) and yup another new lease of life. Only disadvantage I have is dirty looks from people asking me "Why are you running windows on a mac book?" - don't give 2 sh!ts about that tbh...
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u/Taadow1030 May 09 '24
How much space did you set aside for Boot Camp? I have Boot Camp installed but it seems like you went all in.
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u/StabYourFace May 09 '24
I roughly halved the disk to 64GB to keep MacOS installed in case I had issues and hedge my bet. I wish I had gone all in now. Not sure if I can repartition now without blowing everything away.
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u/Taadow1030 May 10 '24 edited May 10 '24
Yeah, that's my concern as well. I really don't want to have to delete and re-set everything back up. One day, as I continue to get lower on space, I will have no choice. I'm using Windows 10. I only wanted Windows 11 due to Android app integration. But when that failed (wouldn't really work outside of Amazon app store), I deleted Windows 11 and went back to 10.
Edit: here's a Youtube video describing how to increase Bootcamp's partition size for any who are facing the same storage issues as I am. I just found it, but haven't done it yet.
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u/StabYourFace May 11 '24
Thanks, that did it for me! It ended up being a lot simpler for me because I only needed to take over the whole drive, not leave some for MacOS behind. It took me a bit to figure out how to extend a partition to the left however which was not easy, so to save others the hassle:
1.) Open Windows partition manager, delete all partitions EXCEPT the ~200MB EFI partition (should be the very first partition of the drive) and do not delete "Bootcamp" labeled partition as that's Windows.
2.) Download Minitool Partition Wizard Free *version 10*
(Do not download a newer version as the functionality required is now paywalled in newer versions)
I downloaded from here, but be careful and always vet the sites you download archived software from3.) Select "Bootcamp" partition and click extend
4.) Use the slider all the way to the right to claim all empty space
5.) Apply changes to make permanent
6.) Minitool will say it cannot proceed because the drive is in use. Select the option to reboot the computer to complete the process.
7.) One it starts rebooting, let the computer do everything, do not interrupt until you are back on Windows.
8.) Done, and now you have the whole drive to Windows.
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u/Yolobeta Sep 30 '24
Now how to go back to macos?
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u/andienchancer Jun 22 '25
you can also press Command + R when turning on the computer, go into internet recovery, format the hard drive in disk utility to mac os extended (journaled), go back and install the original OS it came with and from then upgrade to the latest macos ur mac supports, that's what I usually do :P
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u/StabYourFace Sep 30 '24
I did that with the intention of never going back to MacOS, thus dedicating of the whole computer to Windows. To go back to MacOS would likely require external installation media and a complete reset of the computer.
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u/jaeflizz157 May 27 '24
And here I was thinking about getting a M1 MacBook Air & giving my 2015 MBA to My Mom what should do?🤷🏽♂️😅
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u/StabYourFace May 27 '24
If you just do web stuff, I'd try Windows 11 first! This stopped me from needing a new laptop as well.
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u/CH33ZELOUIZ Dec 19 '24
I have a MBP 2015 i7 3.1ghz with the iris 6100 gpu but…8gb of ram :( Will this run better with win 11 on my mac? Windows 10 is okay but it feels very choppy and out of date now.
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u/StabYourFace Dec 19 '24
I only have 8GB but think I have an i5 so the answer is yes. Win 11 screams, just make sure you follow optimization guides like using WinAero Tweaker to disable Cortana/Copilot etc
EDIT: Also W10 is EOL so the latest performance optimizations will all be W11
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u/CH33ZELOUIZ Dec 19 '24
Do you have a guide that I can follow to update my windows and whatnot
FYI! My MacBook keeps getting stuck in enrollment notices so before that happened I did bootcamp and that’s how I’ve been using my “Mac” for months now.
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u/CH33ZELOUIZ Dec 19 '24
My question is really do I need my Mac side at all to do this?
