GUIDE How to Install macOS on VMware Workstation

[EliteMacx86]

How to Install macOS on VMware Workstation​

Booting the macOS installers on a non-Apple computer can be challenging for new users and when it comes to Virtualization, it can be more complex. This guide is intended for those who wish to use Vmware Workstation/Player for installing macOS and it covers a step-by-step process to boot the macOS installer on your target Desktop or Laptop along with the installation and post-installation. Both installing using Windows, macOS, and Linux are described in this guide.

By following this guide, you'll also be able to perform a clean installation of the macOS on your target system which is generally not offered with major of the guides present on the internet. This guide supports both Intel and AMD Desktops and Intel and AMD Laptops with UEFI/Legacy boot mode. Of course, the hardware compatibility must be taken care of. Those who have compatible hardware and want to utilize the full features of macOS can follow the macOS Installation Guide.

Although UEFI Capable Systems have several advantages over Legacy, there can be systems that do not support UEFI booting and are only capable of Legacy booting. But if you do have a system that supports UEFI booting, it is recommended to use UEFI booting over the legacy boot.

• If you have a computer that is UEFI capable, follow the UEFI instructions.
• If you have a system that doesn't have UEFI capabilities, then follow the Legacy instructions.

Although macOS can be installed on a supported bare metal machine along with almost all the features that a real Mac offers. However, a few users can be interested in running macOS inside Windows/Mac/Linux for several purposes. Virtualization can be helpful with the goal of offering features that are useful to developers who need to test their apps on multiple versions of macOS, especially betas and then testing the specific version of macOS before deploying it on an actual production machine.


If you have requirements like Graphics acceleration, we highly recommend installing macos on bare metal.


Unlike other virtualization platforms, graphics artifacts are expected, audio and are pretty common issues with this method, and should be noted that it's a virtualization software limitation.

Please note that unlike other common Virtualization Platforms like VirtualBox, and Hyper-V, VMware is also limited, and certain hardware and features will not work on macOS under VMware. If you require such a feature, we highly recommend installing macOS on Bare Metal. See Installing macOS on Desktops and Laptops for more information




In addition, this guide will also work for VMware Player as well. The process will be the same except for the slight changes in the interface between both versions.

What is VMware Workstation?​

VMware Workstation is an industry standard hypervisor for running virtual machines and is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Each VM acts like a complete computer, running an operating System and programs. A VMware can have multiple virtual machines, each with its own operating system on the host computer. You can select the operating system that you want to use. You can install different Operating Systems as per your needs such as Windows, macOS, or any distribution of Linux.

Is there any difference between VMware Workstation and VMware Player?​

VMware Workstation Player offers a cost-free option for virtualization, while VMware Workstation Pro requires a license, catering to more advanced and professional needs. Both applications operate seamlessly atop Windows or Linux host Operating Systems, delivering unparalleled performance and versatility.

Although most of the features are supported by both versions, a few Security features such as UEFI Secure Boot Support, Snapshots, Create and Manage Encrypted VM, and Advanced features such as Network Customization, Network Simulation, Connecting to vSphere/ESXi Server, Remote vSphere Host Power Control, Creating linked Clones, and encrypting VMs isn't offered in the VMware Player.

Does VMware Workstation need a Bootloader?​

Unlike Hyper-V, VMware Workstation and Virtual Box do not require any Bootloader like OpenCore or Clover. This not only removes the tedious work of creating a compatible EFI but also provides flexibility when performing updates under macOS as you don't have to keep updating the OpenCore and the kexts along with. Although VMware Workstation is compatible with OpenCore, it should be noted that OpenCore requires additional configuration that is not covered in this guide.


Luckily, with VMware Workstation and Virtual Box

Is AMD CPU supported on VMware Workstation?​

Unlike bare metal, the AMD CPU isn't supported for booting macOS on VMware Workstation. However, by adding a few parameters in the Virtual Machine Configuration File, you can use VMware on AMD systems for booting macOS. See Enabling AMD CPU Support for more information.

Is Graphics acceleration possible in VMware Workstation?​

Unlike other platforms,

Unfortunately, VMware Workstation doesn't support GPU passthrough, therefore no Graphics acceleration. With 3D acceleration, the guest OS gets access to a virtual GPU that understands GPU specific features such as DirectX. The VM driver+virtual hardware translates the 3D acceleration commands that it receives and executes those on the GPU hardware. Since VMware Workstation 15.5, it uses a special sandboxed process for that.


