All the big tech giants have now released their own versions of AI. Google has Gemini, Microsoft has Copilot, and Apple has Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence opens new possibilities on Apple devices, like iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but what if you want to use it on Windows machines and apps?
You can’t set it up on a Windows PC natively, but there is a workaround to get Apple Intelligence features in Windows apps on a Mac.
Before You Begin – Enabling Apple Intelligence Features
Before we get into the tutorial to set up Apple Intelligence features on Windows apps, there are a couple of prerequisites. You’ll need to:
Update your Mac and enable Apple Intelligence
Download and install Parallels Desktop
To enable Apple Intelligence, do the following:
Step 1. Go to the “Menu” on your Mac, then “System Settings.”
Step 2. Go to “General” and then “Software Update.”
Step 3. Verify that your Mac is updated to macOS Sequoia 15.1 or a more recent version. Download and install the latest update if your device is running an older version of macOS.
Step 4. Once the update is done, return to the “System Settings” menu, scroll down to find “Apple Intelligence,” and toggle it on.
As for Parallels Desktop, you can download it from the official site. Pricing starts at $99.99 a year, though you can purchase a lifetime license, if desired. There is also a trial you can download to test out Parallels Desktop first before paying, but if you want full access to all Apple Intelligence features in Windows, you’ll need the full version.
How to Get Apple Intelligence Features in Windows Apps with Parallel Tools
Once you’ve set up Apple Intelligence and Parallels Desktop on your device, getting Apple Intelligence features in Windows apps is relatively easy. Here’s all you need to do:
Step 1. Open the Parallels Desktop Control Center.
Step 2. Launch your Windows virtual machine.
Step 3. Click “Actions,” then “Update Parallels Tools.” This will update the software within your Windows VM, which should then let you start using Apple Intelligence features.
Note that this only enables Apple Intelligence’s “Writing Tools” on Windows. The Writing Tools use AI to treat text in various ways, such as rewriting it, changing the tone, or summing up a large part of a text in a brief paragraph. This method won’t unlock other Apple Intelligence features in your Windows apps like image generation, but that could change with future updates.
As for how to use the features, all you need to do is open an app like Word or Notepad, or anything else that uses text, on your Windows VM in Parallels Desktop. Then, highlight the text you want to work with, and press “Shift,” “CMD,” and “W” together to open the Apple Intelligence writing tools pop-up menu. You can then click on the functions to rewrite, adjust tone, summarize, etc.
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