In this article, we will examine how to run Windows 10 on a new virtual machine using VMware Fusion 12 Pro in the macOS operating system on a Mac computer.
How to Set Up Windows 10 on Mac / macOS using Fusion 12 Pro
VMware Fusion lets you create virtual machines on Mac computers and install and run Windows, Linux, or macOS on them.
There are Pro and Player versions of the Fusion program developed by VMware for Apple Mac OS X systems. The Player version is free and suitable for personal use. The Pro version enables the use of more advanced features in VMs and is paid.
You can use the Boot Camp program when you want to install a Windows 10 system in addition to the macOS operating system of your Apple Mac computer with an Intel-based processor, but you will have to restart your computer when you want to switch to Windows 10.
You can prefer VMware Fusion software instead of using Boot Camp on your host computer. Thus, you will be able to boot up your Windows 10 operating system quickly without having to restart your system every time.
After installing Fusion Pro, you can easily install an operating system in the VM using the ISO installation media of the operating system or the CD/DVD optical drive of your physical computer.
How to Create a Virtual Machine for Windows 10
Creating a virtual machine with Fusion is quite simple and easy compared to other software. If you have the ISO file of the operating system, you can quickly prepare a guest machine by dragging and dropping it into the program.
Step 1
After opening the Fusion software, you can see different installation methods on its main screen. To create a more detailed and neat virtual computer, select Create a custom virtual machine and click the Continue button.
Step 2
You need to select the operating system that you will install on the virtual machine on this screen. Since you will install Windows 10 on the guest machine, select Microsoft Windows / Windows 10 x64 and click Continue again.
Step 3
When you decide to install older versions of Windows, you should choose Legacy BIOS for systems that do not support UEFI. If you are going to install Microsoft’s current operating system, it is recommended to choose UEFI / UEFI Secure Boot for VM security.
Step 4
If you have the virtual disk of Windows 10 that you have installed before, you can add the virtual disk to the guest machine by using the Add an existing virtual disk option. However, if you want to install Windows 10 from scratch, it would make more sense to create a new virtual disk.
Step 5
In the last step of the virtual machine creation wizard, click the Customize Settings button and configure the installation location of the VM in the window that opens.
Step 6
When you open the settings of the Windows 10 guest machine, configure the amount of virtual processor and memory size in accordance with the processor and RAM characteristics of your host computer. In addition, you can use nested virtualization by enabling the use of hypervisor applications within the VM and increasing virtual system performance by converting virtual memory addresses to physical addresses with the IOMMU feature.
- Enable hypervisor applications in this virtual machine
- Enable IOMMU in this virtual machine
Step 7
Choose Ethernet if you want your guest machine to automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP server in the location where your Mac is connected to the network and appear as a separate device in your local network.
Step 8
To add a Windows 10 ISO file to the virtual machine you have prepared, select Choose a disk or disk images from the pop-up window in the CD/DVD settings.
Step 9
Navigate to the location of the Windows 10 image file you downloaded to your Mac and click Open after selecting the ISO file.
Step 10
If you do not want to print from the guest machine on your Mac, which is selected by default, delete the printer port in the Printer settings.
Step 11
Enable drag-drop and copy-paste support to transfer files and copy text between the host and virtual computer.
Step 12
To increase the virtual machine performance in advanced settings, configure the Troubleshooting feature to None and also check the Disable Side Channel Mitigations option.
Step 13
After preparing and configuring the Windows 10 virtual machine, run it to start the system setup.
How to Install Windows 10
Installing Windows 10 on a Mac consists of the same steps as if you were installing it on a physical computer in a real scenario.
Step 1
After running the virtual computer, press any key on your keyboard to start the installation when it boots with the ISO image you added.
Step 2
After selecting the system display language, system time settings, and keyboard layout you want to use in your guest operating system, click Next.
Step 3
Click the Install Now button to start the Windows installation in the setup wizard. Also, in this window, you can click Repair Your Computer and perform the relevant steps to repair your system from file errors later.
