Windows 11 on ARM: Benefits, Challenges, and the Third-Time Charm?

Windows 11 on ARM represents Microsoft’s latest and most ambitious attempt to bring the Windows operating system to ARM-based processors. This is the third major foray (after Windows RT and Windows 10 on ARM) into ARM for Windows, and it comes at a time when energy efficiency and mobile-like performance are more important than ever. This article explores the benefits of Windows 11 on ARM, how developers can port apps to the ARM architecture, the risks and drawbacks involved (such as compatibility and emulation issues), and a historical comparison with previous attempts to gauge whether “third time’s a charm” for Windows on ARM.

To enhance the credibility of this article, it is authored on a Microsoft Surface ARM device utilizing Windows 11 and Office 365. Although I do not consider myself a power user, I have encountered no difficulties using an ARM device throughout the entirety of my workday for the last couple of months, something I wouldn’t be able to say if I powered up my old Surface RT-device that still sits in a quiet corner on my desk.

Benefits of Windows 11 on ARM

Improved battery life is one of the standout benefits of Windows 11 on ARM. ARM’s energy-efficient architecture allows laptops and tablets to “sip power like a smartphone” while still delivering PC-level performance. Many ARM-based Windows devices can last 10+ hours in real-world use, with some recent models exceeding 15 hours in controlled web-browsing tests. This endurance far outstrips typical x86 laptops and means users can work a full day on battery. Moreover, ARM systems often maintain full performance on battery power, unlike many Intel-based laptops that throttle down when unplugged. For example, a Snapdragon-powered Surface Pro 11 shows virtually 0% performance drop on battery, whereas a comparable Intel system loses ~10% CPU and up to 90% GPU performance on battery. In short, ARM devices combine strong performance-per-watt with consistency whether plugged in or not.

Beyond battery longevity, Windows 11 on ARM devices offer a more mobile-like user experience. They support instant-on resume, meaning the device wakes immediately with no lengthy boot or resume delays. This makes the PC feel as responsive as a phone or tablet when opening the lid or pressing the power button. Additionally, ARM-based System-on-a-Chip (SoC) often integrate mobile-oriented components: high-performance Wi-Fi/Cellular modems, GPS, sensors, and Neural Processing Units (NPUs) for AI tasks. These integrated features enable always-connected functionality (for example, receiving updates or notifications while asleep, like a smartphone) and new capabilities like on-device AI acceleration for Windows 11’s emerging AI features.

Another benefit is the form factor advantages. Due to lower heat output, ARM PCs can be built fanless or with minimal cooling, allowing slimmer designs. Many Windows ARM devices, such as the Surface Pro X and Lenovo’s Snapdragon-based laptops, are praised for being thinner and lighter than their Intel counterparts. They run silently and cool to the touch. This makes ARM devices attractive for ultraportables where every millimeter and gram counts, without giving up productivity.

Finally, modern ARM processors have grown in raw performance to the point that they can handle demanding tasks competently. Early ARM Windows devices struggled, but today’s ARM chips (inspired in part by Apple’s M-series success) deliver improved CPU and GPU capability. High-end ARM processors like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 or Snapdragon X Elite approach the performance of mainstream PC chips while maintaining much lower power draw. Users can perform tasks like web browsing, office work, media consumption, and even light content creation (e.g. photo editing, 1080p video editing) smoothly on Windows 11 ARM PCs. In everyday use, many ARM-based PCs feel as fast and responsive as an equivalent Intel machine, especially when running native software.

Porting Apps to ARM: Developer Tools and Support

One key factor for the success of Windows 11 on ARM is how easily developers can bring their applications to the ARM platform. Microsoft has significantly lowered the barrier for porting apps to ARM compared to previous attempts. In the Windows RT era, developers had to completely rewrite apps for a new UWP model, which most never did given the tiny user base. Now, with Windows 11 on ARM, most traditional Windows apps can be ported with minimal changes – often just a recompile for ARM64 is sufficient rather than a ground-up rewrite. This is because Windows 11 on ARM still supports all the same Win32 and 64-bit APIs as on x86, and even allows mixing emulated and native code.

Microsoft’s developer tools now fully support ARM. Visual Studio 2022 (and later) runs natively on ARM devices and supports targeting ARM64 for C++, .NET, and other project types, so developers can build and debug ARM versions of their apps on an ARM PC just as easily as on an x64 PC. Microsoft also provides the Windows App SDK and frameworks like WinUI 3 that support ARM, making it straightforward to create modern apps that run efficiently on ARM hardware. For packaging, the MSIX installer format allows developers to bundle their app such that one package can include both x86 and ARM binaries – the appropriate code is used on each device. This unified packaging removes the headache of distributing separate installer versions for different CPU types.

