Windows on Arm is finally clicking — most apps now just work natively

There was a time when using Windows on Arm meant a lot of waiting. Apps didn’t always run well, emulation felt slow, and the whole thing seemed half-baked. But things have changed. According to Arm, more than 90% of the time (via Windows Central) people spend on their Windows devices is now inside apps that run natively on Arm.

Arm says 100 of the most popular Windows apps are now native to the platform

The list of supported apps isn’t just growing—it already includes a bunch you probably use every day. Slack, Spotify, WhatsApp, Google Drive, Canva, NordVPN, and Adobe Lightroom now run natively. Even heavier tools like Blender and DaVinci Resolve are part of the lineup. These apps don’t just load—they respond quicker and use less battery.

Take Google Chrome for example. It now runs fully native on Windows on Arm, and it shows. Page loads are quicker, scrolling feels snappy, and it uses less power, especially when you’ve got a dozen tabs open. Tests even show it running about three times faster than the older emulated version.

Familiar tools feel lighter as well

Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint also run natively now. They’re more responsive and still support existing plug-ins. Video calls on Zoom now start faster, feel more stable, and won’t drain your battery as quickly. Developer tool Pieces for Developers even saw big drops in memory response time, all thanks to local, on-device processing.

All that said, you don’t need to wonder if something will run. Most apps already do, and they run well. For people who just want their PC to feel fast and reliable without thinking about architecture, Windows 11 on Arm is starting to feel like a normal, modern setup.