Windows x is a not bad operating system. It has its quirks and annoyances, but which operating organisation doesn't? Even if you're beholden to Microsoft and Windows 10, y'all can still shop around.

What better style to practice that than from the condom confines of your existing operating system with a virtual auto? This way, y'all can run macOS on Windows, which is perfect for using Mac-simply apps on Windows.

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

What Files Do You lot Need to Create a macOS Virtual Motorcar on Windows 10?

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

  • Download the latest version of VirtualBox. This tutorial uses VirtualBox 6.ane.22
  • Download the latest version of VMware Player. This tutorial uses VMware Histrion 16

You need a copy of macOS, too. Big Sur is the latest macOS version. You tin find the download links for macOS Big Sur in the next section.

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

Unfortunately, I exercise not take access to any AMD hardware, and so I cannot provide a tutorial.

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

Launching the macOS Big Sur virtual machine is the same every bit the Intel version but uses a slightly different lawmaking snippet. You tin find the tutorial and the code snippet in the department beneath.

Furthermore, you will find links to several AMD macOS Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra virtual motorcar tutorials, at the end of the commodity.

Download macOS Big Sur Virtual Image

Utilise the download links below to download the macOS Big Sur image for both VirtualBox and VMware.

Download: macOS Big Sur Virtual Automobile Image

Download: VMware Thespian Patch Tool

How to Create a macOS Large Sur Virtual Automobile With VirtualBox

Earlier creating the macOS virtual auto, you need to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack. It includes fixes for USB 3.0 support, mouse and keyboard support, and other useful VirtualBox patches.

Download: VirtualBox Extension Pack for Windows (Complimentary)

Ringlet down, select All supported platforms to download, so double-click to install.

1. Create the macOS Big Sur Virtual Automobile

Open VirtualBox. Select New. Type macOS.

VirtualBox volition detect the OS as you type and will default to Mac OS Ten. You can get out this as is.

Regarding the virtual machine name, get in something memorable yet easy to type. Y'all'll need to input this proper name in a series of commands, and information technology is frustrating to type a complicated name multiple times!

macos big sur virtualbox settings create virtual machine settings

Next, gear up the amount of RAM the macOS virtual automobile can use. I would suggest a minimum of 4GB, simply the more you tin give from the host organisation, the better your experience.

Call back, you cannot assign more RAM than your system has available, and you need to get out some retentivity available for the host operating system.

Now, select Create a hard deejay now and select Create. On the next screen, select Virtual Hard disk, so set up the disk size to a minimum of 50GB, simply ideally more if you tin can spare the space. macOS Big Sur requires at least 35GB of storage.

2. Edit the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Settings

Don't attempt and start your macOS Big Sur virtual car all the same. Before firing the virtual auto up, you lot need to make a few tweaks to the settings. Correct-click your macOS virtual machine and select Settings.

macos big sur virtualbox settings motherboard storage
  1. Nether Organisation, remove Floppy from the kicking order. Ensure the Chipset is set to ICH9.
  2. Select the Processor tab. Assign ii processors. If you have a CPU with power to spare (such every bit an Intel Core i7 or i9 with multiple extra cores), consider assigning more. However, this isn't vital.
  3. Make sure the Enable PAE/NX box is checked.
  4. Nether Display, set Video Retention to 128MB.
  5. Now, under Storage, select the blank disc under Storage Devices. Next, select the disk icon alongside Optical Drives. Scan to and select your macOS Big Sur disk image.
  6. Finally, head to the USB tab and select USB iii.0, so press OK.

three. Employ the Command Prompt to Add Custom Code to VirtualBox

It withal isn't quite time to burn up your macOS Big Sur virtual machine. In its current configuration, VirtualBox doesn't work with your macOS disk image.

To go it upwardly and running, you accept to essentially patch VirtualBox earlier the macOS virtual machine will role. To do this, y'all need to enter some code using the Command Prompt. All the details are below.

Starting time by closing VirtualBox. The commands will not execute properly if VirtualBox or any of its associated processes are running.

