Project ReactOS, which has been developing a free OS with binary compatibility for Windows applications and drivers for many years, announced the first successful launch of an experimental build for ARM64. Until now, the main target architectures for ReactOS have been i586 and AMD64, and now the system was able to boot on a 64-bit ARM platform.
The demonstration was published on May 26, 2026. As clarified by Phoronix, the shown ReactOS ARM64 build was launched in a virtual machine QEMU, targeting the Apple ARM64 processor. To run the experimental ARM64 build, a UEFI-compatible system with enabled GICv2 or GICv3; the target architecture level is Armv8-A and newer.
Support is still only in an experimental state. This does not mean there is a ready-to-use ARM64 release or full support for real Apple Silicon 'out of the box.' It marks an important technical milestone: the system can already pass the early boot stages on the new architecture, but significant work remains to achieve stable operation, drivers, graphics, and compatibility with user applications.
ReactOS is interesting because it is not a Linux distribution and does not serve as a wrapper over Wine. The project aims to implement an open operating system compatible with the Windows NT family, including applications and drivers for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7. The user part of ReactOS largely utilizes developments from Wine, but the system itself is built as a separate OS with its own kernel, bootloader, and system components.
The ReactOS code is distributed under GNU GPL 2.0, with the project explicitly warning that the system is still in an alphastate. Developers do not guarantee stability, data integrity, or correct operation on actual hardware, so testing is still recommended to be done in a virtual machine or a separate test system without important data.
The transition to ARM64 is important not just for itself. For ReactOS, it represents a step towards a more modern architectural foundation: Windows has long existed on ARM, and interest in ARM64 platforms has significantly increased following the rise of Apple Silicon, Qualcomm Snapdragon X, and server ARM systems. However, porting ReactOS is more complex than simple recompilation: it requires adapting low-level parts of the kernel, HAL, interrupt handling, UEFI booting, memory management, and the driver set.
A fresh demonstration shows that work on the ARM64 port of ReactOS has moved beyond theoretical preparation. However, the practical status remains the same: this is an achievement for developers and enthusiasts, not a new ready-to-use platform for users. For typical testing, the current release of ReactOS remains relevant. 0.4.15, available as a Boot CD and LiveCD, with the latest changes being published in nightly builds that may contain new features but also new regressions.
Source: linux.org.ru