A particularly important innovation is Arm64EC (Emulation Compatible). Arm64EC is a special application binary interface that enables a hybrid approach to porting. Developers can compile parts of their app as native ARM64EC and leave other parts as x64. The ARM parts run at full native speed, while any x64 parts seamlessly run under emulation within the same process. This means a developer can incrementally port a large application: performance-critical pieces can be made native ARM first, without having to port every dependency or plugin immediately. Over time, more of the app can transition to ARM64 until the entire app is native. Arm64EC was crucial in enabling complex software (like certain Office components and third-party apps) to run well on ARM even before all code was ported. It effectively blurs the line between emulated and native code, easing the transition.

The result of these efforts is an ever-growing ecosystem of ARM-native apps. In fact, by mid-2025, a report from ARM (the company) noted that 100 of the most popular Windows apps now have native ARM versions, and users on Windows 11 ARM PCs spend over 90% of their time in ARM-native apps rather than emulated ones. This is a huge improvement from just a few years ago. Many big-name applications have embraced ARM: for example, web browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox) have been ARM-native for some time, Microsoft Office is fully ARM-native, and even Adobe has released ARM-native versions of Photoshop and other tools. Popular apps like Spotify, Slack, Zoom, WhatsApp, and others are now running natively on Windows 11 ARM. For developers using cross-platform frameworks (Electron, Qt, Unity, etc.), updated versions of those frameworks now support compiling for Windows/ARM as well.

In cases where a needed app isn’t native yet, Windows 11’s improved emulation (including support for 64-bit x86 apps) fills the gap, so users aren’t completely blocked from using their software. But clearly Microsoft’s push to provide great dev tools is paying off: porting to ARM is easier than ever, and many developers are taking advantage of the available support to optimize their apps for the new ARM-based Windows era.

Risks and Drawbacks of Moving to ARM

Moving Windows to ARM isn’t without challenges. It’s important to consider the risks and drawbacks for both users and developers:

• App Compatibility Gaps: While the situation is improving, not every Windows application runs on ARM. Niche or older software that hasn’t been updated may fail to run under emulation, especially if it involves low-level drivers or x64 kernel-mode components. Certain popular professional apps are still missing native ARM versions – for example, as of 2025 some of the Adobe Creative Cloud apps (like After Effects and Premiere) and many PC games are not yet available for ARM. These can sometimes run in emulation, but in other cases they simply won’t work. Peripheral compatibility can also be an issue: ARM Windows only supports ARM64 native drivers, so some hardware (older printers, VPN clients, etc.) that rely on legacy drivers might not be supported if the manufacturer hasn’t provided an ARM driver. The ecosystem for device drivers on ARM is catching up more slowly. It may be considered that a software company’s hesitation to support the ARM platform could indicate a lack of alignment with forward-looking technology initiatives. Furthermore, if a company does not provide support for ARM, it is reasonable to question their engagement with other security advancements introduced in Windows 11.
• Emulation Overhead: Windows 11 on ARM can emulate traditional x86/x64 applications, but emulation comes with a performance and efficiency cost. When an x86 app runs through the emulation layer, it generally runs slower than it would on a comparable x86 CPU, and it uses more power. This can negate the ARM chip’s advantages. In practical terms, an intensive app that isn’t ARM-optimized (say, a video editor or a 3D game running via emulation) could see reduced performance and much shorter battery life. So, users who rely on many non-native apps might not realize the full benefits of an ARM PC, even if the apps themselves work.
• Performance for Niche Use Cases: ARM chips excel at efficiency, but the absolute performance (especially for high-end computing tasks) still sometimes trails top-of-the-line x86 chips. Power users running very heavy workloads (large 3D renders, complex engineering software, high-end games) may find current ARM-based systems underpowered for those needs if the software isn’t native. In reviews, even though ARM laptops are fast for common tasks, they can struggle in scenarios like advanced gaming or certain pro apps, in part due to emulation and in part due to GPU differences. GPU-intensive tasks and some virtualization scenarios remain a weak spot for ARM Windows, as GPU drivers and Hyper-V support on ARM have been evolving. In summary, for a typical office or casual user, performance is excellent, but extremely demanding use cases might hit some limits on ARM.
• Learning Curve and Tooling Gaps: Adopting a new architecture means developers and IT departments face a learning curve. Native development for ARM requires updating build processes and test infrastructure. While Microsoft’s tools are now quite good, some specialized development tools or workflows might not yet be available on ARM, which could slow down adoption for certain dev teams. For example, a developer might find that a particular third-party library they use hasn’t been ported to ARM yet, necessitating extra effort or waiting. These are transient issues, but they affect short-term readiness. Microsoft is actively addressing these gaps (for instance, by encouraging open-source projects to add ARM support).
• Initial Cost and Market Uncertainty: (A minor point) Early ARM Windows devices tended to be premium-priced (e.g., the first Surface Pro X launched at a high price point). Customers might be wary of investing in a platform that previously had false starts. However, as ARM PCs become more common, prices are normalizing and more models at various price points are appearing. Still, the “chicken-and-egg” hesitation can be a hurdle: some developers wait for more users before investing in an ARM version of their app, and some users wait for more apps before buying an ARM device. This dynamic is rapidly improving with Windows 11 on ARM, but it was a real hurdle in the past.

