Modano works seamlessly on Mac, but a few additional installation steps are required.
This is because the Modano Excel add-in requires the Windows version of Excel, which means Windows and Excel for Windows must be installed on your Mac to use Modano on it.
Installing Windows on a Mac is quick and easy, and Modano reduces your first year subscription cost by the cost of installing Windows on your Mac, so Mac users pay the same as PC users.
There are two ways you can use Modano on your Mac:
- Install Parallels Desktop for Mac (or similar virtualization software) before installing Excel for Windows (see www.parallels.com); or
- Use Boot Camp to partition your Mac hard drive before installing Windows and Excel on the newly-partitioned Windows section of the hard drive (see www.apple.com/support/bootcamp).
From a usage perspective, the primary difference between these methods is that Parallels Desktop allows Windows (and therefore Modano) to run as an app within OS alongside your other apps, while Boot Camp requires that you boot up your Mac using either Windows or Mac OS. This means that when using Boot Camp you cannot switch between Windows and Mac OS applications without rebooting your computer. For this reason, most Mac users use the Parallels Desktop approach.
Step-by-step instructions for both of these options are provided below, but if you're confused feel free to contact us to discuss what works best for you.
It should be noted that models built using Modano are normal Excel files that do not require the Modano Excel add-in to be installed to be used - i.e. your clients using Macs will not need to install Windows and Modano to use models you've built for them using Modano.
Option 1. Installation using Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels Desktop for Mac is an application that you install on your Mac (using a standard mac *.dmg installer) which allows you to run Windows as an application with your normal Mac experience. This can be quite confusing at first, but basically you open Parallels from the Dock on your Mac desktop the same way you open any other application such as Safari, and this will open Windows within the Parallels window that opens. You can then maximize this window and the experience is identical to that when using a purely Windows-based computer.
Follow the instructions below to install Windows, Excel and Modano on your Mac using Parallels Desktop for Mac:
- Download Parallels Desktop for Mac from the Parallels website (selecting the free trial if you're not sure) and follow the instructions to install this program on your Mac. Parallels will offer to install Windows during this installation process.
- Install the Windows version of Office. Make sure you install Office within Windows within Parallels, not the Mac version of Office. If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription you are allowed 5 Office installs so use one of these. Otherwise you will need to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Download and Install Modano following our step-by-step installation guide.
- Contact us if you have any questions or require support.
If you are extremely cost conscious you can minimize the cost of Windows by purchasing from sites such as Product Key 24, which offer 75%+ discounts on Windows subscriptions. If your Mac is your personal or home computer, you may also qualify for home or student Microsoft 365 subscription pricing, which is also more than 50% cheaper than business pricing.
Feel free to contact us to discuss options when setting up, as it can be overwhelming but is quick and easy when done right the first time.
Option 2. Installation using Boot Camp
Follow the instructions below to install Windows, Excel and Modano on your Mac using Boot Camp:
- Purchase Microsoft Windows from the Microsoft Online Store. Modano works on all versions of Windows so choose the one most suitable to your needs and budget.
- Install Windows Using Boot Camp. We usually partition our hard drives 50/50 Mac/Windows, although it doesn't make a huge difference how you balance it out. It really depends on where you expect to save the most files. Either way, you'll have quite a few GB of storage available to allocate.
- Install the Windows version of Office. If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription you are allowed 5 Office installs so use one of these. Otherwise you will need to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Download and Install Modano following our step-by-step installation guide.
- Going forward, use the Boot Camp Assistant to select the default to start up disk for your computer (i.e. Mac or Windows). You can then hold down the Option key when you turn on your Mac to be provided with an option as to which disk you would like to use. We usually default our Macs to Windows and use the Option key when we want to boot Mac, but you can do the opposite if you like.
- Contact us if you have any questions or require support.
Configuring the function keys for Windows while using Boot Camp
By default the function keys Macs implement special features, such as changing the screen brightness and speaker volume. Standard function key behaviour can be forced by holding down the Fn key before pressing the F1 - F9 function, but this can be annoying when using common functions Microsoft Excel such as enter formula edit mode (F2) and manual calculate (F9).
As a result of this behaviour, we recommend changing the default function key behaviour to the standard Windows function key behaviour, as follows:
- Open Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp;
- Go to Control Panel and select Boot Camp;
- In the Boot Camp Control Panel dialog box activate the Keyboard dialog box;
- Tick the Use all F1, F2, etc. Keys are standard function keys checkbox, as shown below:
- Click the Apply button and then the OK button.
After doing this, the function keys on your Mac will operate as you’re used to them operating on Windows-based computers.