Windows ten is a great operating arrangement. It has its quirks and annoyances, but which operating organisation doesn't? Even if y'all're beholden to Microsoft and Windows ten, you can yet shop around.

What ameliorate way to do that than from the safe confines of your existing operating system with a virtual machine? This way, you can run macOS on Windows, which is perfect for using Mac-only apps on Windows.

So, hither's how you install macOS in a virtual machine on Windows, making a virtual Hackintosh that lets you run Apple tree apps from your Windows machine.

What Files Exercise You Need to Create a macOS Virtual Machine on Windows 10?

Earlier delving into the "how-to," yous need to download and install the essential tools. The tutorial details how to create macOS virtual machines using both Oracle VirtualBox Manager (VirtualBox) and VMware Workstation Histrion (VMware Role player).

  • Download the latest version of VirtualBox. This tutorial uses VirtualBox 6.1.22
  • Download the latest version of VMware Player. This tutorial uses VMware Player 16

You demand a copy of macOS, as well. Big Sur is the latest macOS version. Y'all can observe the download links for macOS Big Sur in the side by side section.

This tutorial will focus on installing macOS Big Sur in a virtual machine running on Intel hardware, using either VirtualBox or VMware Histrion.

Unfortunately, I exercise not have access to whatever AMD hardware, so I cannot provide a tutorial.

There is, however, the code snippet that anyone using an AMD system requires to kick a macOS Large Sur using VMware on AMD hardware.

Launching the macOS Large Sur virtual machine is the same as the Intel version just uses a slightly different code snippet. You can notice the tutorial and the lawmaking snippet in the department below.

Furthermore, you will find links to several AMD macOS Catalina, Mojave, and Loftier Sierra virtual auto tutorials, at the end of the article.

Download macOS Big Sur Virtual Paradigm

Utilize the download links below to download the macOS Large Sur prototype for both VirtualBox and VMware.

Download: macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Image

Download: VMware Thespian Patch Tool

How to Create a macOS Large Sur Virtual Machine With VirtualBox

Before creating the macOS virtual machine, you need to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack. Information technology includes fixes for USB 3.0 back up, mouse and keyboard support, and other useful VirtualBox patches.

Download: VirtualBox Extension Pack for Windows (Free)

Scroll down, select All supported platforms to download, and then double-click to install.

1. Create the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine

Open up VirtualBox. Select New. Type macOS.

VirtualBox volition notice the Bone as you type and will default to Mac OS 10. You can exit this equally is.

Regarding the virtual machine name, make it something memorable yet easy to type. You'll need to input this name in a series of commands, and it is frustrating to type a complicated proper noun multiple times!

macos big sur virtualbox settings create virtual machine settings

Next, set the corporeality of RAM the macOS virtual car can utilize. I would propose a minimum of 4GB, but the more you lot can requite from the host system, the better your experience.

Remember, yous cannot assign more than RAM than your system has available, and you need to leave some retention available for the host operating system.

At present, select Create a hard disk drive at present and select Create. On the next screen, select Virtual Hard disk, then ready the disk size to a minimum of 50GB, but ideally more if you can spare the space. macOS Big Sur requires at least 35GB of storage.

two. Edit the macOS Big Sur Virtual Auto Settings

Don't endeavour and start your macOS Big Sur virtual machine however. Earlier firing the virtual auto upwardly, yous demand to make a few tweaks to the settings. Right-click your macOS virtual auto and select Settings.

macos big sur virtualbox settings motherboard storage
  1. Under Organization, remove Floppy from the boot gild. Ensure the Chipset is prepare to ICH9.
  2. Select the Processor tab. Assign two processors. If yous have a CPU with power to spare (such as an Intel Core i7 or i9 with multiple extra cores), consider assigning more. All the same, this isn't vital.
  3. Brand sure the Enable PAE/NX box is checked.
  4. Nether Brandish, set Video Memory to 128MB.
  5. Now, nether Storage, select the bare disc under Storage Devices. Next, select the disk icon aslope Optical Drives. Browse to and select your macOS Large Sur disk image.
  6. Finally, head to the USB tab and select USB 3.0, then printing OK.