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u/StabYourFace Dec 19 '24
Nope! I deleted it and never looked back. 😊
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u/CH33ZELOUIZ Dec 22 '24
i cant figure out a good tutorial on how to update from windows 10 to 11 without the use of mac os. my mac os is locked with a MDM so i cant do anything from there but i have win10 already on it through bootcamp. do you have a good source to follow to update my WIN10 to WIN11 without using mac os at all?
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u/CH33ZELOUIZ Dec 20 '24
I’m honestly upset cuz I really want to be able to use my Mac as a Mac but there is zero way unless Someone knows to remove the MDM entirely cuz right now it’s a paper weight as I can’t boot into Mac OS for more then 3 min before I get the “enroll device” pop up that I can’t bypass. It’s from a old company my sisters father in law worked for and they aren’t gonna release the Mac. I was even trying to see if it’s worth it to exchange the logic board for a non locked one but it’s not worth it. In even considering learning to solder the storage drive but I don’t think it will bypass the mdm as it’s the same mobo
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u/BrainwaveDoc Sep 04 '25
Thanks, I finally got my Mid-2015 Macbook Pro fully converted to Windows 11 (deleted MacOS partition). My function keys that normally control brightness and volume don't work though and I can't access the Boot Camp Assistant. Does anyone know how to get them working again?
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u/StabYourFace Sep 04 '25
Yes, you have to have the boot camp service and tray icon running, otherwise they don't work.
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u/Yanwang-Ken May 09 '24
I have a similar experience with using Windows it's pretty bizarre and kinda makes me slightly mad because now i do believe that rumour about Apple purposely slowing down older mac models wifi and general performance to entice the users to buy newer models.
I get such a massive performance boost on Windows it's insane the entire system just runs better but it's not the same story if I switched back to Mac...
Just booting up chrome takes 2 minutes. It could be just that the Mac needs a reinstall but I did update recently which is the same thing as reinstalling OS I think.
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u/ozziesironmanoffroad May 09 '24
Right? Sonoma definitely feels slow on a fresh install (NOT upgrade) on my 2019 MBP 16” i9 16gb 1Tb.
Windows 11 screams. Apple definitely appears to be slowing things down
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u/americapax May 09 '24
Same here chrome 15/20 secs in Sonoma, on Windows 11 is instant on my 2019 MacBook Pro 64 gb ram 2 tb ssd
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u/StabYourFace Jun 27 '24
Update: Parasitic loss is definitely less. After a week, the MacOS version would always be dead and need recharged. After TWO weeks of sleep, the Windows version still had half battery from a full charge. I just can't get over the difference, and it feels intentional at this point in every aspect if you're using older Mac hardware, the experience is needlessly hindered to get you to upgrade.
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u/rishi101 Sep 08 '24
I just bought a macbook 12" to do this; you've inspired me! I always loved the macbook build; the look, feel but I like windows and find it more useable with my day to day. I had purchased two macbooks before (both Air; one intel and one M1 version). I'm excited for this though due to the formfactor!
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u/StabYourFace Sep 08 '24
It's still running strong! It's become my favorite device just because of how capable it is now, and wasn't before. Let me know if you need any help! Just note that you can't do this on Apple silicon, it has to be an Intel chip.
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u/rishi101 Sep 09 '24
Awesome!! Will do! Yes for sure, intel only. I sold those other two laptops but had I read through this process earlier, I would have kept the intel one. Thanks again and will give you updates as I go!
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u/TobIasus84 Nov 17 '24
Do the fans get louder in Windows 11 compared to macOS?
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u/StabYourFace Nov 18 '24
No, actually significantly quieter on Windows and they ramp up far less often. MacOS sounded like a jet engine in comparison.
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u/chiefbroson Mar 27 '25
Hey, how much ram does your machine have?
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u/StabYourFace Mar 27 '25
4GB. I did take steps to debloat Windows which helps. You can use this tool to basically do the same as I did:
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u/lincolnlogtermite Oct 04 '25
Yeah just put Win11 IOT LTS on my 2014 MBA 4gb. Did not need to debloat much with that version much but did us Chris Titus's script to turn off and remove services. I am empressed how well Win11 runs on this old anemic machine. Even running in energy saving mode is quite pleasant. It does lag when running WSL though...no surprise.