If you need functionality like Graphics acceleration and PCI Passthrough, VMware ESXi is the way. See installing macOS on VMware Exsi for more information.

GUIDE - How to Install macOS on VMware ESXi - PCI Passthrough Guide

How to Install macOS on VMware ESXi Which PCI Device I can Passthrough? Technically, you can passthrough common PCI Devices such as GPU (AMD/NVIDIA/Intel), NIC, WiFi/BT, SATA, USB However, please note that if you passthrough a PCI Device which is being used by the host, the particular device...

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Can you passthrough PCI Devices on VMware Workstation?


Does VMware Workstation support iServices?

Is there any performance difference between Bare Metal and VMware?​

Yes, there is a lot of performance difference when running macOS on a Bare Metal and VMware Workstation/Player due to the lack of Graphics acceleration which isn't supported by either of the two versions. The system has lots of glitches, and artifacts and you can use it temporarily for executing basic functions on macOS. However, with VMware EXSi, the performance is close to the native/bare metal install. See installing macOS on VMware ESXi for more information.


This is because of the lack of Graphics acceleration and unfortunately, the GPU passthrough isn't supported by either of the two versions.

What's the difference between running macOS on a Bare Metal and Hyper-V?​

Running macOS on a bare metal means you're running macOS on the native hardware, without any layers in between therefore offering more performance and access to the hardware directly.

Can I use the VHD File from somewhere else?​

We strongly recommend performing a clean install and then you can export the VHD for latter usage.

Is it possible to perform a clean install?​

Yes, using this guide, you can perform a clean install of the desired macOS version as long as you meet the requirements.

Is it recommended to install macOS on VMware Workstation?​

Generally, no. If your hardware is supported, installing macOS on bare metal is always recommended due to the ease of the installation and seamless support due to the maximum performance, support and compatibility.

macOS Support Table

As of now, the Hyper-V supports the installation of macOS to macOS Sonoma.

macOS version	Status	Minimum Version	Maximum Version
macOS Sonoma
macOS Ventura
macOS Monterey
macOS Big Sur
macOS Catalina
macOS Mojave
macOS High Sierra
macOS Sierra

Current Status​

Although different models can have different specs and the hardware component/model can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, here is a list of the current status in terms of functions under macOS.

Hardware/Function	Status	Notes
Brightness Control	Not working
USB Ports	Functional
Keyboard	Functional
Keyboard Backlight	Working
Trackpad	Functional
Touchscreen	Working
Camera	Working
Card Reader	Not working	Intel Card Readers are simply not supported
Battery	Working
Ethernet	Functional
WiFi/BT	Functional	Realtek and MediaTek Chipsets are not supported
Audio	Functional
HDMI	Working
Power Management	Functional
Shutdown/Reboot	Functional
Sleep/Wake	Missing/Broken
iServices	Functional

Requirements​

Following are the requirements for installing macOS on VMware Workstation. Please ensure you meet the requirements before proceeding with this guide.

CPU	Intel/AMD CPU. 4 Core or more. 6 or more is recommended. Haswell and later is recommended. macOS Compatible CPU. See Chromebook and Chromebox Compatibility for more information.
Memory	16GB or more
Storage	50GB of free space on the Windows Drive or a separate drive with 128GB or more capacity. A separate Drive is usually recommended.
Operating System	Windows 10 or later is recommended.
Tools	VMware Workstation VMware Unlocker OpenCorePkg

As VMware comes for Windows, Mac, and Linux, this guide will cover the aspects for all the platforms. However, as most of the users have access to the Windows platform, this guide will be especially focused on Windows.


on Windows, this guide will be especially focused on Windows for creating the Bootable USB.

CHAPTER 1: Enable Virtualization​

The very first step is to set up BIOS to have the Virtualization enabled on your system. This is because there are a few systems that have the option to Enable/Disable the Virtualization in BIOS which affects the functionality when running a Virtual Machine. To enable Virtualization, follow the steps below.

