Microsoft’s claim that Arm-based Windows PCs now see most user minutes spent inside natively compiled apps marks a pivotal moment for the platform — a transition from compatibility-first survival to native-first performance and efficiency. Microsoft executives point to a figure that will shape buyer confidence and ISV strategy: roughly 90% of time on Arm PCs is now spent in native Arm binaries, a dramatic improvement in a matter of years and an outcome of coordinated work across Microsoft, silicon partners, OEMs, and independent software vendors.
Microsoft’s measured focus on user minutes rather than raw app counts is the right one: it reflects where the platform needs to be judged. The combination of native app availability, better emulation coverage, and improving silicon creates a credible path for Arm to be more than an alternative — it can be a first-class Windows experience for a growing set of users. That journey still has guarded corners and technical hurdles, but the platform has clearly moved from fragile compatibility to practical viability in a way that few would have predicted just a few years ago.
Source: Windows Central Microsoft celebrates Windows on Arm progress, with users now spending most of their time in natively compiled apps
Background
How we got here: the long road to Windows on Arm maturity
Windows on Arm is not new, but its journey has been uneven. Early attempts were hampered by a thin catalog of native applications and an emulation layer that was functional yet frequently visible to users. Over the last 18–24 months, Microsoft doubled down: a platform reboot tied to the Copilot+ initiative, closer work with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X-series silicon, and compatibility investments (notably the Prism emulation improvements) have collectively reduced friction and made native execution realistic for mainstream users.The metric Microsoft is promoting
Microsoft’s recent messaging centers on a usage-weighted measure rather than raw app counts: the company reports that apps compiled natively for Arm now account for about 90% of total user minutes on Arm-based PCs. This is an important distinction — it means the apps people actually use most (browsers, office suites, media apps, collaboration tools) have been prioritized, which matters more to everyday experience than a long tail of niche utilities.Overview of the current ecosystem
What “native” means in 2025 Windows on Arm
Native support today encompasses:- Full Arm64 builds (true native binaries compiled for ARMv8/ARMv9).
- Hybrid approaches using Arm64EC (a model that lets developers ship a primarily native Arm64 process while still linking to key x64 components when needed).
- Platform SDKs and MSIX packaging that ease distribution of Arm-native packages.
Which apps are already Arm‑native
Microsoft and the community highlight a wide set of mainstream apps that now run natively on Arm machines. Representative examples include major productivity and creative suites, collaboration tools, media players, and even browsers and developer utilities:- Productivity: Microsoft Office, LibreOffice.
- Browsers: Google Chrome (Arm build), Microsoft Edge (native).
- Creative: Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro (preview/native in many cases), DaVinci Resolve, Blender.
- Collaboration & media: Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Spotify, Apple apps such as Apple Music/TV (where applicable).
- Utilities & dev tools: 7‑Zip, Dropbox, Figma, and various VPN and endpoint tools.
Technical analysis: native vs emulated experience
Why native matter: performance, battery, and predictability
Native Arm binaries unlock three practical advantages:- Performance parity or advantage in many sustained and burst workloads because the CPU executes optimized instructions rather than paying the overhead of translation.
- Battery life gains, because efficient cores and silicon features (combined with Arm-optimized code paths) lower power draw for the same tasks.
- Predictability and fewer compatibility surprises, especially around low-level system integrations, plugins, and hardware-accelerated features.
Emulation today: Prism and its incremental wins
Microsoft’s PRISM emulation engine — shipped as part of Windows 11 on Arm — has improved to close many of the earlier compatibility gaps. Notable enhancements expanded the virtual CPU’s feature set (AVX, AVX2, BMI, FMA and related checks), allowing many x64 apps that previously refused to run to at least launch and function. Those Prism improvements broadened the usable app set and bought time while ISVs recompiled. But emulation remains a bridge rather than a destination — certain workloads (high-end gaming, some AVX-dependent compute-heavy tasks) still reveal differences in throughput and performance characteristics.Where emulation still falls short
Despite being serviceable, emulation has limits:- High-throughput SIMD code paths: Some vectorized workloads, especially those relying heavily on AVX/FMA throughput and microarchitectural features, may still lag native performance even with instruction-level compatibility exposed.
- Gaming: Anti‑cheat systems, low-level driver expectations, and graphics driver maturity remain major obstacles for parity in multiplayer and AAA titles.
- Drivers and kernel components: Kernel-mode drivers not built for Arm (or not updated) can prevent hardware features from functioning correctly.
App developer behavior: why ISVs recompiled
Economic and technical incentives
Several factors explain the tidal shift toward Arm-native builds:- The user base of Copilot+ and Snapdragon X-class devices grew quickly after OEMs committed to shipping them broadly, creating a market incentive.
- Developer toolchains (Visual Studio, CMake, CI pipelines) and packaging (MSIX) now provide predictable paths to Arm64 builds and testing.
- Many popular apps are cross‑platform by design (Electron, Flutter, .NET MAUI, etc.), which simplifies Arm builds once toolchain support is present.
- Marketplace pressure: users and reviewers call out non-native apps; performance-oriented apps gain competitive advantage on Arm hardware.
Examples of serious ISV commitments
Adobe’s work to bring flagship creative apps to Arm — even in a preview capacity at first — is especially notable because of the complexity of those codebases and plugin ecosystems. Similarly, Chromium-based browsers shipping Arm builds reduce a major source of user minutes that would otherwise remain emulated. Those moves materially raised the floor for typical user experiences on Arm PCs.Real-world limitations and risk areas
Persistent compatibility edge cases
Even with 90% of user minutes in native apps, the remaining time — and the remaining apps — represent important enterprise and specialized workflows. Examples of friction include:- Corporate tools that require 32-bit helpers or bespoke kernel drivers.