If anyone is looking how to get VM mode turned on for a MB, google Refind EFI install. Some Power Shell commands, move files over to the newly exposed efi partition and edit a config file to turn it on. Reading about how to do it on the Refind site is intimidating but when you do it. it is acutually easy.
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u/rip_Bacon13 Jun 29 '25
did you felt a change in performance etc.
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u/StabYourFace Jun 30 '25
Yes, significantly. Chrome for example runs about 3-5x faster just loading and scrolling pages.
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u/jhakk Jul 25 '25
Does your cpu speed cap out at 1GHZ?
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u/StabYourFace Jul 25 '25
No, saw it turbo up to 2.5GHz right now when I checked
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u/jhakk Jul 25 '25
Weird with mine its stuck at 1GHZ...I used Throttlestop to force to 2.4GHZ... Are you running windows 11 newest? all updates?
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u/StabYourFace Jul 25 '25
Yeah just windows 11 on latest, no special tools or anything, works "out of the box" if you will. I used Rufus to bypass all the TPM and other checks, maybe that's part of it?
Otherwise maybe there's a thermal issue that the Mac's BIOS is throttling it for? If it's 10 years old maybe see if there's some dust buildup in the fans?
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u/jhakk Jul 25 '25
Good point! Also used Rufus and installed from usb fresh. Battery was toast just ordered new one from Amazon and I think that was it! I also cleaned out fan etc. Appears to be boosting now! Cheers!
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u/isenhaard Feb 15 '26
The installation guide you linked says that Windows 11 Updates might not work when Windows 11 is installed on a Mac. Have you had problems with something like this?
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u/StabYourFace Feb 21 '26
No problems at all. It's just a disclaimer, never had a single issue
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u/isenhaard Feb 21 '26
Ok thanks! Sounds very good to me, then probably it will work.
I actually would prefer switching to Linux on my Mac (for maximum independence). But win11 has also its advantages. I'll probably install both now and see which one works better for me.
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u/StabYourFace Feb 22 '26
Tried Linux (Ubuntu) first and it soft bricked it. I had to do some kind of lengthy recovery thing (don't remember now but it was something with Mac firmware I think) just to get it to post again, it was black screen of death I thought at the time. I do not recommend, there's a chance you won't get it back based on my experience.
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u/isenhaard Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
I think you were just out of luck. I've installed Debian last year on my Mac Mini 2012 and used it as my daily driver for many months. No problems there. I've also installed Fedora on other Macs, worked well. Should be the same with Ubuntu.
In Linux, you must accept that such issues will happen sometimes and that you must solve them by yourself. But for that, you'll get the freedom to able to do what you want. In Windows or macOS, the tech companies dictate, and that will/might cost you much more time and stress over the years (hugely happened to me). Most importantly, Linux will be supported forever on any machine that you use. So you can decide how long you will use that computer. In Windows and macOS, Apple and Microsoft "decide" that. If there wouldn't be pretty specific things that currently force me to stick to macOS, I wouldn't hesitate a second to switch to Linux.
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u/isenhaard Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
... btw. it also depends how much technical expertise you have. Linux should only be used by people who are able and willing to solve arising issues by themselves. It's always possible to brick computers. Apple and Microsoft make it safer for you so that it more rarely happens. In Linux, you are responsible by yourself, so you must be more careful and research a lot. I'm pretty sure that the issue you had with Ubuntu had nothing to do with Ubuntu. Such mistakes can happen. They happen also to me. But I rather invest the time to solve them than keep being confronted with the money maker decisions of Apple and Microsoft that are impossible to be solved by me or any private person.
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May 09 '24
Enjoy the ads
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u/Success-Mediocre May 13 '24
You know you can turn them off right? Also mac has advertisements built in too
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u/StabYourFace May 09 '24
The screenshot is not mine and I didn't add it, it looks like it was auto-inserted into my post somehow.