1. On your target computer, boot to BIOS. Refer to your user manual for the BIOS Key
2. Enable Virtualization. This is usually present as Intel VT-x or Intel Virtualization Technology and AMD-V option in BIOS.
3. Save & Exit Setup.

STEP 2: Verify the Virtualization​

The next step is to verify whether the virtualization is enabled or not. This step is required in order to ensure you're on the right track and you meet the hardware requirements to run a Virtual Machine. To verify the WiFi/BT detection, follow the steps below.

1. Open Task Manager using CTRL+ALT+DEL Key together on your Keyboard
2. Check the Virtualization status under the Performance>CPU section.

If you notice that the Virtualization is Disabled, you need to configure the BIOS/UEFI and enable Virtualization. Enabling the Virtualization Technology feature differs from vendor to vendor and the options differ between Intel and AMD. See STEP #1 for more information.

CHAPTER 2: Creating macOS Bootable Disk​

Downloading macOS​

If you determine that your hardware is compatible according to the above-provided compatibility lists, you can start your journey by creating a Bootable USB for your target computer.

I. Requirements

• Access to a computer with Windows installed (Online Method). This can be done on the target system on which you plan to install macOS.
• Internet connection to download the required files.

Using this method, you can download from OS X Lion 10.7 to macOS Sonoma. However, these are the recovery image and therefore requires an internet connection to download the full installer during the time of installation. You'll need to have the exact Recovery image of the target OS you want to install. This method is reliable and known to work on almost all platforms i.e. Windows, Mac, and Linux, and is highly preferred over downloading an existing ISO from the internet because you never know that the integrity of an ISO from the internet might be compromised and it could be corrupt as well. To download the recovery image, follow the steps below:

1. Install the latest Python from the Microsoft Store.
2. Download OpenCore Pkg.
3. Extract the OpenCorePkg to your Desktop.
4. Move into the OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/Utilities directory.
5. Right-click on the macrecovery folder and select Copy as path.
6. Open Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges
7. Type cd and then paste the path you copied earlier in step 5 and then press the enter key. The command would be the following
cd "C:\Users\Your User Name\Desktop\OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE\Utiities\macrecovery"
8. Depending on the macOS version you need (See Recovery Table below), execute the commands. When prompted, enter your password.

Recovery Table

OS Version	Command
OS X Lion	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-C3EC7CD22292981F -m 00000000000F0HM00 download
OS X Mountain Lion	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-7DF2A3B5E5D671ED -m 00000000000F65100 download
OS X Mavericks	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-F60DEB81FF30ACF6 -m 00000000000FNN100 download
OS X Yosemite	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6 -m 00000000000GDVW00 download
OS X El Capitan	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-FFE5EF870D7BA81A -m 00000000000GQRX00 download
macOS Sierra	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-77F17D7DA9285301 -m 00000000000J0DX00 download
macOS High Sierra	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 -m 00000000000J80300 download
macOS Mojave	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-7BA5B2DFE22DDD8C -m 00000000000KXPG00 download
macOS Catalina	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-CFF7D910A743CAAF -m 00000000000PHCD00 download
macOS Big Sur	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6 -m 00000000000000000 download
Latest Version	./macrecovery.py -b Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6 -m 00000000000000000 -os latest download

The script will start downloading the required recovery files:

9. Once the download is completed, you'll see something like below:


This will create a com.apple.recovery.boot directory inside OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/Utilities/macrecovery directory.

You can find BaseSystem.dmg and BaseSystem.chunklist in OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/Utilities/macrecovery/com.apple.recovery.boot directory.

Converting DMG/ Create Bootable Disk​

As BaseSystem.dmg cannot be read directly by Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, you need to convert the image from DMG to a suitable format/recognizable format such as .VHDX (Hyper-V) and .vmdk (VMware Workstation). Using QEMU, you can easily convert the BaseSystem.dmg to a readable format. QEMU supports multiple formats including KVM, RAW, VDI, VHD, and VMDK.

This step will eliminate the requirement of an additional virtual USB (Hyper-V) and a physical USB (VMware Workstation) along with Transmac and other complicated and lengthy steps. In addition, this will also make the booting faster, reducing the boot times due to the latency. However, if you want to go with that route you can skip this step if you're interested in knowing other ways.

