Microsoft touts Windows 10 on Arm advances, including 64-bit emulation

It's been a while since Microsoft officials talked up what's happening with Windows 10 on Arm. But on September 30, Microsoft provided a bit of an update on some of the work that's been happening with that platform.

Microsoft confirmed in a blog post on September 30 that Windows on Arm will be able to run x64 apps with x64 emulation. Windows Insiders will get this capability in test builds in November. The blog post doesn't mention when this capability will be generally available.

Currently, Windows on Arm natively supports Arm apps, including ARM64 versions. But so far, only 32-bit Intel (x86) apps are supported in emulation. This lack of x64 emulation has limited the number of apps that can run on Windows on Arm devices, since apps that are 64-bit only haven't been able to run on these devices. In May, there were hints Microsoft was making progress on the 64-bit x86 (x64) emulation for Windows on Arm, however, as reported by Neowin.
Officials also said today that the company has updated an optimized Visual Studio Code to work on Windows 10 on Arm. In addition, Microsoft has been working to make the new Chromium-based Edge browser faster and less hard on battery life for the platform. And Microsot plans to "soon" release a native Microsoft Teams client optimized for Windows 10 on Arm, according to the blog post.

Microsoft also noted again that the company is working to ensure that existing apps will work with Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps on Arm 64 via the company's App Assure program.

"We are working closely with Acer, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and Surface to bring these Windows 10 on ARM innovations and products to our shared customers," the blog post added. 

Microsoft announced its Arm-based Surface Pro X 2-in-1 PC last October.