Can you run Sage Pastel Partner on an Apple Mac
We often get asked by students interested in doing our Sage courses if Sage Pastel Partner (or XPress or Evolution) runs on a Mac.
The answer is yes – it is possible to run Sage Pastel on a Mac but you need to install additional software before you can do so.
In this article, we will look at what software you need to run Sage Pastel on a Mac.
Sage Pastel needs Windows to run
The first thing you need to know is that Sage Pastel Partner requires Microsoft Windows to run.
As you may know, Apple Mac computers run a different operating system called OS X.
So what this means is that you will first need to install Microsoft Windows on your Mac and only then will you be able to install Sage Pastel Partner (or XPress or Evolution).
The first step is to download Windows on to your computer from the following link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO
OPTION 1 – Install Windows via Boot Camp
Please note that this Boot Camp option does not work with the newer M1 Apple processors i.e. only with the older Intel based processors.
Boot Camp is functionality that comes with your Apple Mac that allows you to partition your hard drive into two separate sections.
The one section will run OS X as it currently does. The other section will run Windows.
When you startup your computer you can choose to run OS X or Windows.
If you choose Windows it will startup your computer in Windows mode and it will be just like running Windows on a PC.
While running Windows here, you won’t be able to access any of the applications in OS X. If you want to be able to run Pastel while you are running other applications on OS X please see below.
To learn more about how to get Bootcamp setup please go to the following page on the Apple website:
https://support.apple.com/boot-camp
The following video demonstrates the process
OPTION 2 – Run Windows as an application in OS X
If you have a Mac with the newer M1 chips you will need to download the ARM version of Windows and we have only tested this with Parallels (not with Virtual Box). Please see this article.
With this option you will install software that will allow you to run Windows (and Pastel on it) as a separate application in OS X.
This is referred to as running Windows as a virtual machine and will allow you to easily switch between Pastel (in its own Window) and your other Mac OS X applications.
There are a few different applications that will enable you to do this.
The most well known and recommended is a program called Parallels but it isn’t free.
For a free option you can have a look at Virtual Box.
This video explains the process very well.
Which one is better?
It depends on your specific requirements. If you need to access other Mac applications while you are running Pastel then you will have to go with Option 2 above.
Please also note that running virtual machine software such as Parallels or Virtual Box is more resource intensive as you are running Windows and OS X at the same time. You should make sure that your system has at least 8GB of RAM (and preferably 16GB) otherwise you may find that your system will be quite slow.
With option 1 only Windows will be running (and not OS X), so this may be a better option if you are using an older Mac.