1. Download and install QEMU. You can just select the Tools and DLL Library when you run the installer and that would be enough for converting the DMG.
2. Navigate to OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/Utilities/macrecovery/com.apple.recovery.boot directory.
3. Within the directory, right-click and select Open in CommandPrompt from the context menu.
4. Now execute the following command in the Command Prompt:

c:\"Program Files"\qemu\qemu-img convert -O vmdk -o compat6 BaseSystem.dmg Recovery.vmdk

Now, the qemu-img will convert the BaseSystem.dmg to Recovery.vmdk which can be used as an existing disk in VMware Workstation.
Once the conversion is completed, you'll find a Recovery.vmdk file in the same directory.

CHAPTER 3: Installing VMware Workstation/Player​

1. Download VMware Workstation/Player
2. Install VMware Workstation/Player using the default options.

Updating VMware Workstation/Player​

It's likely possible that despite you have downloaded the latest version, an update might be able to fix the potential bugs and therefore it is always recommended to install the updates.

1. Open VMware Workstation/Player
2. Select Software Updates from the Help Menu
3. Click on Check for Updates
4. If an update is available, click on Download and Install
5. When prompted, click on Yes to proceed with the updates.
6. Open Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL). Select the Vmware Workstation (32-bit) process and click on End task.
7. Close Task Manager
8. Upgrade VMware Workstation/Player using the default install options

Please note that downloading the update requires the host computer to be connected to the internet.

CHAPTER 4: Enable support for macOS/Patching/Unlocking VMware Workstation​

If you have noticed, while creating a Virtual Machine, there is no option related to macOS. This is because, by default, VMware does not support installing macOS as a guest Operating System unless you're on a Mac. Windows users are required to run a patch tool which unlocks and provides functionalities to support macOS. The tool is available for free from GitHub.

The patch tool carries out the following modifications dependent on the product being patched:

• Fix vmware-vmx and derivatives to allow macOS to boot
• Fix vmwarebase .dll or .so to allow Apple to be selected during VM creation
• Download a copy of the latest VMware Tools for macOS

1. Download the Unlocker
2. Open release-python-embedded.zip.
3. Click on Extract all. When prompted, browse the preferred location for the extraction. to extract the files.
4. Right-click on win-install and select Run as administrator.
5. When prompted, select Yes. The tool will open a Command Window and perform the necessary actions. The Window will close automatically once the Unlocker finishes patching.

Please note that every time you apply an update to the VMware Workstation/Player, you'll need to run the Unlocker to repatch the VMware for macOS support.

CHAPTER 5: Creating a Virtual Machine​

Now that you have patched the VMware for installing macOS, it's time to create a Virtual Machine.

1. Open VMware Workstation
2. Click on Create a New Virtual Machine
3. Select the Custom (advanced) configuration option and click on Next
4. Select Workstation 17.5.x in the Hardware compatibility drop-down menu and click on Next
5. Select I will install the operating system later and click on Next
6. Select Apple Mac OS X from the Guest operating system list and then select the macOS version from the drop-down list and click on Next
7. Name your Virtual Machine. In our case, we'll be using macOS Sonoma as we're installing macOS Sonoma. You can use any name.
8. Select the location for the Virtual Machine. By default, the VMware Workstation/Player will store the Virtual Machine and the related data in C:\users\EliteMac\Documents\Virtual Machines. However, if you do not want to use the default location, you can specify a manual location if you want to.
9. Set the Number of cores per processor to no more than half of the Threads available on the host computer. The virtual core allocation should be always under 50% of the actual physical CPU Cores. Allocating more than 50% of the physical core may slow down the host computer (e.g. i5-10400 is a 6 Core CPU which has 12 Threads so allocating 6 Virtual Cores is under the 50% utilization limit).
10. Set the Memory as 4096MB and click on Next. If you have enough memory on the host system, 8192MB would be preferred.
11. Select Use network address translation (NAT) for the Network Type and click on Next.
12. Select LSI Logic as the I/O Controller Types.
13. Select the SATA as a Disk Type and click on Next.
14. Select Use an existing virtual disk and browse the Recovery.vmdk file you created earlier in STEP #2. This will be our virtual Bootable disk containing BaseSystem aka Recovery image. When prompted, select Keep Existing Format. If you want, you can click on Convert to convert the .vmdk to the newest format supported by the VMware/Player although not recommended.
15. Review the Summary and click on Finish. If you notice that the parameters are not set as recommended, you can still edit the options and then review the Summary and click on Finish.