Once closed, press the Windows key + X, then select Command Prompt (Admin) from the carte. If your carte du jour merely shows the PowerShell selection, blazon command into your Get-go card search bar. And then right-click the Best Match, and select Run as Ambassador. Utilise the post-obit control to locate the Oracle VirtualBox directory:

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

Now, enter the following commands, one by one. Adjust the command to match the name of your virtual machine. For case, my virtual machine proper 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 Large 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 y'all encountered no errors, close the Command Prompt.

macos big sur virtualbox command prompt commands

4. Boot Your macOS Large Sur Virtual Auto

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

macos big sur virtualbox disk utility create drive
  1. Next, select Disk Utility. You create a make clean drive for macOS Large Sur to install to.
  2. In the Disk Utility, select VBOX HARDDISK MEDIA from the Internal bulldoze column.
  3. Afterward selecting the drive, head to the Erase option found at the meridian of the utility.
  4. Give your drive a proper noun, set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.
  5. Select Erase.
  6. Once consummate, y'all can exit the Deejay Utility dorsum to the Big Sur recovery screen. From here, you should select Install macOS Big Sur.
  7. Select the drive yous created in the Deejay Utility, followed by Go on.
macos big sur virtualbox installation

Now, the installation says it'll take a few minutes. Nonetheless, in my experience, this wasn't correct. The initial installation phase took around xv minutes, but then you country 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. Still, in one case information technology reaches Less than a minute remaining and you lot get your hopes up—don't.

It took another hour for the installation to complete from this point, just I've likewise read reports of people waiting for upward of three hours. Worse, in that location is no way to tell if the installation is ongoing on you're only wasting your time.

macos big sur virtualbox setup new installation

If you can afford the time, leave it for several hours, and hopefully, when you come dorsum, you'll be staring at the macOS Big Sur Welcome page.

Once you lot complete the macOS setup, accept a snapshot within VirtualBox. Head to Machine > Accept Snapshot, give your snapshot a proper name, and look for information technology to procedure. If anything breaks or the Big Sur virtual automobile corrupts, you can caput back to the snapshot to restore your previously good installation.

How to Create a macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Using VMware Workstation Actor

Prefer VMware over VirtualBox? You tin can create a macOS Big Sur virtual machine using VMware that works exactly the same as VirtualBox. And, just as with VirtualBox, VMware also requires patching before the macOS Big Sur virtual car will work.

This part of the tutorial works for Intel and AMD systems. AMD users must employ the second code snippet when editing the virtual auto VMX file. Read through the tutorial to encounter what this means exactly.

1. Patch VMware Workstation Player

  1. In the "Download macOS Big Sur Virtual Image" section is the VMware Player Patch Tool. Before commencing any further, download the patch tool.
  2. Browse to the location y'all downloaded the patch tool to. Extract the contents of the annal. This process works best when the folders are on the same drive (e.g., the VMware root binder and extracted annal are both found on the C:\ bulldoze).
  3. Make sure VMware is completely closed. In the Unlocker folder, right-click the win-install command script and select Run as Administrator. The script volition open a Control Prompt window, and the patch script will run.

Practise pay attending. The script whizzes past, and you need to proceed watch for whatever "File non Constitute" messages.

The most common reason for a "file not plant" or a "system cannot notice the file specified" bulletin is installing VMware Workstation Histrion in a unlike location to the default folder and executing the patch from a unlike directory.

Once the patch completes, yous tin can open VMware.

2. Create the macOS Big Sur Virtual Motorcar with VMware

macos big sur vmware setup new installation
  1. Select Create a New Virtual Machine. Choose I will install the operating system afterward.
  2. At present, select Apple Mac OS X, and modify the Version to macOS 10.16. If you don't see the macOS options, it is considering the patch didn't install correctly.
  3. Next, yous demand to cull a proper name for your macOS Big Sur virtual motorcar. Choose something easy to remember, so copy the file path to somewhere handy—you're going to demand information technology to make some edits in a moment.
  4. On the adjacent screen, set a disk size of 50GB or larger and select Store virtual deejay equally a single file. Consummate the virtual disk creation wizard, but do not start the virtual car just still.

3. Edit the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Settings

Before you can boot the virtual machine, y'all must edit the hardware specification.

macos big sur vmware virtual machine hardware settings
  1. From the main VMware screen, select your macOS Large Sur virtual machine, then correct-click and select Settings.
  2. Crash-land the virtual machine retention up to at least 4GB. You can classify more if you accept RAM to spare.
  3. Nether Processors, edit the number of available cores to two (or more than if available).
  4. Now, select New CD/DVD (SATA) > Use ISO image file. Scan to the macOS Big Sur ISO file and select information technology.
  5. Close the Hardware window, and select Finish.

