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Many tech users are fiercely loyal to their preferred platforms, but there are still open-minded individuals on both sides of the macOS vs. Windows debate who may not fully understand what the other has to offer. In this comparison, we break down the key features of Apple's and Microsoft's operating systems, side by side. Of course, some features will matter more to you than others. Your ultimate choice might depend on your professional needs, your existing device ecosystem (including your phone and tablet), the platforms used by those around you, and whether gaming is a priority. While ChromeOS and Linux are viable alternatives if they support the software you need, most people will be choosing between macOS and Windows. So, which one comes out on top? Let’s take a closer look.
Hardware Options: Apple's Pristine Mac Lineup vs. Windows' Endless Customization
Before you can run any OS, you need a computer and possibly some peripherals. Apple has some fine hardware options, including MacBooks with attractive industrial designs, the iMac with its 4.5K screen, and the powerful Mac Studio. However, these devices are pricey, and their variety pales in comparison with the many Windows PCs and tablets that are available from different manufacturers. You won't find any convertible laptops or touch screens on any Macs, let alone dual-screen and rollable laptops. Windows runs on powerful gaming PCs and handhelds as well.
As for internal components—things like the CPU, graphics card, and SSD—there’s no contest. Apple silicon Macs don't support discrete graphics hardware from the likes of Nvidia and AMD, for example. Windows gives you a lot more leeway in configuring a system with the components you want and more flexibility to upgrade later. Heck, you can even build your own PC with the parts of your choice. Both OSes have reached the point where support for keyboards, mice, printers, webcams, and other peripherals is a plug-and-play situation, so you shouldn't worry much about that. Both come with excellent, seamless support for multiple monitors, too.
Winner: Windows
Getting Started: Out-of-the-Box Polish vs. Microsoft Account Friction
Both OSes have clear and polished setup processes. You can set up macOS without an Apple account fairly easily, but Windows makes using a local account more difficult. If you do sign in to a cloud account, you get a richer experience on both, from iCloud and Siri AI on macOS Golden Gate to Copilot and OneDrive on Windows 11. Not signing in means missing out on app roaming, data syncing, messages, voice assistants, and a whole lot of other goodies, however. Most people will prefer the signed-in experience.
Both let you replicate a previous computer. Apple's macOS has a Migration Assistant that lets you transfer data from a computer running either macOS or Windows. Microsoft has an online Windows Backup feature that migrates some data synced to a Microsoft account, but it can't directly transfer data from a computer running macOS or Windows. Both OSes automatically recognize and install drivers for standard hardware peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, and hard drives.
Winner: macOS
Login Experience: Why Windows' Biometrics Win
Both systems have login options that go beyond the traditional password. If you have a recent MacBook or a Magic Keyboard, you can easily sign in to your Mac using Touch ID. Apple's macOS does not support Face ID, but you can log in through your Apple Watch if it's in close proximity. However, you must still type your password to sign in after restarting or turning on your Mac. You can then use Touch ID or your Apple Watch to unlock macOS when you subsequently wake it from sleep.
Windows 11 relies on the Windows Hello system for biometric logins, and you have a few options. Face login with a depth-mapping-capable webcam is probably the coolest and quickest. It's available on many laptops, including most Surface devices, and you can buy webcams that add this feature to a desktop PC. Windows Hello also supports fingerprint readers, available on laptops such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Windows also accepts a PIN, which is more convenient than a full password. A PIN is specific to a machine—Microsoft doesn't store it online like a standard account password—and four incorrect entries temporarily lock you out. Windows Hello biometrics let you sign into your PC even after rebooting or turning on your Windows PC. Unlike on a Mac, you should never have to type your account password after setting up biometric authentication.
Both are likely to make you prove your age going forward.
Winner: Windows
Included Apps: Free, Full-Featured macOS Apps Leave Windows Bloatware Behind
Both operating systems come with a wealth of utilities and apps, from calendars and mail clients to photo and video editors. They also include screenshot tools, voice recorders, and web browsers, not to mention camera, contacts, news, and weather apps. Both even now include AI chatbots and other AI-powered features throughout the operating system, including in their image editing applications.
