Run Windows 11 on iPad: A Complete Guide Using Emulation & JIT Tech

Key Points:​

• Emulation on iPad: With some effort, Windows 11 can run on an iPad using emulation software and an alternative app store.
• Legal Basis: Thanks to new EU digital regulations, users can load alternative app stores on iPad, allowing apps like UTM (emulator) to be installed.
• Developer Method: The Windows tinkerer “NTDEV” used the Altstore Classic app store on an iPad Air with an M2 chip to install UTM.
• JIT Compiling: Using Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation, UTM enables Windows 11 (ARM version) to run on the iPad’s ARM processor. The STIKKEBUG software was used to enable JIT without external debuggers.
• Tiny11: NTDEV used a stripped-down version of Windows 11 (called Tiny11) for better performance by removing Microsoft bloatware.
• Performance: Windows 11 ARM ran impressively on the iPad Air M2, but performance is limited by Apple’s system restrictions.

Steps to Run Windows 11 ARM on iPad:​

• Create Tiny11 ISO: Use a PC and Tiny11Builder to create a Tiny11 ARM64 ISO.
• Install Altstore Classic: Install Altstore Classic on the iPad (location restrictions may apply according to EU rules).
• Install UTM: Use Altstore Classic to “sideload” UTM with JIT support.
• Enable JIT with STIKDEBUG: Use the included STIKDEBUG (from Altstore) to enable JIT.
• Install Windows: Set up a new ARM64 VM with UTM, attach the Tiny11 ISO, and boot.

Sources​

• Research Snipers article
• NTDEV’s demonstration mentioned in the article