Now VMware will create a new Virtual Machine with the parameters you choose. A Virtual Machine should appear in the list of Virtual Machines in the VMware Workstation/Player.

CHAPTER 6: Creating macOS Virtual Hard Disk​

1. Select the Virtual Machine from the left pane and click on Edit virtual machine settings
2. Click on the Add button
3. Select Hard Disk and click on Next
4. Select the Disk Type and click on Next. If you're using a SATA Drive on the host computer, use SATA and if using NVMe, select NVMe. The same would be applicable if you want to use a physical dedicated disk for your Virtual Machine. Please note that NVMe is recommended for macOS High Sierra and later only.
5. Select Create a new virtual disk and click on Next.
6. Set the Disk size to 30.0GB for the macOS Installation and then select Allocate all disk space now and also select Store virtual disk as a single file. This will be our virtual disk on which we'll be installing macOS. Please note that allocating the full capacity can enhance performance but requires all of the physical disk space to be available right now. If you do not allocate all the space now, the virtual disk starts small and grows as you add data to it. Choose as you would like.

Once you click on Finish, VMware will create the Virtual Disk and allocate the required space.

7. Click on OK to close the Virtual Machine Settings.

CHAPTER 7: Configuring Virtual Machine Parameters​

Add SMC​

1. Close VMware Workstation/Player
2. Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
3. Create a backup of your virtual machine .vmx file.
4. Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
5. Add smc.version = "0" at the end of the file.
6. Save the configuration.

Enable support for AMD CPUs​

Unlike bare metal, the AMD CPU isn't supported for booting macOS on VMware Workstation. To fix that, you'll need to add some parameters in the .VMX file for your preferred Virtual Machine. Unless you do that on AMD based systems for booting macOS on VMware Workstation, you'll get the following error i.e. "The CPU has been disabled by the guest operating system. Power off or reset the virtual machine". as soon as you start the Virtual Machine.

1. Close VMware Workstation/Player
2. Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma.
3. Create a backup of your virtual machine .vmx file.
4. Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
5. Copy the code below and paste it into the Virtual Machine Configuration file at the end of the line.

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 = "0000:0010:0000:0001:0000:1000:0000:0000"
cpuid.1.ecx = "1000:0010:1001:1000:0010:0010:0000:0011"
cpuid.1.edx = "0000:0111:1000:1011:1111:1011:1111:1111"

6. Save the configuration.

Enable Network on Guest Operating System​

By default, in a few releases of VMware Workstation, if you don't use the NIC type vmxnet3, you'll have issues getting an IP Address in the VM.

1. Close VMware Workstation/Player
2. Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
3. Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
4. Find the line ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000e" and replace it with ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet3".
4. Save the configuration.

Enable Bluetooth

Enable Battery Meter

Synchronize Time

Enable iServices​

Although using the default configuration, the iServices work normally including iMessage, FaceTime, and App Store, it's likely possible that it may not be the case for everyone. For deployments where iServices isn't working. In order to enable iServices, additional configuration is required which can be done using the Virtual Machine configuration file.

Power on your macOS Virtual Machine and login
Download OpenCore Configurator
Open OpenCore Configurator
Navigate to the PlatformInfo section in the left pane and generate iMac19,1 SMBIOS using the drop-down option just right to the Check Coverage tab.
On the host computer, copy the following lines to the Notepad:

board-id = "AAA"
hw.model.reflectHost = "FALSE"
hw.model = "BBB"
serialNumber.reflectHost = "FALSE"
serialNumber = "CCC"
smbios.reflectHost = "FALSE"

Replace the following

Replace AAA, BBB, and CCC with the values you generated previously using OpenCore Configurator.

Replace AA with the Board ID (i.e. Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95), BBB (i.e. iMac19,1) with the Product Name and CCC with Serial Number (i.e. C02YXXXXXXXX) using the values you generated previously using OpenCore Configurator.

