Parallels handles light Windows work well.

Yes, for light productivity — Word, Excel, web apps, even some basic corporate tools — Parallels on a modern MacBook Air works totally fine.

The catch is Boot Camp doesn’t exist on Apple Silicon anymore. If you have an Intel MacBook Air, Boot Camp gives you native Windows performance and is free. But on an M1/M2/M3 MacBook Air, Parallels (or similar VMs like VMWare Fusion) is your only option for running Windows directly.

For light office work, the ARM version of Windows runs surprisingly well in a VM. It’s not buttery for gaming or heavy CAD, but opening an Excel sheet or logging into a VPN client feels native. The MacBook Air’s fanless design can get warm under sustained load, but light productivity won’t push it. Just know you’re paying for a Parallels subscription — it’s not cheap.

If you really only need the occasional Windows app, Parallels is the way. If you need full Windows all day, maybe consider a real Windows laptop.