Summary :

Which is the best Mac emulator for Windows? How to install a macOS virtual machine on PC? In this post, MiniTool Partition Wizard gives you a step-by-step guide on how to install a macOS virtual machine on PC via VMware.

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Best Mac Emulator for Windows

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For many years, Mac and Windows PC have been two incompatible camps. Apple Mac series computers have always been niche products, and fewer people use them. In general, under the same configuration, Mac computers are almost twice as expensive as Windows computers.

However, comparing Windows PCs, the Mac PCs have a more beautiful design and are easier to use. If you don't want to buy an Apple computer but want to try this operating system, you can choose to either use hackintoshes or install a macOS virtual machine on Windows.

However, installing hackintoshes is very complicated. If your PC's specs are not very bad, installing a macOS virtual machine is recommended. Then, which is the best Mac emulator for Windows? Most people will choose between VirtualBox and VMware. I am of no exception.

At first, my choice is VirtualBox, because many people recommend using this software. I follow steps in these posts to install the macOS virtual machine, but the installation fails with no exception.

The reason may be that installing a macOS virtual machine on VirtualBox needs a file named 'VirtualBox Boot.vmdk'. I see this process in many videos but unfortunately many posts don't mention this step. In addition, if you want to get this file, you must download it from some posts that are some private websites full of ads. I don't like that, so I choose to try VMware.

Fortunately, my colleague in technical department has ever succeeded in installing a macOS virtual machine with VMware. Thanks to him, this post can be completed smoothly. So, in my mind, VMware is the best Mac emulator for Windows, although this judgment is a little subjective.

Preparatory Work

To run Mac on Windows smoothly, you should make sure your PC meets the following requirements:

• CPU: 4th Intel i5 or higher (if you AMD CPU, you will encounter more errors and bugs)
• RAM: at least 8GB
• Storage: more than 100 GB free space
• OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or later

If your PC doesn't meet the above system requirements, the macOS VM will freeze frequently. Then, you should get the following thing prepared:

1. VMware software and unlocker file.
2. A partition specialized for the macOS virtual machine (optional).
3. A macOS image in .cdr format.

1. Install VMware and Download Unlocker

Both VMware Workstations Pro and VMware Workstation Player (the free version) are OK. You just need to install one of them. The installation process is very simple. You just need to download this software from its official website and install it normally. If you have VMware installed already, you can skip this step.

This post shows you what causes error 'VMware Workstation Pro can't run on Windows' and offers you 4 solutions.

Then, you need to download the unlocker file that is the key file making VMware allow you to install macOS virtual machine. The unlocker file is released on GitHub, an open-source project hosting platform. On this platform, the developer will publish the source code of the unlocker file. Therefore, in my mind, the unlocker file is reliable. Please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Go to the website: https://github.com/paolo-projects/unlocker and click Release. Then, download the latest unlocker.zip file.

Step 2: Close VMware software. Then, right click blank area of the Taskbar and choose Task Manager. In the Processes tab, right-click and end any tasks related to VMware.

Step 3: Extract the unlocker.zip file. Open the extracted folder to find win-install.cmd file. Right click this file and choose Run as administrator. Then, this file will run to get some tools for VMware. All you need do is to wait for the window to shut down automatically.

How to troubleshoot 100 percent disk usage in Windows 10? This post focus on the solutions to Windows 10 100% disk usage.

2. Make a Partition

This step is recommended, because the virtual machine file will become larger and larger. Placing all virtual machine files into one partition is in favor of centralized management. To make a partition, you can use the shrink volume feature in Disk Management. But MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you make a partition more easily.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard (free edition) and go to its main interface. Right click a partition and choose Move/Resize. This will open a window.

Step 2: In the window, drag the arrow to resize the partition. If you drag the whole partition block, you can change the location of the partition. Through this way, you can make unallocated space on the location you want. Click the OK button to continue.

Step 3: Right click the unallocated space and choose Create. Just keep everything in default and click the OK button.

Step 4: Click Apply button to execute the pending operations.

You can enlarge the hard disk of virtual machine if you set the disk to be so small at the beginning of creating virtual machine, and here are detailed steps.

3. Get a MacOS Image in .cdr Format

Where to get macOS .cdr image? You can create it by yourself or download it online. If you want to create by yourself, here is the guide:

Step 1: Download a macOS installation package (for example, Install macOS Catalina. app) from the Apple Store into the apps directory.

Step 2: Open the terminal and perform the following commands:

• hdiutil create -o /tmp/Install macOS Catalina -size 8300m -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J (* This command will create an empty .dmg disk image with a size of 8300m under /tmp The .dmg image should be at least 500M larger than the macOS app file. In addition, Install macOS Catalina is the name of the .dmg disk image, you can replace it accordingly.)
• hdiutil attach /tmp/Install macOS Catalina.dmg -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/Install macOS Catalina (* This command will mount the .dmg image that you created just now to directory /Volumes/Install macOS Catalina.)
• sudo /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install macOS Catalina (* This command will write the macOS app file into the .dmg disk image you mounted just now. Then, you need to enter password and wait for the writing process to complete.)
• hdiutil detach /Volumes/Install macOS Catalina (* This command will unmount .dmg disk image.)
• hdiutil convert /tmp/Install macOS Catalina.dmg -format UDTO -o ~/Desktop/Install macOS Catalina (* This command will convert the .dmg image into .cdr image and save it into desktop with the name 'Install macOS Catalina'. Wait until the process to complete and then you can find the .cdr file on your desktop.)
• rm /tmp/Install macOS Catalina.dmg (* This command will delete the .dmg image in the tmp folder to free up space.)