3. Utilise the Control Prompt to Add together Custom Code to VirtualBox

It still isn't quite time to burn down upward your macOS Large Sur virtual car. In its current configuration, VirtualBox doesn't piece of work with your macOS disk prototype.

To go it upwardly and running, y'all have to substantially patch VirtualBox before the macOS virtual car will part. To do this, you need to enter some code using the Command Prompt. All the details are below.

Offset by endmost VirtualBox. The commands volition not execute properly if VirtualBox or any of its associated processes are running.

Once closed, press the Windows cardinal + X, and so select Command Prompt (Admin) from the carte du jour. If your menu only shows the PowerShell option, blazon control into your Offset bill of fare search bar. Then right-click the Best Match, and select Run as Ambassador. Use the following command to locate the Oracle VirtualBox directory:

                      cd            "C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\"

Now, enter the following commands, 1 by one. Suit the control to match the name of your virtual machine. For case, my virtual machine name is macOS Big Sur.

Here are the commands:

          VBoxManage.exe modifyvm "macOS Big Sur" --cpuidset 00000001 000106e5 00100800 0098e3fd bfebfbff
VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Large Sur" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemProduct" "iMac19,1"
VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Big Sur" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemVersion" "1.0"
VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Big Sur" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiBoardProduct" "Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95"
VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Big Sur" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/DeviceKey" "ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc"
VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Big Sur" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/GetKeyFromRealSMC" 1

After the completion of the commands and presuming you encountered no errors, close the Command Prompt.

macos big sur virtualbox command prompt commands

iv. Boot Your macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine

Reopen VirtualBox. Double-click your macOS virtual machine to start information technology. You will come across a long stream of text, followed by the Apple logo. On the next screen, select your language of choice, then Continue.

macos big sur virtualbox disk utility create drive
  1. Next, select Disk Utility. Y'all create a make clean bulldoze for macOS Big Sur to install to.
  2. In the Disk Utility, select VBOX HARDDISK MEDIA from the Internal drive column.
  3. Afterwards selecting the drive, head to the Erase option establish at the acme of the utility.
  4. Give your drive a name, set the Format to Mac Bone Extended (Journaled), and the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.
  5. Select Erase.
  6. In one case consummate, you tin can exit the Disk Utility back to the Big Sur recovery screen. From here, you should select Install macOS Big Sur.
  7. Select the drive you created in the Disk Utility, followed by Go on.
macos big sur virtualbox installation

Now, the installation says it'll take a few minutes. However, in my experience, this wasn't correct. The initial installation phase took around 15 minutes, just then yous land on a second installation screen after the macOS Big Sur virtual machine restarts.

The initial installation time on that screen begins at around 29 minutes. Nevertheless, in one case it reaches Less than a minute remaining and yous get your hopes upward—don't.

Information technology took some other hour for the installation to complete from this point, but I've also read reports of people waiting for upwards of three hours. Worse, at that place is no way to tell if the installation is ongoing on you're just wasting your time.

macos big sur virtualbox setup new installation

If you can afford the time, exit information technology for several hours, and hopefully, when you come back, yous'll be staring at the macOS Large Sur Welcome page.

One time you complete the macOS setup, take a snapshot within VirtualBox. Head to Automobile > Take Snapshot, requite your snapshot a name, and wait for information technology to process. If anything breaks or the Big Sur virtual motorcar corrupts, you tin can head dorsum to the snapshot to restore your previously good installation.

How to Create a macOS Big Sur Virtual Automobile Using VMware Workstation Player

Prefer VMware over VirtualBox? Yous tin can create a macOS Big Sur virtual machine using VMware that works exactly the aforementioned equally VirtualBox. And, just as with VirtualBox, VMware also requires patching before the macOS Big Sur virtual machine volition work.

