- If you want to run Windows and macOS side by side, you’ll need to create a Windows virtual machine for Mac. What is a virtual machine? A virtual machine (VM) is a computer that’s created in software and looks and feels just like a real PC. But it runs inside a Mac application.
- The Industry Standard: VMware Workstation. An evaluation version is available. Easy to use once it.
If you want to run Windows on your Mac there are two ways to do it. One is to partition your main drive using the built-in Bootcamp Assistant and then install Windows on the partition that doesn’t house macOS. You can then boot into whichever operating system you choose.
While that method means running Windows natively and so is optimal in terms of performance, it means you have to reboot every time you want to move between operating systems and you can’t, for example, copy and paste between macOS and Windows. If you want to run Windows and macOS side by side, you’ll need to create a Windows virtual machine for Mac.
As others have mentioned is is definitely possible to create good looking cross platform GUI in Java on both Windows and Mac. However if you want your app to blend in and behave in a way that makes it 'feel' like an application designed from the ground up for the platform it is running on, you really have to develop the GUI and user experience. Programs such as Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion and VirtualBox allow you to create a virtual machine (VM), that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac app. The virtual machine uses software to. Looking for VirtualBox alternatives to create virtual machines on Linux, Windows or macOS (OS X)? I don’t think you need them, yet here are few of.
What is a virtual machine?
A virtual machine (VM) is a computer that’s created in software and looks and feels just like a real PC. But it runs inside a Mac application. The whole virtual machine, with the operating system and all its applications, is stored inside one big file on your Mac. That means you can have multiple virtual machines on the same Mac. Once you launch it and ‘boot’ the virtual PC, Windows VM on Mac behaves like any other Windows machine, except that it’s running inside a window on your Mac.
If you have two screens connected to your Mac, you can have macOS on one and Windows on the other. Or you can use Mission Control to swipe between them. A virtual machine can share accessories like printers and external storage with your Mac, and you can copy and paste between the two operating systems. You can even set up the virtual machine to use Mac keyboard shortcuts instead of their Windows equivalents.
Can I run a virtual machine on my Mac?
As long as your Mac has an Intel processor (and it will have unless it’s more than 12 years old), in theory it can run a virtual machine. However, running a virtual machine alongside macOS needs lots of memory (at least 8GB in total, and more if you want to run more than one virtual machine) and at least two processor cores. You’ll also need at least 16-20GB of hard drive space, and that’s before you start installing applications and saving files. Most modern Macs should run any of the virtual machine applications described here without a problem.
The other thing you’ll need is a copy of Windows. Virtual machine applications don’t come with Windows installers, so you’ll need to supply your own, along with a licence key.
Best virtual machine software for Mac
There are three contenders here: Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. We’ll discuss Virtual Box in the next section.
Parallels Desktop 13
Mac Create Vm For Windows Software Download
The latest version of Parallels Desktop has support for features in the latest Macs, like the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. It also allows you to make the Windows desktop ‘invisible’ when you’re running apps, so it looks like you’re just running Windows apps in macOS. Or, if you prefer, you can shrink Windows desktop down to a thumbnail preview, so it doesn’t get in the way but you can keep an eye on what it’s doing.
Of course, virtual machines aren’t just about running Windows on your Mac. Parallels Desktop allows you to install Linux, or a different version of macOS, say a beta of the next version if you don’t want to install it on your Mac. If you’ve previously installed Windows on a Boot Camp partition, you can use that partition as a virtual machine, allowing you to boot into it from within Parallels without re-booting your Mac.
Touch Bar support includes functions in Microsoft Office apps, as well as Windows Task Bar.
When it comes to performance, Parallels Desktop is about as good as it gets for virtual machines. That means you can run most applications just fine, but demanding 3D graphics-intensive games, and other apps that place lots of demands on the CPU and GPU are still a bit of a struggle. If you want to run those in Windows, you’re still better off using Boot Camp.