Despite these drawbacks, it’s worth emphasizing that each passing month sees the ARM Windows experience getting better. The compatibility and performance issues are steadily being ironed out. Microsoft and Qualcomm (and other partners) are aware of these pain points and are actively working to address them – whether through improving the emulation performance, persuading or helping software vendors to release native ARM versions, or encouraging hardware makers to provide ARM drivers. Indeed, by mid-2025, we note that “app compatibility issues are at an all-time low” on Windows 11 ARM, and it’s increasingly rare for an ordinary user to hit a show-stopping app incompatibility. The list of holdouts (certain Adobe apps, some games, etc.) is shrinking every day as companies jump on board. Nonetheless, anyone considering a Windows 11 ARM machine should double-check that their critical apps and devices are supported, and be mindful that emulated apps may run a bit slower and use more battery than expected.

A Historical Comparison: Past Attempts at Windows on ARM

To put the current ARM transition in perspective, let’s briefly look at Microsoft’s previous attempts to bring Windows to ARM processors and why they didn’t take off. Microsoft’s history here includes Windows RT in 2012 and Windows 10 on ARM in 2017/2018 before the current Windows 11 on ARM. Each attempt taught some lessons that have informed the current strategy:

Why did the earlier attempts fail? In a nutshell, they failed due to lack of app support and subpar performance, which led to poor user adoption, which in turn gave developers little incentive to port apps – a vicious cycle. Windows RT (the 2012 attempt) was especially constrained: it literally couldn’t run any traditional Windows applications, only the new WinRT apps from the store. As a result, users found they couldn’t use the vast library of Windows software they were used to, making the device a non-starter for many. Developers, seeing almost no users and faced with the prospect of rewriting their apps as WinRT/Metro apps, mostly chose not to bother. Windows RT devices quickly became synonymous with compromise and were largely ignored by the market.

Windows 10 on ARM (the late-2010s effort) took a better approach by re-introducing the ability to run Win32 apps via emulation. This meant, in theory, an ARM-based laptop in 2018 could run most older apps like Chrome, Office, Photoshop, etc., even if slower. It also came in a more familiar Windows 10 package. However, the hardware was a big issue: the ARM chips used were essentially smartphone processors adapted for PCs, and they were not powerful enough to provide a good experience for typical PC tasks. This led to laggy performance and incompatibilities (e.g., no support for certain peripherals or x64 apps initially). When you combined that with high launch prices and still limited native app support, Windows 10 on ARM didn’t take off. It remained a niche for enthusiasts and specific use cases (like always-connected, 4G-enabled laptops for lightweight use).

What’s different now with Windows 11 on ARM? Several improvements converge in this third attempt:

• Full compatibility: Thanks to x64 emulation, Windows 11 on ARM can run virtually any Windows app (in theory), and as noted, the majority now run well either via emulation or natively. Microsoft itself says most apps “just work” on ARM without modification, which is a far cry from the Windows RT days.
• No feature cutbacks: Windows 11 on ARM isn’t a “lite” or special edition; it’s standard Windows 11 with all features (even enhanced with things like an AI-powered Copilot for ARM PCs). In fact, Windows on ARM now even has features that some x86 PCs don’t yet have, like certain AI capabilities tied to the Snapdragon NPU hardware. Users no longer have to accept a watered-down OS for the sake of ARM.
• Better hardware: Today’s ARM PC chips are far more powerful. For example, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx/8c series and the newer Snapdragon X Elite are designed for productivity and sustained performance, with specs (8–12 CPU cores, multi-GHz speeds, multi-channel memory, etc.) that dwarf the old quad-core phone chips in early devices. They also often come with 8GB+ RAM and fast SSD storage, whereas Windows RT devices were severely RAM and storage-limited. Modern ARM laptops like the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, Samsung’s Galaxy Book2/3 ARM, Lenovo ThinkPad x13s, etc., provide a hardware experience much closer to an Intel ultrabook class. This addresses a major complaint from earlier attempts.
• Industry momentum: The tech landscape has changed since 2012/2018. ARM-based computing has been validated in the PC space by Apple’s successful transition to Apple Silicon (M chips) – proving that ARM can deliver superior performance and battery life for laptops and desktops. There’s a stronger market push toward ARM now, with multiple vendors investing in ARM PC development. Even Windows users have taken notice of Apple’s gains, increasing interest in ARM solutions. Microsoft’s partnership with Qualcomm (and other chipmakers) shows a long-term commitment. All of this momentum was lacking in prior attempts, where Windows on ARM felt like an experiment; now it feels like a strategic imperative for the future of Windows.

