VMware

The macOS 26 documentation covers information on how to install the operating system in a virtual machine.

The macOS 26 documentation includes the following topics:

Installation Instructions for VMware ESX 7.0 Update 3

You can install OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine using the installation media, upgrade the virtual machine to OS X 10.9 or its later version, and then upgrade the virtual machine to macOS 26.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, verify that the following tasks are complete:

  • Read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products.
  • You already have Install OS X Mountain Lion.app for any version of OS X 10.8.
  • You already have Install OS X Mavericks.app for any version of OS X 10.9 or later .
  • Ensure your physical system is an Apple-labeled computer. This is required to install or run OS X 10.x, macOS 11.x, macOS 12.x, macOS 13.x, macOS 14.x, macOS 15.x, or macOS 26 in a virtual machine.
  • Ensure your physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2 GB of RAM.

Installation Steps

  1. Create a new virtual machine and select the Apple macOS 26 (64-bit) option. If Apple macOS 26 (64-bit) is not available, select the most recent version of macOS provided by your product.
  2. Use the virtual machine CD/DVD drive for installation.
  3. Connect the CD/DVD drive to a datastore image file, and complete the following steps:
    1. Add Install OS X Mountain Lion.app to a datastore that the virtual machine can access.
    2. Set the CD/DVD drive to connect to the Install OS X Mountain Lion.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg image file.
  4. Power on the virtual machine.
  5. Select your language and click the right arrow.
  6. Select Disk Utility and click Continue.
  7. In the left hand pane, select the hard disk at the top of the list.
  8. Click the Erase tab.
  9. Click the Erase... button and click the confirming Erase button. Wait for the process to complete.
  10. Quit the Disk Utility application.
  11. Select Reinstall OS X and click Continue.
  12. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
  13. Copy Install OS X Mavericks.app (or its later version) on the virtual machine and run Mavericks.app to upgrade this operating system to OS X 10.9 or later.
  14. Download Install MacOS Tahoe.app in the virtual machine using the Mac App Store, or download it onto another Mac using the Mac App Store, and copy Install MacOS Tahoe.app to the virtual machine.
  15. Run Install MacOS Tahoe.app in the virtual machine to update the operating system to macOS 26.
  16. Install VMware Tools.

Installation Instructions for VMware Fusion 13.0 and Later

You install macOS 26 in a virtual machine using the installation media.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, verify that the following tasks are complete:

  • Read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products.
  • Download Install MacOS Tahoe.app from the Mac App Store.
  • Ensure your physical system is an Apple-labeled computer. This is required to install or run macOS 26 in a virtual machine.
  • Ensure your physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2 GB of RAM.

Installation Steps

  1. Start VMware Fusion.
  2. Select File > New.
  3. Drag Install MacOS Tahoe.app and drop it into the Create a Virtual Machine window.
  4. Click Continue.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
  6. Install VMware Tools.

VMware Tools in a macOS 26 Guest

For information on VMware Tools, see the KB article 1014294, General VMware Tools installation instructions.

Knowledge Base Articles for macOS 26

The following link refers to knowledge base articles on operating system specific issues. For a list of known issues about the operating system, see Broadcom Support Portal.

Broadcom Compatibility Guide

The Broadcom Compatibility Guide Web site lists supported guest and host operating systems and provides related support information.


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