How to Create a MacOS Virtual Machine with VMware

Now you can install Mac on Windows with VMware, the best Mac emulator for Windows. Here is the guide:

Step 1: Open VMware and click File > New Virtual Machine. Choose Typical and click Next.

Step 2: Choose Installer disc image file (iso) and click Browse. This will allow you to choose the macOS image file. But please note that you can see the .cdr image only if you modify the file type to All files. Then, click Next.

Step 3: Choose Apple Mac OS X and pick the right version. Then, click Next.

Step 4: Check the name and the location of the macOS virtual machine. Then, click Next. Specify disk capacity. Please make sure the max size is at least 40 GB and then click Next. Then, click Finish.

Step 5: Go to VM > Settings. In the Virtual Machine Settings window, you can change the macOS hardware settings. I recommend you to change the Memory to at least 4GB, otherwise the macOS virtual machine will not run smoothly. Click OK to save changes.

Step 6: Then, you need to modify the configuration file, otherwise you will get VMware unrecoverable error when booting the macOS. First, please navigate to the location of the macOS virtual machine in your PC. Right click the macOS virtual machine configuration file (.vmx) and open it with notepad.

Step 7: In the notepad, scroll down to find the code line: smc.present = 'TRUE'. Under this code line, add the following code line: smc.version = '0'. Then, save and exit. Now, you can start the macOS virtual machine and it should open smoothly.

This post introduces virtualization technology (VT-x and AMD-V) and shows you how to enable it in BIOS to solve not in a hypervisor partition error.

Step 8: Follow the on-screen wizard until you are asked to choose a disk for installing the macOS. In this case, go to Utilities > Disk Utility. Click the VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media in the left panel and click Erase. Follow the wizard to rename and erase the disk. After completing this process, exit Utilities tool and choose the disk you just renamed to install macOS on it.

Step 9: Follow the wizard to customize settings and then you can use the macOS on your PC.

Bottom Line

Is this post useful to you? Have you encountered problem when following the above steps to install macOS virtual machine? Do you know other good Mac emulators for Windows? Please leave a comment in the following zone.

In addition, if you have difficulty in moving/resizing partition, please contact us via [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Mac Emulator for Windows FAQ

Macos Catalina Download For Windows 10

1. Install VMware and download unlocker file from GitHub.
2. Get a macOS image in .cdr format.
3. Create a macOS virtual machine in VMware with the macOS image.
4. Modify the macOS configuration file.
5. Perform macOS installation process.

How to Get Windows 10 on a macOS Catalina

If you want to install Windows on your Macbook, there are a few ways to do it: you may use Mac’s Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows as its own independent OS; then you will be able to startup either macOS or Windows depending on which one you need at the time. The other way is using a virtual machine: you may create a virtual Windows setup using Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or VirtualBox. Then at any time you may start that virtual machine and load Windows inside macOS. This article describes pros and cons of each method, so that you can decide which one is right for you.

Mac Os Catalina Iso Download For Windows 10

Option 1: Download Windows 10 on a macOS Catalina With BootCamp

Download Macos Catalina Theme For Windows 10

Boot Camp comes with your Macbook for free, and it allows you to install Windows alongside macOS, so you can choose which of them to boot on startup. Mac’s Boot Camp Assistant will help you install Windows, partition the startup drive and install necessary drivers.

If you install Windows via Boot Camp, Windows will have all of your Macbook’s resources and can run programs with the maximum possible performance. That’s why dual-booting is ideal for running resource-intensive programs like video-editing software or high-end games.

On the other hand, only one operating system will be able to run at the same time, so you will have to reboot between them depending on which apps you need to run at the moment. Another possible drawback is fact that Windows and macOS use different file systems, and you will not be able to open Mac files on Windows or vice versa unless you install specific third-party drives for it. That is not a problem when using virtual machines.

Option 2: Run Windows 10 on a Macbook Without BootCamp, Using a Virtual Machine

Virtual machines allow you to install and open Windows 10 in a window on your Mac desktop. Windows will “think” it’s running on a real computer, when it is running inside an app. With virtual machines you run both macOS and Windows at the same time, which is handy if you want to open a single Windows program alongside your Mac applications. However, when you run a virtual machine, your computer’s resources are split between the two operating systems, so everything may run slower than usual.

Install Windows 10 on a Mac Catalina With Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop is very intuitive and easy-to-use for regular computer users. The app will configure everything for you, even download Windows 10 or utilize the one you already downloaded via Boot Camp. You can open Windows in a separate window (including a full screen mode), or you can turn on Coherence mode. In Coherence mode the virtual machine will run in the background, while Windows programs can run alongside your Mac apps. You can even put Windows programs on your macOS desktop or pin them to Dock. Parallels Desktop allows you to copy and paste or drag and drop between Windows and macOS without any problems.

Parallels Desktop prices start at $79.99, however there is a free trial period available.

Get Windows 10 on a Mac Catalina With VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion is another popular virtualization software for Macbooks. It is close to Parallels in terms of functionality and pricing, but VMware’s Fusion supports a larger number of operating systems than Parallels. On the other hand, Parallels is easier for beginners, and runs a little smoother. Otherwise, these two programs are approximately on the same level.

Install Windows 10 a Mac Via VirtualBox

If you don’t plan to spend extra money on virtualization software, there’s always VirtualBox by Oracle. VirtualBox is a pretty decent free alternative to paid software if not slower, less polished and missing some handy functions. If you need to run some resource intensive Windows programs, VirtualBox might not be the best choice for you. VirtualBox also requires more technical knowledge than, for example, Parallels, as users need to tune some settings themselves when installing it. However, if you are a power user already or don’t mind doing a little more work, and you are not going to run latest Windows games or video-editing software, VirtualBox is a good (and free!) alternative.