If you are using a Windows operating system along with macOS on your MacBook device, you are probably looking for a guide on boot camp drivers. Well, this is your stop.
Since no MacBook was designed with Microsoft’s operating system in mind, you must have faced numerous issues with Windows, just like me. As it turns out, the primary source of the problem was drivers.
After weeks of use, the experience of running Windows on a MacBook after installing Boot Camp drivers is, in a word, phenomenal.
If you want a similar experience, I suggest you lay back, relax and enjoy reading the rest of the article.
Is Boot Camp a Virtual Machine?
No, Boot Camp is not a virtual machine because both the Windows and Mac applications do not run at the same time. It is, in fact, a tool that allows you to run both Windows and macOS on your MacBook via a dual boot. As a result, you have to choose a single operating system at startup.
This software is entirely risk-free since Apple itself developed it. This means that it won’t work as expected on Windows-only laptops. 
During the first few years of its development, Boot Camp worked only with Intel-based Mac devices, but now select AMD-based Macs are well-supported. The purpose of Boot Camp is to install the necessary drivers for the chipset, which should improve performance and reliability.
It does this by separating the hard disk into separate partitions, non-destructively, for each operating system.
On the other hand, Apple silicon Macs still don’t support Boot Camp. If you own an Apple silicon Mac, you can run ARM-based Windows 10 or 11 through the QEMU emulator or Parallels Desktop Virtualization.
Follow our guide to fix blue screen on Windows 11.
How To Download Boot Camp Drivers for Windows 11
A prerequisite for Boot Camp Drivers installation is that your MacBook should already be set up for a dual boot with Windows. As long as you can choose which OS to boot during startup, you are good to go.
Before installing the drivers, however, I recommend updating your macOS to the latest version for best results.
Follow these steps to update macOS to the latest version:
- Boot your MacBook to the macOS operating system.
- Click the Apple logo at the top left corner once the OS boots up and select About This Mac.
- Select the Software Update button from the new window.
- Wait for a new window to appear. If it says ‘An update is available for your Mac’, click on the Update Now button to download the latest update. Otherwise, your macOS is already updated.
- Click on Agree when the terms and conditions page appears.
- After the download completes, it will automatically install the updates.
Follow these methods to download Boot Camp drivers for Windows 11:
1. Use Boot Camp Support Software
Apple launched an additional support software for Boot Camp that takes care of issues with drivers.
Follow these steps to use Boot Camp Support Software:
- Boot your MacBook to the macOS operating system.
- Launch any browser and navigate to this link.
- Click on the Download button at the top of the page.
- Plug in a pen drive to your MacBook and back up any critical files present.
- Switch to the Launchpad while the boot camp support is downloading.
- Search for Disk Utility and launch it.
- ‘Look for your pen drive in the External section on the left side and click it.
- Click on the Erase button at the top once that’s done.
- Type in a name for your pen drive and choose the MS-DOS (FAT) format before clicking the Erase button on the new window.
- Copy the downloaded compressed file to the pen drive.
- Reboot your MacBook and boot into Windows this time.
- Launch a File Explorer window when it’s done and go to your pen drive.
- Right-click on the zip file and select Extract All.
- Navigate to the folder where you extracted the file and double-click on the BootCamp
- Double-click on the Setup file to launch it and follow the instructions to install the BootCamp support tool along with the necessary drivers.
Check out the easiest way to install active directory users & computers on Windows 11.
2. Use Brigadier Software
If the Boot Camp Support software doesn’t work or seems too complicated, you can try an alternative that works in a similar way.
Despite Brigadier being developed by third-party developers, it fetches all the required drivers from Apple’s servers, so there is no risk of viruses or spam. The tool works by downloading and unpacking ESD that applies to your Mac model.
Follow these steps to use Brigadier software:
- Boot your MacBook to Windows.
- Launch any browser and navigate to Brigadier’s GitHub page.
- Select exe in the Assets section to download it.
- Navigate to the Downloads folder or the location where you saved the executable file and double-click on it. It should automatically launch a Command Prompt window, showing the download status of Boot Camp drivers.
Follow our guide to fix Windows can’t access network drive on Windows 11.
FAQ
Question: How do I update Boot Camp drivers on my Mac?
Answer: You can update Boot Camp drivers on your Mac by going to the Boot Camp support website and looking for the latest version of Boot Camp. Once you run the newest Boot Camp installer in Windows, the drivers will be automatically updated.
Question: How do I fix my Boot Camp drivers?
Answer: You can fix your Boot Camp drivers by downloading the latest version of Boot Camp Support software. Once you unzip the downloaded folder, navigate to the Setup file inside the BootCamp folder and open it. Select Repair on the window to fix any issues.
Question: Does Boot Camp slow down Mac?
Answer: No, Boot Camp does not slow down Mac since the partitions for the two operating systems are separated during the installation. However, if you feel like it is slowing down, you can try creating an exception for the Windows partition from Spotlight searches.
Question: Is Boot Camp for Mac safe?
Answer: Yes, Boot Camp for Mac is safe since it is developed by Apple. However, it is essential to note that you are still prone to malware, viruses, and spam when you are running the Windows operating system, just like other Windows users.
Question: Do engineers use Mac or Windows?
Answer: Engineers use Mac and Windows both, according to their personal preferences. However, macOS is known to support more programming software than Windows. Moreover, you can install Windows on a Mac, but you can’t do the opposite.
Question: How do I fix the Windows partition on Mac?
Answer: You can fix the Windows partition on Mac by booting your laptop to the recovery mode using the Command + R shortcut. Select Disc Utility from there and choose only the Windows partition. After that, click on the Repair partition to start the repair process.
Question: Which version of Boot Camp do I need for Windows 10?
Answer: You need version 6.0 or higher of Boot Camp for Windows 10 since that was when they added 64-bit Windows support. If you use an older version, you will probably run into complex issues.
Question: Where are Mac drivers stored?
Answer: Mac drivers are stored in the form of kernel extensions or as an application bundle. They are primarily located in /System/Library/Extensions, which you can navigate using the File Manager.
Question: Is running Windows on Mac a good idea?
Answer: Yes, running Windows on Mac is a good idea, mainly because it eliminates the need to purchase a separate computer to run a different operating system. However, you should keep in mind that installing Windows will shrink your hard drive.
Question: Does Parallels ruin your Mac?
Answer: No, Parallels does not ruin your Mac. It functions just like any other virtualization software and uninstalling it removes any issues caused by it. However, it does use up more resources compared to Boot Camp.
Final Thoughts
To sum it up, Boot Camp is an incredible software designed by Apple that gives MacBooks an edge over Windows laptops. In this article, you have discovered two methods to install the necessary drivers required by Boot Camp once you have installed Windows.
I also cleared up a few common misconceptions about Boot Camp at the beginning, so make sure to read that.
Most people use the Boot Camp installation assistant tool to install all the required drivers, but I used the Brigadier software without issues. Let me know which one you used down below.