Apple's macOS includes a more mature collection of desktop apps. For example, Apple's iMovie is an excellent local video editor. Windows 11 includes Clipchamp, but it requires an internet connection and has some features that require a paid Microsoft 365 subscription. Windows 11's Weather app includes advertising and uses substantially more RAM than the macOS Weather app. Apple has a relatively full-featured office suite, while Windows includes Notepad. Microsoft makes you pay for Microsoft 365 if you want the desktop versions of its Office suite apps. macOS also has the awesome GarageBand app, while Windows doesn't include anything similar. Most of Microsoft's applications, including Clipchamp, Teams, and OneNote, are also available on macOS, whereas you can't run most of Apple's apps on Windows, with the exception of Apple Music, Apple TV, iCloud, and iTunes.
Winner: macOS
Third-Party Software: Windows Still Rules Software Support
Both platforms have had time to develop rich ecosystems of software and services. Windows is more likely to support custom business applications, while macOS is prevalent in creative fields. That said, you can find plenty of business software for Macs. And Windows actually has more options in some creative areas, such as photo and video editing software.
macOS and Windows each have app stores that manage installation and updating, but many apps aren't available in these stores. The macOS app installation process is somewhat confusing: Some apps make you drag a disk image to the Applications folder, for example, and that's just one way. However, macOS usually gets new and trendy apps before Windows. For instance, Anthropic and OpenAI released the Claude and ChatGPT desktop apps for macOS before Windows.
Windows app installation is more straightforward. Finally, Windows PCs can still run software programmed decades ago, while macOS version updates regularly make older apps obsolete. This is important for businesses that previously spent a lot of money on custom code.
Both macOS and Windows also let you install many app-like websites as progressive web apps (PWAs) using Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, or other browsers like Google Chrome. They get their own dock entries on a Mac or taskbar buttons on Windows.
Winner: Windows
Interface Customization: Liquid Glass vs. Custom Accent Colors
Both operating systems give you decent leeway for customizing their appearance. You can personalize the desktop backgrounds, interface colors, screen item sizes, and screen savers. Both OSes have good wallpaper options, with macOS adding Live Wallpapers that change throughout the day and Windows 11 adding HDR wallpaper support.
The quality of an operating system's dark mode is a point of contention for some users. macOS’s version is a bit more consistent. Despite regular updates, some older Windows dialogs are still not dark when the mode is active. Windows has a Custom option, which lets you decide whether you want dark or light mode for apps, system elements, or both. Both systems use slick, rounded window corners. macOS Golden Gate polishes the Liquid Glass design system that Apple introduced with macOS Tahoe. A slider also now lets you tone down the transparency effect. Windows 11 also lets you choose a custom accent color, which it uses for buttons and other interface elements.
When it comes to widgets, the two OSes differ markedly. Windows 11's widgets live in a panel that optionally pops up when you hover over its taskbar icon. The panel thankfully no longer shows viral headlines by default, which makes for a calmer experience. Windows lets you choose widgets for the lock screen, too. Ever since macOS Sonoma, you can place widgets anywhere on the desktop, just like in Windows Vista more than a decade ago. What's more, you can use iPhone widgets on the macOS desktop, thanks to Continuity (see the Mobile Device Integration section below).
Winner: Tie
Desktop and Window Management: macOS Snap Features Still Can't Touch Windows Multitasking
The way macOS manages and arranges program windows can be frustrating. Even with Sequoia's shameless copying of Windows' Snap Layouts feature, Microsoft's OS still makes it easier to arrange windows on the screen the way you want, not the way the OS wants. The 2024 Sequoia update also copied Windows' ability to snap a window to fill exactly half the screen by dragging its title bar to the side edge—something that's been around since Windows 7.
Windows 11's Snap Layouts let you choose a window arrangement from any program's maximize button. The same thing works on a tablet's touch interface if you drag an app's top bar to the top of the screen to see layout choices. You can even reuse these layouts from taskbar icons, and they carry over to a secondary display.