This part of the tutorial works for Intel and AMD systems. AMD users must utilize the 2nd code snippet when editing the virtual automobile VMX file. Read through the tutorial to see what this ways exactly.

one. Patch VMware Workstation Player

  1. In the "Download macOS Big Sur Virtual Image" section is the VMware Player Patch Tool. Before commencing any farther, download the patch tool.
  2. Browse to the location you downloaded the patch tool to. Extract the contents of the archive. This process works best when the folders are on the aforementioned drive (eastward.k., the VMware root folder and extracted archive are both institute on the C:\ drive).
  3. Make sure VMware is completely closed. In the Unlocker binder, right-click the win-install command script and select Run as Ambassador. The script volition open a Command Prompt window, and the patch script will run.

Practise pay attention. The script whizzes by, and you need to proceed picket for any "File not Plant" messages.

The most mutual reason for a "file not plant" or a "organization cannot detect the file specified" message is installing VMware Workstation Player in a unlike location to the default folder and executing the patch from a dissimilar directory.

In one case the patch completes, you lot can open VMware.

2. Create the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine with VMware

macos big sur vmware setup new installation
  1. Select Create a New Virtual Machine. Choose I volition install the operating organization later.
  2. Now, select Apple Mac Os 10, and change the Version to macOS 10.sixteen. If you don't see the macOS options, it is because the patch didn't install correctly.
  3. Next, you need to cull a proper noun for your macOS Large Sur virtual machine. Choose something easy to remember, then copy the file path to somewhere handy—you're going to demand it to brand some edits in a moment.
  4. On the next screen, set a disk size of 50GB or larger and select Shop virtual disk as a single file. Complete the virtual deejay creation wizard, but do not start the virtual machine just yet.

3. Edit the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Settings

Earlier you tin kick the virtual machine, you must edit the hardware specification.

macos big sur vmware virtual machine hardware settings
  1. From the chief VMware screen, select your macOS Large Sur virtual motorcar, then right-click and select Settings.
  2. Bump the virtual machine memory upward to at least 4GB. You can allocate more than if you have RAM to spare.
  3. Under Processors, edit the number of available cores to ii (or more than if available).
  4. Now, select New CD/DVD (SATA) > Utilise ISO prototype file. Scan to the macOS Big Sur ISO file and select it.
  5. Close the Hardware window, and select Finish.

However, don't start the VMware Workstation Thespian macOS Big Sur virtual machine only yet. At that place are still some edits to make to configuration files.

4. Edit the macOS Large Sur VMX File for Intel Hardware

This department is for Intel users, and information technology involves the final set of edits y'all demand to make before switching your VMware macOS Big Sur virtual auto on!

Shut VMware. Head to the location you stored the macOS virtual machine. The default location is:

          C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents\Virtual Machines\YOUR MAC OS X FOLDER

Browse to macOS Big Sur.vmx, right-click, and select Open with > Notepad (or your preferred text editor). Whorl to the bottom of the configuration file and add the following line:

          smbios.reflectHost = "TRUE"
hw.model = "MacBookPro14,3"
board-id = "Mac-551B86E5744E2388"
smc.version = "0"

Save, so Exit.

You can at present open VMware, select your macOS Big Sur virtual machine, and fire it up!

five. Edit the macOS Large Sur VMX File for AMD Hardware

This department is for AMD users. Like the in a higher place section, AMD users must as well edit the VMX file before proceeding. The AMD edit involves a few more lines than the Intel version, but you can copy and paste the data into the file.

Close VMware. Head to the location you stored the macOS virtual machine. The default location is:

          C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents\Virtual Machines\YOUR MAC Os 10 FOLDER

Browse to macOS Big Sur.vmx, right-click, and select Open with > Notepad (or your preferred text editor). Scroll to the lesser of the configuration file and add together the following lines:

          smc.version = "0"
cpuid.0.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:1011"
cpuid.0.ebx = "0111:0101:0110:1110:0110:0101:0100:0111"
cpuid.0.ecx = "0110:1100:0110:0101:0111:0100:0110:1110"
cpuid.0.edx = "0100:1001:0110:0101:0110:1110:0110:1001"
cpuid.i.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0001:0000:0110:0111:0001"
cpuid.ane.ebx = "0000:0010:0000:0001:0000:thou:0000:0000"
cpuid.1.ecx = "grand:0010:1001:g:0010:0010:0000:0011"
cpuid.i.edx = "0000:0111:one thousand:1011:1111:1011:1111:1111"
smbios.reflectHost = "True"
hw.model = "MacBookPro14,three"
lath-id = "Mac-551B86E5744E2388"

Save, then Exit.