In short, earlier attempts faltered due to a perfect storm of too few apps, too many restrictions, and hardware that couldn’t meet expectations. Windows 11 on ARM arrives with solutions to those issues: broad app compatibility, powerful hardware, and a growing chorus of support from both Microsoft and the broader industry.

“Third Time’s a Charm” – Will Windows 11 on ARM Succeed?

Microsoft’s third attempt at Windows on ARM is vastly more promising than the previous two. The improvements in compatibility, performance, and developer support are already yielding results. Real-world user feedback and industry commentary suggest that this time, Windows on ARM might truly stick.

The key benefits – long battery life, instant-on use, quiet thin designs – are very apparent to users and give Windows on ARM a selling point that standard laptops struggle to match. As more people prioritize these features (think on-the-go professionals, students, etc.), the appeal of an ARM-based Windows device grows. If a user can get through a transcontinental flight or a full workday without charging, that’s a concrete advantage. And unlike in 2012 or 2018, they can do so without giving up their favorite apps or familiar Windows features.

Developers, too, are increasingly on board. Microsoft’s efforts (providing tools, documentation, even an ARM-based developer kit codenamed “Project Volterra”) have not gone unnoticed. The fact that companies like Adobe, Microsoft itself, and many others are now shipping ARM versions of their software indicates confidence that there’s a real market here. The more apps go native, the less any lingering stigma of “will my stuff work?” remains among potential buyers.

Of course, challenges remain on the path to mass adoption. Performance on ARM, while very good for most uses, will continue to improve and needs to convince the last group of holdouts (like hardcore gamers or workstation users) over time. Qualcomm and potential new entrants (like Nvidia or others) will need to deliver on their roadmap of even faster ARM chips to compete with the absolute top-end x86 processors. Pricing and marketing will also influence success – Microsoft and its OEM partners have to price ARM devices attractively and clearly communicate their benefits to overcome skepticism from those aware of the earlier failures.

Another consideration is the competitive landscape: Apple has raised the bar by moving its Mac lineup to ARM-based chips that are extremely fast. Microsoft doesn’t want to cede the narrative that Macs are efficient and powerful while Windows is stuck with older tech. In many ways, Windows 11 on ARM is a response to that, ensuring Windows can run on the same kind of efficient architecture. The success of Apple’s transition likely buys Microsoft some patience from users (“if Apple can do it, Microsoft can too”), but also sets a benchmark that Microsoft and partners must strive to meet or exceed.

So, is it “third time’s a charm” for Windows on ARM? The evidence so far points to yes, gradually. All the ingredients for success – compatibility, performance, hardware, developer buy-in, user benefits – are falling into place in a way they never did before. We’re seeing positive momentum: more devices in the market, more apps arriving continuously, and generally satisfied early users. Industry analysts are cautiously optimistic that Windows 11 on ARM will carve out a significant and permanent segment of the PC ecosystem this time, rather than fading away as a novelty.

In conclusion, Windows 11 on ARM has matured to a point where it is no longer defined by what it can’t do, but by what it does better than traditional Windows on x86. The superior battery life, mobile connectivity, and new capabilities give it distinct advantages, while remaining nearly fully compatible with the vast Windows software universe. If Microsoft and its partners continue to address the remaining gaps, the inertia that hampered prior attempts will disappear. It appears that, with Windows 11 on ARM, Microsoft may indeed have finally gotten it right on the third try – delivering a Windows that can run on efficient ARM processors without compromising the Windows experience. Time and continued support will ultimately tell, but so far, Windows on ARM’s trajectory in this third iteration is very encouraging. The charm of the third attempt might well be real, ushering in a new era where ARM-powered Windows PCs become mainstream alongside their x86 cousins, to the benefit of users and the industry as a whole.