Apple put some effort into improving its windowing game with Stage Manager, available since Ventura. When enabled, it displays diagonal 3D tiles to the left of the active program window for easy switching. Some find the accompanying animations jarring, but at least they make window management somewhat clearer than before.
You can create multiple virtual desktops in both Windows and macOS, and they do an equally fine job of letting you switch between them with touchpad gestures or keyboard shortcuts.
Confusingly, in macOS, there are two different ways for an app to run full-screen. The default is as a separate virtual desktop, which you get when you click the green maximize button (which also serves as a Resize button). But there's another full-screen mode that maintains the system menu across the top. Sometimes, I don't want macOS to switch me to another virtual desktop when I didn't specifically opt for one.
Finally, Windows has a feature that lets you grab a window's title bar with your mouse and shake it to minimize everything else (in Windows 11, you have to turn this "Title bar window shake" feature on in Settings). It's a great way to clear out distractions and focus on the window you're working in. Similarly, macOS lets you create a hot corner that minimizes your open windows when you move your mouse to an assigned corner of your screen.
Winner: Windows
Dock vs. Taskbar: Capable Launchers Help You Manage Running Apps
The macOS Dock has made strides over the years, with its ability to display icons for recently used apps and a nifty hover-over magnifying animation. You can easily change the placement of icons in the Dock and enlarge or shrink the whole thing at any time, which is good for accessibility. One frustrating thing about macOS is that when you click a running app’s Dock icon, its window sometimes doesn’t appear on screen. That's because macOS is document-based, whereas Windows is application-based. When you click on an app's icon in the Dock, you might just see its menu at the top, but no program window. In Windows, tapping a taskbar icon always brings up the associated program's window.
The Windows taskbar shows a thumbnail miniature of the program window when you hover the mouse cursor over its icon. Taskbar Jump Lists let you see recent files you opened in the app or jump to frequently needed actions in that program; macOS's Dock works similarly. In Windows 11, the taskbar took a step backward, but you can now move it to any edge of the screen. The default center alignment for taskbar buttons means that the Start button isn't always in the same place, but you can set it to left-justified. Microsoft also brought back the ability to choose a wider, more informative view of the app buttons, which more clearly shows which apps are running than the dot you get in macOS.
Winner: Tie
Finder vs. File Explorer: A Tie in File Management
Windows' File Explorer benefits from recent performance and stability improvements. It has a Gallery view for photo folders and native support for 7-Zip and RAR archive files. You can finally have multiple tabs in a File Explorer window, something the macOS Finder has had for years. File Explorer's Home folder lets you show Recent, Recommended, and Favorite files. The macOS Finder’s Recents folder works similarly. Finder also has a Favorites section, though I find it much harder to use than File Explorer, especially when moving between folders on a drive. For example, it doesn't let you easily navigate up and down a drive's folder tree.
File Explorer also has attractive, color-coded main folders, but macOS Tahoe introduced the ability to change folder colors from the default ghastly blue. You can change the icon for any folder on Windows, but this doesn't work as simply as changing the colors in Finder. Both OSes show document previews on the right side of the Explorer/Finder windows, let you choose which app to open a file with, and enable you to easily share files with a right-click.
Winner: Tie
System Search: AI-Powered Spotlight Leaves Windows Search in the Dust
Windows has a convenient, permanent search box in the taskbar. Both OSes have magnifying glass icons and simple keyboard shortcuts to summon the search feature. You can find local and web content with either, as well as do conversions and math. Both let you filter results by category (such as app, document, or folder). Windows 11 now lets you turn off Bing web search and Store app search results in the system search box if you want to focus on local files.
But macOS's Spotlight gets the edge. With macOS Golden Gate, Siri AI now delivers more convenient file searches and the ability to create app actions. The latest Copilot app on Windows 11 can no longer search your computer's folders for files, though a previous version did.