Replace AAA with your Board ID (i.e. Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95)
Replace BBB with your Product Name (i.e. iMac19,1)
Replace CCC with your Serial Number (i.e. C02YXXXXXXXX)


Close OpenCore Configurator and Shut down your macOS Virtual Machine.
Close VMware Workstation/Player
Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
Create a backup of your virtual machine .vmx file.
Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
Add the above configuration at the end of the file.
Find board-id.reflectHost line and ensure that it is set to "TRUE".
Save the configuration and Quit Notepad.

Open VMware
Power On your macOS Virtual Machine and log into macOS
Sign in using your Apple ID. You should be able to sign into iMessage and can use the other iServices.

If the macOS Virtual Machine fails to boot

If you missed something or have used unrecognizable parameters/characters, the macOS Virtual Machine will not boot. In such case, restore the Virtual Machine to a previous working state using the Snapshot feature.

Add SMBIOS Data​

Power on your macOS Virtual Machine and login
Download OpenCore Configurator
Open OpenCore Configurator
Navigate to the PlatformInfo section in the left pane and generate iMac19,1 SMBIOS using the drop-down option just right to the Check Coverage tab.
On the host computer, note down the following details in the Notepad:

• Board ID
• Product Name
• Serial Number

Close OpenCore Configurator and Shut down your macOS Virtual Machine.
Close VMware Workstation/Player
Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
Create a backup of your virtual machine .vmx file.
Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
Add the following lines at the end of the .vmx file

board-id = "AAA"
hw.model.reflectHost = "FALSE"
hw.model = "BBB"
serialNumber.reflectHost = "FALSE"
serialNumber = "CCC"
smbios.reflectHost = "FALSE"

Replace the following with the values you generated previously using OpenCore Configurator:

• Replace AAA with the Board ID (i.e. Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95)
• Replace BBB with the Product Name (i.e. iMac19,1)
• Replace CCC with the Serial Number (i.e. C02YXXXXXXXX)

Find board-id.reflectHost line and ensure that it is set to "TRUE".
Keep the .vmx file opened for the next step.

Add MAC Address​

Find the ethernet0.addressType line and change it from "generated" to "static".
Rename ethernet0.generatedAddress to ethernet0.Address
Replace ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0" with ethernet0.checkMACAddress = "FALSE".

Remove the following lines from your .vmx
ethernet0.addressType = "generated"
ethernet0.generatedAddress = "xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx"
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

Add the following lines in place of the above lines you just removed
ethernet0.addressType = "static"
ethernet0.Address = "DDD"
ethernet0.checkMACAddress = "false"

Replace DDD with the MAC (Unix) address you



Add ROM

Add MLB

efi.nvram.var.ROM.reflectHost = "FALSE"
efi.nvram.var.ROM = "DDD"

Replace DDD with your ROM (i.e. XX XX XX XX XX XX)

efi.nvram.var.MLB.reflectHost = "FALSE"
efi.nvram.var.MLB = "EEE"

Replace EEE with your MLB (i.e. C029141014NLNV9A8)


Save the configuration and Quit Notepad.

Open VMware
Power On your macOS Virtual Machine and log into macOS
Sign in using your Apple ID. You should be able to sign into iMessage and can use the other iServices.

If the macOS Virtual Machine fails to boot

If you missed something or have used unrecognizable parameters/characters, the macOS Virtual Machine will not boot. In such case, restore the Virtual Machine to a previous working state using the Snapshot feature.

CHAPTER X: Installing macOS​

Once everything is set, you're ready to clean install the desired macOS version using VMware Workstation/Player. Please note that the host computer must be connected to the internet in order to install macOS since the BaseSystem is merely a recovery image and a full macOS installer will be downloaded during the installation. The Operating System is approximately 12GB in size. So if you're using any sort of Mobile Data make sure you have enough/sufficient plan if using a Mobile Data plan.

1. Select the Virtual Machine from the left pane and click on Power on this virtual machine.
2. The installer will load in a while and you'll see the progress with the Apple logo with a progress bar.
3. When at the Recovery screen, select your preferred language and continue
4. Select Disk Utility and continue, click on View, and select Show all Devices.
5. Now depending on the storage type you created, select VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media or Vmware Virtual NVMe Disk Media and use the following parameters to erase your drive:

Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS
Scheme: GUID Partition Map

NOTES:

• The target disk/partition must be GUID
• APFS format is recommended for High Sierra and Later
• Users who plan to use High Sierra on HDD should use macOS Journaled (HFS+) Format instead of APFS Format. Users who are attempting to install macOS Sierra and prior, should use HFS+. Either way, APFS will not be available for macOS High Sierra and newer.

