How to Install League of Legends and Start Playing Today

Need to install League of Legends? Our simple and comprehensive guide walks you through the process of downloading and installing the popular MOBA game, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience on your PC or Mac.

By Irene / Published on December 17, 2024

By Irene / Updated on May 10, 2024

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League of Legends is one of the most popular online games with over 11.5 million monthly players. You can play it on your Android and Windows OS gadgets like a pro. But, what about Mac? 

Well, as we all know, Macs are good for professional work, but they don't work well with games. They simply don't have powerful hardware to run robust games like LOL. 

Before Installing League of Legends

Even though macOS isn't known for gaming, you can still enjoy League of Legends on your MacBook or iMac. However, it's important to note that League of Legends is only officially supported on Mac's US portal. If you're outside the US, you'll need to run Windows 11 on your Mac to access League of Legends. You can play League of Legends smoothly on MacBook Air models from 2017 onwards, including the latest M1 versions. League of Legends doesn't require high-end hardware, making it compatible with MacBook Air. For optimal performance and a visually appealing experience, ensure your device meets these technical specifications:

  • 3 GHz processorinstall league of legends
  • 2 to 4 GB RAM
  • 5 GB of free hard disk space
  • NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT/ ATI Radeon HD 2600 or higher
  • Screen resolution of 1920x1200 or higher.

However, unfortunately, League of Legends is not compatible with macOS Catalina. This means you won't be able to install the game on a Mac running Catalina. The only workaround is to install League of Legends before updating to macOS Catalina.

Now that we've covered common questions about Mac and League of Legends compatibility, let's explore how to play League of Legends on Mac. Unlike Windows, you can't simply download League of Legends and start playing. You'll need to follow these three simple solutions to get started.

How to Install League of Legends on Mac?

The easiest way to run a Windows application on a Mac is to create a Windows USB for Mac, so you just put Windows USB in your MacBook, Mac mini or iMac to start playing LOL quickly. However, installing your Windows operating system on a USB and running it on your Mac isn't easy so you need a tool like AOMEI Partition Assistant to make a portable Windows USB drive.

Steps to create bootable Windows USB for Mac

Now you can download it to have a try and follow the steps to create Windows to Go USB device for Mac computers.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Before you do:

① You need to be on a computer running Windows 10 to make a working USB flash drive. Windows 11/10/8/7 all have this feature that you can use to make anSSD that can boot and other portable hard drives.

② This tool works with both Legacy and UEFI boot modes, but it can only start up in UEFI mode.

③  You can use any USB 2.0, 3.0, or 3.1 drive, SSD, or HDD, but a USB 3.1 device is better because it makes the usable drive and starts up the Mac faster.

④You have to convert the USB external hard drive to GPT partition style.

Download a 64-bit version of Windows a disk image (ISO) from Microsoft.

Step 1. Insert an empty USB drive (over 32GB) to a Windows 10 computer via USB port. It is better to choose USB drive from famous manufacturers such as Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston, etc.

Step 2. Select “Tools” on the main interface and hit “Windows To Go Creator”.

Step 3. In the pop-out small window, select “Create Windows ToGo for Mac computer” and hit on “Next”.

Step 4. Then select source file (the Windows 10 ISO files you have download) by clicking the folder icon and click “Next”.

Step 5. Select the USB drive you have plugged in and hit on “Proceed”.

Note: you can click the “Advanced” button to choose the type of created system and target system startup mode.

Step 6. Then wait for the process to be done.

Installing Windows 10 on a USB drive will take a long time. Once the installation is complete, you can safely remove the USB drive from your Windows computer and then connect it to your target Mac computer. If your Mac computer only has an USB-C interface, connecting the USB drives will require a USB C Transformer adapter, then turn on the Mac computer's power supply and press the Option button immediately. Select your USB drive and click back on it to run Windows 10 in Mac via USB device.