Winner: macOS
Touch, Pen, and Dictation: Windows Supports More Input Methods
In terms of alternative input, Microsoft's operating system has the edge. Windows has had full touch screen support for more than a decade. A good selection of convertible Windows laptops and tablets is available, too. After decades of stubbornly refusing to add touch screens to its computers, rumor has it that Apple might finally offer this capability.
Stylus input is another win for Windows. The support for styluses like the Surface Pen on touch screens is robust, with incredibly smooth handwriting-to-text conversion and pressure sensitivity. You can use a pen anywhere you enter text, and you can also draw in apps like OneNote. Apple's macOS doesn't have this feature, as the Apple Pencil works only with iPads and the iPhone Duo.
On both Windows and Mac, you can use your voice for text input in any app.
Winner: Windows
AI: Apple Intelligence and Siri AI Put Microsoft Copilot to Shame
macOS Golden Gate introduces a powerful AI-powered Siri, along with a range of other Apple Intelligence features, including AI-powered photo editing. Apple's Safari browser gains a range of AI features, including the ability to automatically change passwords, monitor websites for updates, and vibe-code browser extensions. This cohesive collection of user-friendly AI features is far ahead of what Microsoft offers on Windows.
Microsoft added Copilot to Windows in 2023, a full generative AI chatbot that can create text and images and answer research questions. Copilot has a particularly useful Copilot Vision feature, which lets you have a natural voice conversation about items on your screen. It can even highlight an area on the screen while telling you how to complete a certain action. Copilot also now supports the "Hey Copilot" wake-word option, in a nod to dear old Cortana. Copilot+ PCs get even more AI features, with things like Click to Do, Live Captions with translation, and Recall. But Microsoft is de-emphasizing Copilot+ PCs, and Copilot no longer includes many useful OS integrations. For example, you can ask Siri AI to enable dark mode on macOS, but Copilot AI can't change any system settings on Windows 11.
Winner: macOS
Mobile Device Integration: Seamless Apple Ecosystem vs. Windows' Surprisingly Good Android Sync
With Phone Link, Microsoft has reached near parity with Apple's mobile-to-desktop integration story if you connect an Android phone. And connecting an iPhone to Windows gets you calls, notifications, and texts on the desktop. Connecting some higher-end Android phones lets you run multiple Android apps on a Windows screen simultaneously. The Windows Phone Link app is sometimes unreliable, but it's still far better than not having an option at all, as with macOS. The Apple desktop-mobile connection continues to be tighter and slicker if you use an iPhone, however. The iPhone Mirroring feature lets you show and control the mobile interface on your computer screen, for example, but supports just one app at a time.
You can use an iPhone as an external webcam (Windows now has this feature, too, for Android phones), and you can use an iPad as a secondary screen. The macOS Notifications panel lets you send text messages by syncing with a nearby iPhone, and you can share all your photos across devices in Apple Photos. You can transfer almost anything to another Apple device using AirDrop (Windows has a similar feature for nearby file sharing). Finally, you can even engage in video calling with FaceTime between devices. The Apple Watch is yet another piece of the integrated ecosystem that Windows can’t match. For example, you can unlock your Mac when your watch is nearby, and the same notifications flow to both.
Winner: Tie
Accessibility: Eye Tracking and Live Captions Make Windows the Accessibility Leader
Both operating systems have excellent accessibility features, but Microsoft has consistently made it a top priority. Each offers Braille support, screen magnification, sticky and slow key entry, text narration, and voice input. But with Windows, it's possible to set up the system by voice. Microsoft has even added the ability to control the computer with your eyes and has come out with a line of Adaptive Accessories for alternative input. Apple's macOS lets you control your cursor with your head, but it doesn't support eye tracking.
Microsoft provides customer support in American Sign Language via video call. It works with the free BeMyEyes app, which "connects blind or low vision users who want assistance, with volunteers and companies across the world, through live video and AI." The company's Seeing AI tech can describe people's emotions in real time based on their expressions. Microsoft has even published a highly rated Seeing AI app for Android and iOS.
