Software compatibility remains a big issue for Windows 11 ARM64 usage, possibly even more than on Apple's M series Macs. While Microsoft's Prism emulator has improved its x86 emulation capabilities compared to earlier versions, the performance of native applications generally won't match that of those that are emulated. Developers are slowly rolling out ARM64-optimized apps, with Signal Messenger being one of the latest entrants.
Beta Release of Drive for Desktop
In light of this, Google has launched a beta version of Drive for Desktop that is made especially for Windows 11 ARM64 devices. This means that the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 (currently priced at $899 on Amazon) which were assessed earlier this year should now work well with Google's widely used cloud storage. This also applies to other devices that are powered by Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite chips.
Important Caveats
However, there are some important things to keep in mind for now. For one, the Drive for Desktop version is still in beta testing. It also does not support the Outlook Meet plugin at this moment. Because of this, Google advises users to only work with backed-up data or information that isn't critical. If you’re curious about trying this early version, you can get the 279 MB installer that is available on Google Drive. For more information, check out Google's forum post.
