Using DesignBuilder on macOS

Overview

DesignBuilder is developed using Windows-specific technologies and requires a 64-bit Windows environment. Mac users can run DesignBuilder successfully, but the reliability of the setup depends on:

• The Mac hardware (Intel vs Apple Silicon)

• How Windows is installed or accessed

• Whether Windows is running as x64 or ARM

Not all Mac + Windows configurations are technically equivalent.

Summary of Supported Configurations

Option 1 – Native Windows PC or Windows VM (Recommended)

Best overall option for stability, performance, and support.

DesignBuilder is installed on a native Windows 10/11 (64-bit) machine

The Mac connects using Remote Desktop or similar remote access tools

Requirements

• Physical Windows PC or

• Windows 64-bit virtual machine (on Intel hardware or hosted remotely)

Advantages

• Fully supported environment

• No installer or compatibility issues

• Best performance and reliability

When to choose this option

• Apple Silicon MacBooks (M1/M2/M3)

• Corporate or multi-user environments

• Users wanting the least setup complexity

Option 2 – Intel-based Mac using Boot Camp

Supported, but only available on Intel Macs.

How it works

• The Mac is configured to dual-boot into:

  • macOS or

  • Windows 10/11 (64-bit)

Requirements

• Intel-based MacBook or Mac desktop

• Boot Camp Assistant

• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit ISO)

Advantages

• Windows runs natively on the hardware

• Excellent performance

• Full compatibility with DesignBuilder

Limitations

• Not available on Apple Silicon Macs

• Requires rebooting to switch between macOS and Windows

Option 3 – Intel-based Mac using Parallels or VMware

Supported on Intel Macs only.

How it works

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit) runs in a virtual machine

• DesignBuilder is installed inside the VM

Requirements

• Intel-based Mac

• Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)

Advantages

• No reboot required

• Good compatibility

• Common and proven setup

Considerations

• VM must be allocated sufficient CPU cores and RAM

• Performance depends on VM configuration

Option 4 – Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3) using Parallels

(Limited and not reliably supported for local installation)

How it works

• Parallels runs Windows 11 ARM on Apple Silicon Macs

• Windows uses x64 emulation to run traditional Windows applications

Important limitations

• DesignBuilder uses a large x64 MSI installer

• Windows Installer does not always handle complex MSI packages reliably under ARM emulation

• Installation may fail with errors such as:

  • “This installation package could not be opened”

Recommendation

• This setup is not recommended for installing DesignBuilder locally

• Use Option 1 (Remote Windows 64-bit) instead

How to Check Your Windows Architecture

Inside Windows, confirm the architecture:

1. Press Windows + R

2. Type winver and press Enter

3. Check whether Windows reports:

   • 64-bit (x64) – supported

   • ARM64 – limited compatibility

Alternatively:

• Open Settings → System → About

• Review System type

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Recommended Approach

For Apple Silicon MacBooks, the recommended and supported approach is:

Run DesignBuilder on a native Windows 64-bit machine and access it remotely from macOS.

This provides the best reliability and avoids installer and compatibility issues.

See also Which operating systems does DesignBuilder support?