VMWare Fusion
The other main contender when it comes to running a virtual machine on your Mac is VMWare Fusion. It comes in two versions, Fusion 10, which costs about the same as Parallels Desktop, and Fusion 10 Pro, which is more expensive but adds feature aimed at enterprise customers, such as support for managing virtual servers.
Mac Create Vm For Windows Software Downloads
In terms of features, there’s little to choose between Parallels Desktop and Fusion. Like its rival, Fusion allows you to choose between running Windows inside a window on your Mac (or full-screen if you prefer) and in what it calls Unity mode, where the operating system disappears and Windows apps look like they’re running natively on the Mac. That means you can run Windows and Mac apps alongside each other and switch between them seamlessly. You can also copy and paste between Mac and Windows, share peripherals, and map Mac keyboard shortcuts in Windows.
Support for OpenGL and DX10, as well as Apple’s Metal technology means that playing resource-hungry games is theoretically possible. But, as with Parallels, performance in the latest games lags behind Boot Camp and may prove frustrating.
The latest version of Fusion adds support for the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
Choosing between Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion may be as much a matter of a preference for one or the other’s user interface. They have very similar features, and cost almost the same. Fortunately, both offer free trials — Parallels for 14 days and Fusion for 30 days — so you can download each one and try them out before making a decision on which to buy.
Best free virtual machine software for Mac
If you want to run a virtual machine on your Mac but can’t stretch to the $70 for Parallels or Fusion, there is a third option — VirtualBox. Owned by Oracle and made available as open-source software for personal or educational use, VirtualBox won’t cost you a penny if you fall into either of those two categories.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that VirtualBox, because it’s open source and free lacks all of the polish of Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion. While it does the basics competently, it’s much less user friendly and much less easy to use than the other two. And while there is help available online from other users, there’s no official support if you run into problems. And remember, while VirtualBox itself is free, you’ll still need to supply your own copy of Windows. Alternatively, you could use VirtualBox to run Linux on your Mac, instead of Windows.
Alternatives to a virtual machine
As we mentioned earlier, the alternative to running a virtual machine on your Mac is to partition your main drive using the built-in Boot Camp Assistant (it’s in the Utilities folder). You can then install Windows or Linux, or another version on macOS, on the other partition.
Boot Camp Assistant is very easy to use and once you’ve set it up, booting into, say, Windows, is just like using it natively on a PC. That means, of course, that you won’t be able to copy and paste between Mac and Windows, and you won’t be able to use external storage that’s formatted in APFS or Mac OS Extended, but Windows will run faster than it does on a virtual machine.
If you plan to use Boot Camp Assistant to partition your main drive, remember to back it up first. Partitioning a drive is not quite major surgery, but it definitely carries the risk of losing data.
How to make space for a virtual machine on your Mac
Depending on how many applications you plan to install on your virtual machine and what you plan to use it for, you may need tens of gigabytes of free space on your Mac. If space is tight, don’t worry, there’s plenty you can do to make room. As a first step, we recommend installing CleanMyMac X. It scans your Mac and looks for files that can be safely deleted. These include “junk” system files like cache files and other temporary files that are still hanging around, as well as language support files, and data in Photos and iTunes you may not need. Once it’s scanned your Mac and found all those files, you can delete them all with a click, or review the results of the scan and decide for yourself what you want to trash.
CleanMyMac can also uninstall files completely, getting rid of all the files that are left if you just drag and app to the Trash, and highlight large and old files that you haven’t opened for a while. Best of all, you can download it free here and give it a try. You’ll be surprised about how much space you can free up.
Virtual machines are the most convenient way of running a second operating system on your Mac. The ones we have highlighted here are the best VMs for Mac, so download one and give it a go.
License violations[edit]
According to the macOS and OS X software license agreement[1], macOS should only be installed on Apple Mac devices. Neither the editors of this book nor Wikibooks have any liability over the installation of macOS or OS X guests on VirtualBox or any other violations of the software license.