6. Close Disk Utility
7. Select Reinstall macOS Sonoma and continue with the options.
8. Now select Macintosh HD and click on Continue.

NOTES:

• Step #6 will format the target disk. Proceed with caution.
• This will take a couple of minutes and will restart at "Less than a minute is remaining". Upon completion, the system will automatically restart. Your Mac will restart to complete the installation.

Here it ends the first phase of the installation.

When the installer reboots, the installer screen will appear and continue the second phase of the installation. During this phase, the installer will install files to your target disk and create a Recovery HD partition. Upon completion, your Mac will automatically restart.

STEP 3: Finishing macOS Setup
After several minutes of waiting and keeping yourself patient, you should see the macOS setup screen

After finishing the macOS installation, it's time to set up the macOS for the first usage with the newly installed macOS.

When you're at the welcome screen, continue with the basics options such as Keyboard setup, Network, Computer Account, and Privacy settings. Do not sign in to Apple ID when prompted.

Now the installation is complete! You should be logged in to your Desktop with the beautiful Wallpaper

Take Snapshot​

Once you complete the macOS setup, it would be good to take a snapshot. If anything breaks during configuring the macOS or while testing out a few things or if the Virtual Machine goes corrupt, you can always head back to the snapshot to restore your previous installation using the Snapshot feature.

1. Select Take Snapshot... from VM>Snapshot menu.
2. Give a desired name to your Snapshot and click on Take Snapshot. You can also add the description to remember the state of the Virtual Machine.

When needed, you can restore the Virtual Machine to a previous working state from VM>Snapshot>Revert to Snapshot option. You can view all the Snapshots and their details using Snapshot Manager or using the shortcut CTRL+M.

CHAPTER 7: Post-installation​

Although a bare metal involves a lot more post-install steps such as fixing Graphics, Network, Thunderbolt, etc this is not the same for VMware Workstation/Player due to the hardware not being utilized properly/ Moreover, as VMware is capable of booting macOS without requiring any bootloader (such as OpenCore), the post-installation involves only a few steps. However, you may further accelerate and improve the macOS performance using VMware Tools after installing it on the guest OS. This will give you the ability to use macOS in full screen.

Install VMware Tools​

VMware Tools is a set of services and modules that enables several features in VMware for better management of and seamless user interactions with the guest operating systems. VMware Tools tends to improve the operation of virtual machines and the performance of the guest Operating System. The guest Operating System can work without VMware Tools, but you would be missing out on useful features and conveniences such as using the Virtual Machine in full screen. The VMware Tools allows you to configure a number of settings that will make your guest Operating System more suitable for usage in a virtualized environment.

The kexts serves the following purposes
Enhances the virtual disk's performance and allows you to activate extra capabilities on the macOS Virtual Machine such as File Sharing and Drag and Drop.





Once you have booted the macOS to the Desktop

1. Select Install VMware Tools from the VM Menu
2. You'll find the VMware Tools mounted on the Desktop
3. Double-click on Install VMware Tools and install the package file. When prompted, enter your password.
4. Click on OK

Click on Open System Preferences and enter your password to unlock the settings page.
Click on Allow. When prompted, click on Restart.

Enable drag-and-drop File Sharing​

With the help of VMware Tools, you can have the advantage of Drag and Drop file sharing between the host and the guest Operating System. However, it's not enabled by default and you'll need to enable it in order to enable the drag and drop file sharing. Follow the steps below to enable drag and drop file sharing. To enable drag and drop file sharing, follow the steps below.

1. Open System Preferences
2. Click on Security & Privacy and then select Accessibility in the Privacy Tab.
3. Click on the lock button at the bottom to unlock and it will prompt you to enter your password. When prompted, enter your password.
4. Select the vmware-tools-daemon checkbox to enable vmware-tools-daemon.

Ventura and above
If you're using Ventura and later, you'll require two more steps along with the above steps followed by the above steps

1. Allow vmware-tools-daemon in Full Disk Access
2. Enable File Sharing from System Preferences>General

Now, you can share the files between the host and the guest Operating System using the drag and drop feature.


