TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is one of the most crucial requirements for Windows 11 & many Mac users are wondering whether their Mac devices have TPM or not?
I have done a ton of research about the TPM & its compatibility with Mac devices, and in this article, I will answer each and everything regarding this.
So, Do Macs have TPM?
No! most Mac devices don’t come with the TPM support on the motherboard, but few Macs devices come with the TPM 2.0 hardware support in the CPU.
I know that, after getting the short answer, you are confused. To clear this confusion, you need to learn some basic concepts about TPM.
TPM Basic Concept
Microsoft wants to make this Windows 11 operating system more secure than its previous version operating systems & to enhance the security feature, they introduced the TPM chip concept.
TPM is a kind of cryptographic chip designed to provide hardware-based, security-related functions. The malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM.
The TPM is installed on a computer’s motherboard, but the latest CPUs come with an integrated firmware-based TPM inside.
TPM is not a new thing at all, it was first introduced in 2009, but some of the old devices comes with the old TPM version (TPM 1.2).
But, if you want to install Windows 11, your device needs the latest TPM 2.0 version, which is more secure than its previous version.
I hope all the concept regarding TPM is clear in your mind now without wasting too much time; lets straight come to the point & discuss some other crucial factors such as Which Macs have TPM, Why most of the Macs have not TPM, Can you install Windows 11 on Mac without TPM? Etc.
Why do MACs have no TPM?
Most of the Mac devices doesn’t have the TPM inside their motherboard or CPU, so let’s discuss why these devices don’t come with the TPM-
T2 Chip
T2 is a security chip available in most Mac devices; this chip is Apple’s second-generation, custom silicon for Mac.
This T2 chip delivers capabilities to your Mac, such as encrypted storage, enhanced image and Signal processing and security for touch ID data.
Moreover, it also stores the cryptographic keys necessary to boot the machines it runs on securely.
In short, it can be said that the T2 chip works almost similar to a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip.
So, the point here is that there is no need to add (TPM) chip as they already have a similar T2 chip that does a similar job.
Security
To enhance the security feature & to protect the data from hackers, Microsoft introduces the TPM 2.0 chip concept within Windows 11.
Windows is always a target point of hackers, but the Mac devices are fully secured in comparison with Windows.
Hackers cannot hack the data from Mac devices; therefore, there is no need for Apple to enhance the security feature on Mac devices by introducing TPM.
Moreover, you can run the Windows 11 on M1 Mac devices by using the parallels desktop 17 & therefore, Apple is not investing its valuable time in such a security feature.
Just because of the mentioned causes, Apple is not bringing any updates regarding the TPM chip.
Also Read: Do Intel CPUs have TPM?
Which Macs have TPM?
Although Apple never supported the TPM chip inside its motherboards, few Mac devices come with the TPM 2.0 support inside the CPU, and all of those devices mentioned below-
- MacBook (Retina, 12 inches, 2017)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- Mac Mini (2018)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- iMac (Retina 5k, 27-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5 inches, 2017)
- iMac (21.5 inches, 2017)
- Mac Pro (2019)
All of the mentioned Mac devices come with Intel CPUs capable of supporting the TPM, but it is a firmware TPM and has to be supported in the motherboard.
Does Macbook Pro have the TPM Chip?
Most of the Macbook Pro devices doesn’t come with the integrated TPM chip inside the motherboard; instead, these devices come with the T2 chip, which works similarly to TPM.
However, a few Macbook Pro devices come with the TPM inside the processors- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016), MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) and MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports).
But, remember, these Macbook Pro devices come with the firmware TPM inside CPUs & the motherboards of the Macbook pro devices doesn’t support the firmware TPM; therefore, these devices are not compatible with Windows 11.
Will Windows 11 support Intel Macs?
A few Intel Mac devices come with the built-in TPM inside the Intel processors, but these are firmware TPM & the TPM is not supported by the motherboards of these devices.
But, you can run Windows 11 on your Intel-based Mac computers by using the Parallels Desktop 17. The Parallels Desktop 17 will enable the virtual TPM chip by default for all virtual machines, including the Intel-based Mac devices.
Also Read: Can Windows 11 run on TPM 1.2?
Final Verdict
So, based on all the facts & examples, it can be said that most of the Mac devices don’t come with the TPM support inside the motherboard. Still, few Intel-based Mac devices come with the firmware TPM support inside the processor, which is sufficient to run Windows 11 on other devices but not enough to run Windows 11 on Mac devices.
I hope this article is helpful for you, and if you want to know more about Windows 11, Macs, TPM, Computers and other technology-related things, keep following this blog regularly.
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