This is against the EULA of Apple, doing this article IS considered piracy.
Installation script[edit]
The following installation script:
- ...is free and open-source
- ...requires only VirtualBox with its Extension Pack and dependencies that can be easily installed in a single command with most open-source package managers
- ...downloads macOS Catalina, Mojave and High Sierra directly from Apple's servers
- ...installs macOS without modifying the original Apple binaries and without third-party bootloaders
- ...creates a VM that is compatible with OpenCore and can be exported (with manual modifications) to KVM/QEMU for near-native performance
- ...runs on Linux, Windows (WSL, Cygwin), and macOS
Manual installation[edit]
The manual installation requires access to the Mac App Store through an existing installation of macOS.
Create ISO Installation Media[edit]
- Download the macOS Installer file from the App Store[2] (OS X El Capitan and Sierra is downloadable from Apple's website).
- When download finishes, find the app, right-click and select 'Show Package Contents'.
- Inside the sub-folder Contents/SharedSupport you will find a InstallESD.dmg file.
- Open 'Disk Utility'
- Choose Images > Convert
- In the window, choose the InstallESD.dmg to convert and the disk type to be 'DVD/CD-R master for export'. Also choose the name for installer disk and the final destination. Then click 'Convert'.
- After conversion completes, you will see a .cdr file in your destination folder.
- Open 'Terminal'
- Enter
hdiutil convert /Your/Path/To/YourCdrFile.cdr -format UDTO -o /Your/Path/To/macOSInstaller.iso - Check destination folder. This is your file for installation in VirtualBox. There should be a .iso file extension.
Installation in VirtualBox[edit]
- Open VirtualBox. Click 'new'
- Type the name for virtual machine and Mac OS X for type. Choose your version (if you have Mojave or Catalina, choose Mac OS X (64 bit)).
- Select memory size.
- Select 'Create Virtual Disk Now'
- Choose VDI for format.
- Select storage name and size. The size should be at least 32 GB.
- Go to 'Settings'
- Go to 'Storage' Tab
- In the SATA controller, click 'Add Optical Disk'.
- Insert the .iso file.
- Go to 'Display' tab.
- Set video memory to maximum value.
- Quit 'Settings'
- Boot by clicking 'Start'.
- When it boots, you will see some data being displayed.
- This part needs clarification - UEFI Interactive Shell loads, but nothing happens. If you use the command 'exit' you can shift to the EFI menu, but changing the settings doesn't seem to affect the progress of the UEFI Interactive Shell, which stops at the Shell> prompt.
- After a while, you will need to choose the language for installation. Choose your own language.
- Then you will be asked where to install macOS.
- On the upper-left corner, you will see a 'Utilities' button. Click it and select 'Disk Utility'.
- You will see a window with different storages on the left. Choose 'VBOX HARDDISK Media'. Note: You may have to select View/View All Devices
- Erase the Storage by clicking the 'Erase' button on the top.
- You will be prompted to enter the name for the storage. Enter your desired name and continue.
- Wait for the process to complete. Then quit Disk Utility.
- You will find a new storage media, which is like a hard disk. Choose that storage for the installation of OS X to install.
- After installation completes, the virtual machine will automatically shut down. Go to 'Settings'.
- Go to the 'Storage' section to eject the .iso file.
- Boot virtual machine again.
- Choose system language.
- Choose allow location or not.
- You will be asked to enter your Apple ID. Even if you have an Apple ID, do not enter now.
- Accept EULA of macOS.
- Restore Time Machine Backups (if you have)
- You will see the main page of OS X, open App Store.
- Enter your Apple ID and sign in...
There should be 2 scenarios...
- Scenario 1: You will sign in within a short time. Congratulations! You have done it!
- Scenario 2: It took ages. Stop signing in and check the references below. [2]
References[edit]
- ↑http://www.apple.com/legal/sla/
- ↑ abhttps://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475