Choose Operating System - macOS version not listed

[benducklow]

Trying to setup a new VM on Fusion v13.0 Pro. I am not seeing a macOS version to pick from the list (see screenshot). I have tried both the .app and an DMG of macOS Ventura.

[Maks Roshchyna]

Fusion supports the following Mac server and client versions for the guest operating system:

• Mac OS X Server 10.5, 10.6
• Mac OS X 10.7
• OS X 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11
• macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15
• macOS 11.x
• macOS 12.x
• macOS 13.0

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Fusion/13/com.vmware.fusion.using.doc/GUID-474FC78E-4E77-42B7-A1C6-12C2F378C5B9.html 

[Technogeezer]

It appears to me that you are running an Apple Silicon (M1/M2) Mac.

If you are, please note that macOS is supported as a virtual machine on Intel Macs only. No version of macOS can be virtualized with Fusion on an M1/M2 Mac.

If you need to virtualize macOS 12 or 13 on Apple Silicon Mac, either use the paid Parallels or the free VirtualBuddy https://github.com/insidegui/VirtualBuddy - there is a link to download a pre-built version of VirtualBuddy so you don't have to build it. Both have comparable feature sets for virtualizing macOS. 

 

 

[Technogeezer]

and thanks to   - I forgot about the latest UTM enhancements which will allow you to virtualize macOS on Apple Silicon.

[Scott Vessey]

Do you have an Intel Mac or an M1/M2 Mac?

I’m guessing the latter…

 

[benducklow]

M1. I am kicking myself as I though version 13 supported this ability. There's goes $99 down the 'virtual tubes'! Thanks all.

[ColoradoMarmot]

If apple enables it with the lower level hypervisor, i expect we'll see it in fusion.  The higher level version is really really limited.

What I wonder though, is if apple is telegraphing the future - moving MacOS to a type1 hypervisor that runs a VM for each user on it.

[Technogeezer]

That would be a very inefficient use of resources to run each user as a VM.

I could see running a user environment as a container. But then again, Apple hasn't (to my knowledge) made an announcement of a container framework for macOS. And Docker isn't really a first class citizen on macOS yet.

[palter]

You didn't state what Mac you're using.

If you're using an M1 or M2 based Mac, you cannot virtualize macOS in Fusion. Virtualizing macOS on Apple silicon (M1/M2) can only be done using Apple's high-level virtualization framework which Fusion doesn't use. (It uses the lower-level hypervisor framework.)

If you want to create a macOS VM on Apple silicon, you can try VirtualBuddy, UTM, or Parallels. However, the VM will be severely limited in what it can do. (I.e., no snapshots, no split disks, etc.)