Solution 2. Install Windows Operating System on Mac

You can install Windows on your Mac instead of carrying it about on a portable device. You can easily install Windows on your Mac to play LOL and run other Windows programs because Macs are made to run Windows as well.The MacBook 2015, MacBook Air 2012, MacBook Pro 2012, Mac mini 2012, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, or later are the minimum requirements to run Windows on a Mac.

This approach is helpful in the following situations:

On a Mac, you must run numerous Windows programs. Your hard drive has a lot of free space.To install Windows on a Mac, just take the following actions:

Step 1. Buy Windows OS

Purchase Windows 11 or other versions if you have not previously. Just use your web browser to visit the Windows Store and buy the operating system. It is advised to download Windows as an ISO file and create a Windows To Go USB so that, in the event that you receive a physical copy, you may still access the digital version.

Step 2. Launch Boot Camp Assistant 

Launching the macOS Boot Camp Assistant is the next step. Navigate to Finder > Utilities > and choose Boot Camp Assistant from the pop-up menu to accomplish this.

If this is your first time using Boot Camp Assistant, a screen with several configuration options will display. Before continuing, we strongly advise backing up your data in case something goes wrong.

Once you have backed up your data, select the downloaded ISO file by clicking Choose and then Proceed. Find out the size of the Windows partition as well. To install Windows, you must have at least 64 GB of free space on your hard disk. Apple says that having 128 GB of free space is preferable. Learn to free up space, please click here to read.

After you confirm your configuration, click Install, and Boot Camp Assistant will begin partitioning Windows.

Step 3. Format the partition 

Following the creation of the partition, the Mac will restart and load the Windows ISO. Proceed with the on-screen instructions to download Windows.

Step 4. Install Windows drivers 

Once Windows has finished installing, select Next > Install to allow Boot Camp Assistant to download and install all required Windows drivers on your device. You can now play LOL on your MacBook running Windows in the same manner as before by just downloading it.

Solution 3. Dual Boot Windows and macOS on Your Mac

Finally, you may play League of Legends on your MacBook by using dual booting Windows and macOS on your Mac. When you wish to run native Mac and Windows apps on a single device, this approach comes in handy.

The dual-booting is helpful in many situations, like:

  • When you want to update your Mac to Catalina but you still want to play LOL on it
  • If you want to test both Mac and Windows without committing to the one

You can dual-boot your Mac rather easily. After installing Windows on your Mac (see Solution 2), you can access Options by pressing Alt when your Mac boots up.Your Mac screen will display two partitions, one for Windows and one for macOS. Simply choose the operating system that you want to use. For us, choose Windows in order to play LOL.

Conclusion

League of Legends is a very popular online game that can be played on Android and Windows OS devices. Each month, over 11.5 million people play it. But Mac users might be curious about how well it works with their computers. Macs are great for work, but their hardware might not be up to the task for demanding games like League of Legends. Even so, you can still play the game on your MacBook or iMac if you get ready like using AOMEI Partition Assistant.

FAQs

  1. How can I install League of Legends on Mac?

    • You can create a Windows USB for Mac or install Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp Assistant or dual booting.
  2. What are the technical specifications required to play League of Legends on Mac?

    • Ensure your device has a 3 GHz processor, 2 to 4 GB RAM, 5 GB of free hard disk space, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT/ ATI Radeon HD 2600 or higher, and a screen resolution of 1920x1200 or higher.
  3. Can I play League of Legends on MacBook Air or M1?

    • Yes, League of Legends can run smoothly on MacBook Air models from 2017 onwards, including the latest M1 versions.
  4. Is League of Legends compatible with macOS Catalina?

    • Unfortunately, League of Legends isn't compatible with macOS Catalina. It's advisable to install the game before updating to Catalina.
  5. What's the easiest way to run Windows applications on a Mac?

    • Creating a Windows USB for Mac using tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant or installing Windows via Boot Camp Assistant are common methods.
Irene · Staff Editor
Irene is an Editor of AOMEI Technology. She devotes herself in giving insightful thoughts on common computer problems with simple and clear guidance. Irene loves to help people solve problems and explore more solutions on relevant issues. She loves reading, singing and travelling.