You can at present open VMware, select your macOS Large Sur virtual automobile, and fire it up!

vi. Configure and Install the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine

After launching the macOS Large Sur virtual motorcar, you'll have to configure the storage bulldoze before installation.

macos big sur vmware disk configuration
  1. Adjacent, select Disk Utility. You create a make clean bulldoze for macOS Big Sur to install to.
  2. In the Disk Utility, select VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media from the Internal drive column.
  3. After selecting the bulldoze, head to the Erase option found at the top of the utility.
  4. Give your drive a name, set the Format to APFS, and the Scheme to GUID Division Map.
  5. Select Erase.
  6. One time complete, you can go out the Disk Utility back to the Big Sur recovery screen. From hither, you should select Install macOS Big Sur.
  7. Select the drive you lot created in the Disk Utility, followed past Continue.

The installation process takes a while, simply it is faster than VirtualBox. One time macOS Big Sur loads, you can configure the operating system as you see fit.

7. Install VMware Tools to Your macOS Large Sur Virtual Motorcar

You now need to install VMware Tools, which is a fix of utilities and extensions that ameliorate mouse treatment, video operation, and other useful things.

With the macOS virtual machine running, head to Actor > Manage > Install VMware Tools.

The installation disc will announced on the macOS desktop. When the option appears, select Install VMware Tools, then allow it access to the removable book. Follow the guided installer, which will require a restart on completion.

Troubleshooting

A couple of things tin can get wrong during the macOS virtual motorcar installation in VMware Player Workstation.

  1. If you cannot see "Apple tree Mac OS X" during the virtual car creation wizard, then you need to revisit the patch process. Ensure every procedure associated with VMware Role player is off.
  2. If yous receive the message "Mac OS 10 is non supported with binary translation" when starting the virtual machine, at that place is a strong chance you demand to activate virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI configuration.
  3. If you receive the message "VMware Role player unrecoverable error: (vcpu-0)" when starting the virtual machine, you lot need to head back to the macOS Large Sur.vmx configuration file to ensure you added the extra line and saved the edit.
  4. If you're running AMD hardware and get stuck at the Apple logo, beginning power off the virtual machine. Now, head to Settings > Options > General. Modify the Guest operating system to Microsoft Windows and the Version to Windows 10 x64. Printing OK, then attempt to power up the virtual automobile once more. Once the Apple logo passes, power down the virtual machine, then set the Guest operating arrangement option dorsum to Apple Mac Bone X, selecting the correct version.

macOS Virtual Machines for AMD Hardware

Apple uses Intel hardware to ability desktops and laptops. Configuring a macOS virtual machine using Intel hardware is easier because the hardware specifications are very similar.

With AMD, the reverse is true. Because Apple does non develop macOS on AMD hardware, creating a macOS virtual motorcar on an AMD system is trickier. However, you can check out the following video tutorial to learn how to install macOS Big Sur on a VMware virtual machine using AMD hardware.

macOS Big Sur Virtual Car Installation Complete

You accept two options to choose from for your macOS Big Sur virtual machine. Both options are great if you want to give macOS a endeavor before making the switch from Windows and enjoy some of the best Apple apps on offer.

How to Create a Virtual Machine Using Windows ten Hyper-V

Read Side by side

About The Author

Gavin Phillips (1058 Articles Published)

Gavin is the Junior Editor for Engineering science Explained, a regular contributor to the Really Useful Podcast, and a frequent product reviewer. He has a degree in Contemporary Writing pillaged from the hills of Devon, and more than a decade of professional person writing experience. He enjoys copious amounts of tea, board games, and football.

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