How to Download and Install GarageBand on Windows 10 PC

GarageBand is a robust digital audio workstation for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices. It allows the musicians to create music and podcasts. Unfortunately, like many Apple-specific applications, GarageBand is also unavailable for Windows 10 devices.

If you are a Windows 10 user and want to use the GarageBand on your device, this guide is just for you. We will discuss the top ways to access the GarageBand without using any Apple devices. Further, we will also walk through some amazing alternatives to GarageBand.

Download GarageBand using iPadian Emulator

Like Android emulators, there are various emulators for running iOS apps on the Windows OS. The easiest way to install the GarageBox is by using the iPadian Emulator. You can easily access the Apple App Store using it. 

Follow these steps to install iPadian Emulator and download the GarageBox in it:

1. Go to the official website of iPadian Emulator to download it.
2. Install the emulator on your PC
3. After completing the emulator installation, log in with your Apple ID. If you don’t have an Apple ID, create one and then sign in.
4. After sign up, navigate to App Store and search for the GarageBand in the search bar. Install the program on your device.
5. After installation is finished, launch the GarageBand from the iPadian home screen.

Download GarageBand on Windows PC using Virtualbox 

Since there is no official application of GarageBand for the Windows OS, we will install the virtual macOS on Windows using VirtualBox. For this guide, we will install the macOS High Sierra 10.13.6. You can install any macOS version you like to run the Garageband.

Minimum System Requirements for Installing macOS on VirtualBox

Install macOS High Sierra on VirtualBox 

Step 1: Download the Prerequisites

Before moving any further to install the macOS Sierra, here are the prerequisites for it. It is advised to download them all pre-hand.

• Download VirtualBox
• Download VirtualBox Code
• macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Free Download

Step 2: Install the VirtualBox

To set up the macOS on VirtualBox, you need to install it. Here are the steps for that:

1. Download VirtualBox from the prerequisites.
2. Launch the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to begin the installation.
3. Before clicking Yes on Network disabling warning, pause the downloads.
4. Click on the Install button to initiate the VirtualBox installation.
5. During the installation process, you might receive several warnings. You have to click Yes every time to install the VirtualBox successfully.
6. The setup would take several minutes to complete
7. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Step 3: Create a New Virtual Machine for macOS High Sierra

After installing the VirtualBox, now create a new Virtual Machine for macOS High Sierra. It is pretty similar to creating a Virtual Machine for Windows OS. Follow these steps:

1. Launch the VirtualBox and click on New.
2. On the next window, first, click on the Expert Mode button and follow these instructions:
   • Name: Choose a suitable name.
   • Machine Folder: Select a location where you want to install the VM
   • Type: Choose Mac OS X
   • Version: Mac OS X (64-bit)
   • Memory: at least 4 GB, recommended 8 GB+
   • Hard Disk: Select Use an existing virtual machine hard disk file. Click on the Folder icon to browse the macOS High Sierra VMDK file that you have downloaded.
3. Finally, click Create.
4. To make the machine work, you have to make some changes. Select the newly created machine and click on Settings.
5. Switch to System and:
   • On the Motherboard tab, uncheck Floppy from the Boot Order.
   • On the Processor tab, increase the processor to 4 or more.
6. Now switch to Display and increase the Video Memory to 128MB.

Step 4: Execute the VirtualBox Code

After setting up the VM, now you need to execute some codes to install the macOS High Sierra.

1. Open the VirtualBox Code file with Notepad, which you might have downloaded from the prerequisites section.
2. In the file, replace the VM name with the name of your virtual machine using the Find & Replace feature of Notepad.
3. Now, after replacing the VM name, you are ready to run the code. Before that, exit the VirtualBox application.
4. Run the command prompt with the administrator rights.
5. One by one, execute all the codes from the Notepad file.
6. Now launch the VirtualBox and click on Start to begin installing the macOS High Sierra.

Step 5: Set up macOS High Sierra

After you initiate the installation of macOS, you will see the black screen. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes to install the macOS High Sierra completely. After the installation is completed, follow these steps to set up the OS:

1. Select your country and click Continue.
2. Now choose the preferred keyboard layout.
3. On the next window, select Don’t transfer information to this Mac and click on Continue.
4. Next, you can sign in with your Apple ID if you have one or create a new Apple account. You can also select Don’t sign-in, but it is advised to sign in with Apple ID as ultimately you will require it.
5. Fill out all your details and hit continue.
6. Now it will take some time for OS to get set up, and finally, it would launch.

Install the GarageBand on Windows 10

After installing the macOS High Seira VM on Windows 10, you can now install the GarageBand application on it. 

1. On the macOS High Seira VM, navigate to the App Store.
2. Search for the GarageBand and install it on the VM.

Top Alternatives to GarageBand on Windows 10

Though both the methods listed in this guide are great for using GarageBand on Windows 10, they put a lot of pressure on the system by continuously using the system resources. If you don’t want to go through the effort of installing emulators or virtual machines to use GarageBand, you can also go for its excellent substitutes that provide the same or more features. Here are the top alternatives to GarageBand:

FL Studio

FL Studio is an advanced Digital Audio Workstation that is available for all popular OS, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The FL Studio comes in four editions, each having a different set of functionalities – Fruity Edition, Producer Edition, Signature Bundle, and the All Plugins Bundle. You can choose any of them comparing your requirements and their features. FL Studio provides even more features than GarageBand, and because of its cross-platform support, it is pretty popular among digital music creators.

Reaper

Reaper is another excellent audio workstation software. It is hugely popular because of its robust feature, and surprisingly low price compare to its competitors. It is compatible with a wide range of file types. The drawback is, it doesn’t have a substantial built-in sound library.

Mixcraft 9

Mixcraft 9 is one of the favorites programs of music professionals because of its slick interface and robust performance. It provides its users with innovative sound control features, next-gen advanced sound engines, an improved built-in sound library, and much more. The latest version also allows to import and export of MP4 videos from a camera or phone.

Final Words

If you are a Windows user and hoping for Apple to release the official version of GarageBand for Windows, then you will be disappointed to know that it would never happen. Apple has a history of providing applications exclusively for their product users, baring a few applications like iTunes. This guide has listed the ways to download GarageBand on Windows 10 PC. If you don’t want to take that much trouble, you can go for the equally good alternatives of GarageBand.

Peter Brown

Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.