I’ve already written several articles on virtual machines because they are a great way to keep you safe from viruses and increase your privacy. The second best choice in my opinion if you need Windows installed locally on the machine is to use a virtual machine. Overall, if you need a full copy of Windows and want to fully utilize the specs of your Mac, I suggest using Boot Camp. You’ll also need to have about 50 to 100 GB of free space available on your Mac in order to install Windows. With a full copy of Windows, you can install any and all programs without limitation. This means it’ll be faster than any other method mentioned below.

The advantages of using Boot Camp are two-fold: you get an entire copy of Windows installed and it is running directly on the Mac hardware. If not, you have to download an ISO version of Windows and install that onto a USB flash drive. The process of installing Windows using Boot Camp is straight-forward, but not something I think most consumers would be able to do unless they have a technical background. If you have a Windows CD/DVD with you, that makes it much easier. I’ve actually already written an article on how to install Windows using Boot Camp. It’s a free tool included with all versions of OS X and it allows you to install a single copy of Windows alongside OS X on your Mac.

The most common solution you will read about online is using Boot Camp.

Running windows 7 on macbook