Want Windows 10 ARM on your Lumia 950 XL phone? This tool makes it possible

Earlier this week, we saw a video of Windows 10 for ARM running on an old Lumia 950 XL, and now a utility has emerged which allows you to install the OS on this smartphone, if you happen to own one.

Windows 10 for ARM is a version of the operating system which is made for laptops that use ARM processors, as the name suggests, and the tool in question allows you to install it on a Lumia 950 or 950 XL. The utility was produced by developer José Manuel Nieto and various other devs (as spotted by MS Power User).

Once installed, you should be able to happily run Win32 apps on your phone, with the Lumia 950 XL’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM apparently enough to cope with the demands of Windows 10, as we saw in the recent video that was aired.

Smooth operator

Certainly general navigation around the OS and basic tasks such as web browsing, or playing a quick round of solitaire, seemingly ran as smooth as butter.

If you have a Lumia 950 or 950 XL and fancy giving this a shot, then there’s a tutorial video detailing the installation process (see above).

Note that the tutorial ends halfway through for Lumia 950 users, although those with a Lumia 950 XL can carry on and install GPU drivers (although the drivers aren’t 100% finished, so you will see some glitches).

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Latest in Windows
Copilot on a laptop
Microsoft quietly updates Copilot to cut down on unauthorized Windows activations
Windows fail
It looks like Microsoft might have broken Windows 11 24H2 again as performance plummets with Intel's latest CPUs
Windows 11 update with Task Manager menu
Microsoft is fixing Windows 11 Task Manager’s quirky reporting of CPU usage, and a much-wanted change for the lock screen is coming, too
Young woman using laptop, looking annoyed
Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11 might come from a good place, but it’s seriously annoying some people
A man at a desk using a laptop and holding his hands up, while having a confused look on his face
Windows 11 24H2 bug is confusing people by displaying half the interface in one language, and the remainder in another
Businessman using a computer to backup storage data
How to recover files in Windows 11
Latest in News
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Here are the 7 best Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 features landing in March’s Pixel Feature Drop
Bang & Olufsen Beogram 4000C Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition
Bang & Olufsen's latest reworked turntable is a masterpiece of retro revival, in a breathtaking wooden presentation box
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple unveils new Apple Watch bands – here's what's in the Spring 2025 collection
iPad Air M3
Apple makes one hardware change to the iPad Air that might be the best indicator of its true lightweight tablet intentions
Shure MoveMic 88+ lifestyle image
Shure's tiny MoveMic 88+ gives creators a cheap and easy way to record crystal clear audio on a smartphone
An operator fires a saw blade from a weapon
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 gets two-week delay, will now release in April