Even so, don't start the VMware Workstation Player macOS Big Sur virtual machine just even so. At that place are even so some edits to make to configuration files.

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

This department is for Intel users, and information technology involves the final set of edits you need to make earlier switching your VMware macOS Big Sur virtual motorcar on!

Close VMware. Caput to the location you stored the macOS virtual car. The default location is:

          C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents\Virtual Machines\YOUR MAC Bone X Folder

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

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

Save, then Get out.

Y'all tin now open VMware, select your macOS Big Sur virtual car, and burn down it up!

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

This section is for AMD users. Similar the above section, AMD users must besides edit the VMX file earlier proceeding. The AMD edit involves a few more lines than the Intel version, but you can re-create 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 X FOLDER

Browse to macOS Big Sur.vmx, right-click, and select Open up with > Notepad (or your preferred text editor). Roll to the bottom of the configuration file and add 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.1.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0001:0000:0110:0111:0001"
cpuid.1.ebx = "0000:0010:0000:0001:0000:yard:0000:0000"
cpuid.i.ecx = "g:0010:1001:1000:0010:0010:0000:0011"
cpuid.1.edx = "0000:0111:1000:1011:1111:1011:1111:1111"
smbios.reflectHost = "TRUE"
hw.model = "MacBookPro14,3"
board-id = "Mac-551B86E5744E2388"

Save, so Get out.

Y'all tin can now open up VMware, select your macOS Big Sur virtual machine, and fire it upwards!

6. Configure and Install the macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine

Later on launching the macOS Large Sur virtual machine, you'll have to configure the storage bulldoze before installation.

macos big sur vmware disk configuration
  1. Next, select Deejay Utility. Yous create a make clean drive 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. Afterwards selecting the drive, head to the Erase option found at the top of the utility.
  4. Requite your drive a proper name, set the Format to APFS, and the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.
  5. Select Erase.
  6. One time complete, you can exit the Disk Utility back to the Big Sur recovery screen. From here, y'all should select Install macOS Big Sur.
  7. Select the drive y'all created in the Deejay Utility, followed by Go on.

The installation process takes a while, only information technology is faster than VirtualBox. Once macOS Big Sur loads, you can configure the operating system every bit you encounter fit.

seven. Install VMware Tools to Your macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine

Yous now need to install VMware Tools, which is a set of utilities and extensions that meliorate mouse treatment, video performance, and other useful things.

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

The installation disc will appear on the macOS desktop. When the option appears, select Install VMware Tools, and so allow information technology access to the removable volume. Follow the guided installer, which will require a restart on completion.

Troubleshooting

A couple of things can go wrong during the macOS virtual machine installation in VMware Player Workstation.

  1. If y'all cannot run into "Apple tree Mac Bone X" during the virtual machine creation wizard, then yous need to revisit the patch process. Ensure every process associated with VMware Role player is off.
  2. If yous receive the message "Mac OS X is not supported with binary translation" when starting the virtual motorcar, there is a potent take a chance you need to activate virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI configuration.
  3. If you receive the bulletin "VMware Player unrecoverable mistake: (vcpu-0)" when starting the virtual machine, you need to caput back to the macOS Big Sur.vmx configuration file to ensure you added the extra line and saved the edit.
  4. If you're running AMD hardware and become stuck at the Apple logo, outset power off the virtual machine. Now, head to Settings > Options > General. Change the Guest operating system to Microsoft Windows and the Version to Windows 10 x64. Press OK, then attempt to power up the virtual machine again. Once the Apple logo passes, power down the virtual auto, and then gear up the Guest operating system selection back to Apple Mac Os X, selecting the correct version.

macOS Virtual Machines for AMD Hardware

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

With AMD, the opposite is true. Considering Apple does not develop macOS on AMD hardware, creating a macOS virtual machine on an AMD system is trickier. Nonetheless, you lot can bank check out the following video tutorial to larn how to install macOS Large Sur on a VMware virtual automobile using AMD hardware.

macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine Installation Consummate

You have ii options to choose from for your macOS Large Sur virtual auto. Both options are great if you want to give macOS a endeavour before making the switch from Windows and enjoy some of the best Apple tree apps on offering.