Copilot+ PCs include a Live Captions feature that displays text captions for any spoken words playing on the PC. This feature can translate other spoken languages into English. This leverages the local neural processing units (NPU) on these PCs.
Even on non-Copilot+ PCs, Windows 11 can display live captions for any spoken audio from any source on the screen. Windows 11 also made its Narrator voice sound more natural when reading screen text, while an improved Voice Access feature lets you control everything on the PC (now in preview).
In its favor, Apple continues to improve and add accessibility features, such as Personal Voice, which lets people at risk of losing their voice create a digital voice that sounds like theirs in phone or video calls. The company also launched Live Captions to match Windows' equivalent.
Winner: Windows
Security and Stability: Hardware Control Keeps Macs Rock-Solid Against Windows Driver Chaos
Windows PCs have historically been more vulnerable to malware than Macs, including ransomware, spyware, botnets, and good old-fashioned viruses. For its part, Microsoft is constantly beefing up its security, pushing Microsoft Defender updates, and even introducing anti-ransomware measures.
macOS has a much cleaner record, but it's by no means immune from the baddies out there. Vulnerabilities occur in it, too. Apple is pretty good about issuing patch updates to address these issues, and macOS uses the XProtect anti-malware tool, but PCMag principal writer for security, Neil Rubenking, still recommends using antivirus software on Macs.
Both operating systems include built-in VPN support, and all of our top VPNs are available on both platforms, so that category is a wash.
And then there’s the issue of stability. macOS wins on this count, too, mostly because Apple controls both the hardware ecosystem (third-party drivers are a major cause of instability on Windows PCs) and the software. Windows updates sometimes cause problems on only some computers, and Microsoft can't test every hardware configuration before releasing an update. Stability continues to improve with Windows 11, but it's still not rock-solid.
Winner: macOS
Gaming: Massive Game Catalogs and AAA Hardware Make Windows Unbeatable for Gamers
Hard-core gamers don’t even need to look at this section. While there are plenty of excellent games available for macOS, and there’s even a version of Steam for the platform, Macs typically don't allow the game catalog and the level of internal component customization possible with PC gaming.
As for game selection, there are far more AAA titles on Steam that are compatible with Windows than macOS. You can even stream games to your PC through the Xbox app. With Play Anywhere, you can load games you buy on the Microsoft Store on either your PC or your Xbox console. Windows can still run most PC games released over the past few decades, while macOS can no longer run many Steam games, as Apple dropped support for 32-bit software.
Apple does have a Game Porting Toolkit for converting Windows games for use on Macs, and more AAA titles continue to arrive on the OS, including Cyberpunk 2077. However, this requires work on the behalf of each game developer, and most games still don't run on macOS. Even desktop Linux now runs more games than macOS thanks to Valve's work on the Proton compatibility software, which the company uses on its Linux-powered SteamOS devices. GeForce Now might be an option if you don't mind running games from the cloud.
Windows Game Bar, which you can summon with the Windows key + G combination, lets you record your gaming activities, see system resource usage, and interact with fellow gamers. You can easily use an Xbox game controller with a Windows PC. Windows' Game Mode optimizes the system while gaming, Auto HDR improves graphics, and DirectStorage lets you load those enormous games faster. Microsoft recently shut down its Gaming Copilot AI, which provided assistance during your quests.
Winner: Windows
The Verdict: Why You Can't Lose (Regardless of Which You Pick)
macOS and Windows both handle typical creative work, modern productivity tasks, and web browsing with aplomb. To choose between them, you must decide what you want most out of your desktop operating system. For example, macOS stands out for its integration with Apple devices, mature AI features, polish, stability, and top-notch core apps, while Windows offers best-in-class gaming performance, excellent Android phone support, and unbeatable software compatibility. And then you must weight the elegance of Apple's Mac lineup against the seemingly endless variety of Windows-based hardware on the market. If you think deeply about all of those aspects, the best one for you should become abundantly clear. They earn the same 4.5-star rating from us and are Editors' Choice winners, so you can't go wrong with either.