- Specialized engineering or virtualization workflows that still prefer x86 hardware for mature hypervisor and tooling support.
- Plugins, browser extensions, and third‑party add‑ins compiled only for x86/x64 that haven't been ported.
Platform fragmentation and driver maturity
Performance and reliability depend heavily on OEM firmware, GPU drivers, and peripheral vendors shipping Arm64 drivers. These platform-level components are sometimes slower to arrive than user‑space binaries, creating intermittent peripheral or multimedia bugs that reviewers and forums continue to flag. Those gaps can produce unpredictable experiences for a subset of users.Gaming and anti‑cheat
The gaming stack remains the most visible cautionary tale. Anti‑cheat vendors require deep OS integration and sometimes kernel-level components; until those vendors certify Arm platforms, some multiplayer titles will remain problematic. Emulation plus Prism helps with single‑player and non-protected titles, but realistic full parity across the catalog is still a work in progress.Strategic implications for Microsoft, Qualcomm, and OEMs
Microsoft’s messaging: platform credibility and momentum
By emphasizing a usage-weighted metric — “90% of user minutes” — Microsoft focuses on meaningful outcomes: most users will rarely hit an app that doesn’t work natively on Arm. This is a pragmatic narrative that speaks to everyday device shoppers, not just enthusiasts. The metric also signals to enterprise decision makers that the platform can support mainstream workflows, which matters for fleet procurement and ISV prioritization.Qualcomm and silicon cadence
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X family (X Elite, X Plus) has been positioned as the performance backbone for this reboot. Industry chatter and Microsoft signals imply that further generational updates (rumored names like Snapdragon X2 in community reporting) are expected to continue improving performance and NPU capability. Those chip roadmap moves will matter more to high‑end creative and AI-accelerated workloads than to simple browsing or office tasks, but they matter for positioning Arm as a competitive architecture in the Windows ecosystem. These roadmap details should be treated as directional until vendors give formal announcements.OEM commitment: supply and design tradeoffs
OEMs have embraced Arm in thin-and-light, fanless designs where battery and thermals are primary selling points. The upshot is a growing set of compelling Copilot+ laptops that emphasize day‑long battery life and instant-on responsiveness. The tradeoff: sustained-throttle heavy workloads may still favor thicker, actively cooled x86 designs for raw throughput.Cross-checks and remaining verification points
Microsoft’s 90% figure and the broader narrative are credible in light of multiple independent reports, community testing, and product announcements that show widespread Arm-native deployments among high‑usage apps. Community archives and technical commentary corroborate improvements in Prism compatibility and the emergence of native builds for major productivity and creative apps. That said:- The 90% figure is a Microsoft metric — it is usage-weighted and, like any internal metric, depends on the measurement window and sample set Microsoft used. It should be taken as an encouraging indicator rather than an absolute truth for every possible user scenario.
- Claims about next‑generation Snapdragon product names and exact release dates remain speculative until Qualcomm or OEMs confirm them publicly. Treat such naming conventions and timelines as tentative.
Practical guidance for buyers and administrators
- Test critical apps on the specific Arm device you plan to deploy. Running real workflows (exports, plug‑ins, build pipelines) is essential.
- Prefer devices with good OEM driver support and a track record of firmware updates — driver maturity is often the difference between “works” and “annoying glitches.”
- If gaming or specialized virtualization is core to your needs, validate those specific titles and hypervisors; some of those workloads still perform better on x86 platforms.
- Keep Windows updates and OEM firmware current; important compatibility fixes (Prism enhancements, driver patches) frequently arrive outside of headline OS features.
What to watch next
- Prism coverage and emulation performance: Microsoft’s continued work on emulation (including corner case support for legacy 32-bit helpers) will determine how many residual incompatibilities truly disappear.
- Anti‑cheat vendor adoption: widespread support would unlock parity for a much larger array of games.
- ISV lifecycle: sustained commitment from major creative and enterprise ISVs to ship Arm-native builds (and maintain them) will decide whether this momentum persists.
- Silicon announcements: next-generation Snapdragon X chips (and how Intel/AMD Copilot+ offerings evolve) will shape the high‑end narrative for creators and AI workloads. Treat early naming claims as speculative until vendors confirm.
Conclusion
The claim that “most time spent on Arm PCs is now in native apps” is more than a marketing soundbite — it crystallizes a practical reality that affects purchasing decisions, development priorities, and the competitive landscape for laptops. For mainstream users and many professionals, the platform’s maturation means Arm-based Windows PCs are now a realistic first choice for daily productivity, collaboration, and content consumption. At the same time, specialized workloads — particularly gaming, legacy enterprise helpers, and some driver-dependent scenarios — still require careful validation.Microsoft’s measured focus on user minutes rather than raw app counts is the right one: it reflects where the platform needs to be judged. The combination of native app availability, better emulation coverage, and improving silicon creates a credible path for Arm to be more than an alternative — it can be a first-class Windows experience for a growing set of users. That journey still has guarded corners and technical hurdles, but the platform has clearly moved from fragile compatibility to practical viability in a way that few would have predicted just a few years ago.
Source: Windows Central Microsoft celebrates Windows on Arm progress, with users now spending most of their time in natively compiled apps