Remove Recovery Disk
Although this step is optional and can be often helpful in reinstalling the macOS if something goes wrong, it is not advised to remove the recovery disk. Although, a few interested user might consider this option.

Select the Virtual Machine from the left pane.
Click on Edit virtual machine settings
Select Hard Disk (SATA) with 3GB in size and click on Remove.
Click on OK and you're done.

Take Snapshot​

Once you complete the macOS setup, it would be good to take a snapshot. If anything breaks during configuring the macOS or while testing out a few things or if the Virtual Machine goes corrupt, you can always head back to the snapshot to restore your previous installation using the Snapshot feature.

1. Select Take Snapshot... from VM>Snapshot menu.
2. Give a desired name to your Snapshot and click on Take Snapshot. You can also add the description to remember the state of the Virtual Machine.

When needed, you can restore the Virtual Machine to a previous working state from VM>Snapshot>Revert to Snapshot option. You can view all the Snapshots and their details using Snapshot Manager or using the shortcut CTRL+M.


Enjoy macOS on Windows.

Troubleshooting​

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A very fast, stable internet connection is required due to the offline installer. Being an online installer, the installer fetches the InstallAssistant.pkg for the desired macOS version. If there are frequent dropouts, the download will fail and the installation will be terminated with the reason

VMware Workstation Unrecoverable Error: (vcpu 0)​

In some cases, it might be possible that when you start the Virtual Machine, VMware will throw an error "VMware Workstation Unrecoverable error: (vcpu 0)". This is due to the missing SMC code in the VMX file.

1. Close VMware Workstation/Player
2. Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
3. Create a backup of your virtual machine .vmx file.
4. Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
5. Add smc.version = "0" at the end of the file.
6. Save the configuration.

The CPU has been disabled by the guest operating system​

Ensure Virtualization is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI. See STEP #1 for more information.

Feature 'cpuid.ds' was absent, but must be present​

This is due to the corrupted .vmx file. Try to restore the backup of the .vmx file you created previously and edit the .vmx file carefully this time. Make sure the characters are as per the guide as it's case-sensitive.

This virtual machine requires AVX2 but AVX is not present. This virtual machine cannot be powered on​

This is due to the corrupted .vmx file. Try to restore the backup of the .vmx file you created previously and edit the .vmx file carefully this time. Make sure the characters are as per the guide as it's case-sensitive.

Module 'featurecompat' power on failed​

This is due to the corrupted .vmx file. Try to restore the backup of the .vmx file you created previously and edit the .vmx file carefully this time. Make sure the characters are as per the guide as it's case-sensitive.

Stuck on Apple Logo​

If you attempt to boot the virtual machine and it's stuck on the Apple Logo, follow the steps below:

1. Power off the Virtual Machine
2. Ensure the .vmx is not corrupt and has the recommended changes
3. Power on the Virtual Machine again

Boot Loop with Apple Logo progress bar​

Usually caused due to the VMware not patched.

1. Apply if there's an update available for the VMware Workstation/Player
2. Patch VMware Workstation/Player. See STEP #3 for more information.

No internet in the Guest Operating System​

By default, in the newer release of VMware Workstation, if you don't set the NIC type as vmxnet3, you'll have issues getting an IP Address in the VM and due to this, the internet may not work in the guest Operating System. Make sure the host computer is connected to the internet.

Navigate to C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Virtual Machines\macOS Sonoma
Right-click on the Virtual Machine Configuration File ending with .vmx extension and open it using Notepad
Find the line ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000e" and replace it with ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet3".

Installation is taking longer time than expected and I see no progress​

If you notice that the installation is taking way more than a longer time and see no progress, use Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) to check the resource usage. Task Manager will allow you to keep an eye on the installation process. Check the Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet and Disk section under the Performance Tab in Task Manager. The installation will only begin after the recovery downloads 12GB (approx) installer and it very much depends on the internet speed you have and then the disk speed. During installation, you can check the VMware process to make sure the Virtual Machine is operating properly.

Cannot Drag and Drop File Sharing​

Make sure you have installed VMware Tools and have allowed access to vmware-tools-daemon. See the Postinstallation section for more information.

Sleep/Wake is not functional ​

Unlike several other functions (such as Graphics acceleration), Sleep/Wake is broken on VMware Workstation/Player.