Step 4
If you have previously purchased the operating system that you will install on the guest machine, you must type your product key on the Activate Windows screen. If you are only going to use the VM for testing, click I don’t have a product key to continue without activating your system.
Step 5
Select the version of Windows you want to install on the virtual machine and click Next.
Step 6
Accept the software license terms of the Windows 10 Pro operating system and click Next.
Step 7
If you were using an older version of Windows, you could update your system to a newer version of Windows in this window. Click Install Windows Only to install from scratch.
Step 8
You can select the virtual disk or partition where you want to install Windows. If you have added a new virtual disk, you need to create a new partition. So, after selecting Drive 0 Unallocated Space, click New and then click the Apply button to accept the disk space automatically by the wizard.
Step 9
After partitioning the virtual HDD, select the Primary partition Drive 0 Partition 3 and click Next.
Step 10
Wait while the setup wizard is copying the system files of Windows 10.
Step 11
After the necessary system files are copied, restart your virtual system.
Step 12
When your guest operating system restarts, you will configure Windows 10 system settings. Select the country you live in in the region settings of your system and click Yes.
Step 13
For the keyboard settings of your guest system, select the keyboard layout you use in your macOS system and click Yes again.
Step 14
If you want to add a second keyboard layout to your virtual system, click the Add Layout button to continue. Otherwise, if you do not want to add another layout, click the Skip button.
Step 15
If you are going to use your guest system in a server environment, you can add your VM to the domain environment with the Organization option. Or if you just prefer to use it personally, click Set up for personal use.
Step 16
When you set up your Guest machine for personal use, you can sign in with a Microsoft account and back up all your data and settings to the cloud. If you do not want to log in with a Microsoft account, click Offline Account.
Step 17
Click Limited Experience to continue without choosing to use Microsoft applications and services.
Step 18
Type a username for your Windows 10 virtual system and click Next.
Step 19
You can protect your system from unauthorized people by creating a user account password that you can definitely remember. You can directly click Next to continue without creating a system password.
Step 20
If you want to enable sending your location and diagnostic data to Microsoft in the privacy settings of your Windows 10 operating system or allow personalized advertisements, click the Accept button. If you prefer to accept some of these options, configure the relevant settings and continue.
Step 21
If you want to enable the use of Cortana after the privacy settings, click the I accept button. You can click Not Now to configure Cortana later.
Step 22
After making the necessary settings, your Windows 10 desktop environment will be ready. You can find out the Windows version by executing the winver command in the Run tool.
How to Install VMware Tools
After installing Windows 10 on macOS using VMware Fusion, you need to install VMware Tools in order to fix the screen resolution, increase system performance, or transfer files on the VM.
Step 1
While your guest machine is running, click Virtual Machine / Install VMware Tools in the tool menu in Fusion and click Install to mount the CD image to the system.
Step 2
After clicking the AutoPlay window in the lower right corner of your system, click Run setup64.exe.
Step 3
Click Next to continue installing the virtual machine tools in the VMware Tools setup wizard.
Step 4
If you are going to use your guest machine with other VMware products, select Complete in the installation options and click Next.
Step 5
Click the Install button to start installing the virtual machine tools. If there is a setting you want to change, you can go back with Back or end the installation with Exit.
Step 6
Wait while the video driver of the virtual machine and other hardware drivers are loaded.
Step 7
After the VMware Tools installation, restart your virtual system for the changes to take effect.
Step 8
You can now transfer files between your Windows 10 guest machine and your Mac computer using the drag-and-drop method.
How to Test Internet Connection
One of the other things you need to do after preparing the Windows 10 virtual computer is to test the Internet connection. Because it is important for users that the VM can access their Mac’s local network or the Internet.
Step 1
In Windows 10 VM, press Windows Key + R to open Run and type cmd in Open: and click OK. Ping the Google servers and test your network connection by executing the png 8.8.8.8 command at the command prompt.
Step 2
Open the Microsoft Edge web browser on Windows 10 and check that you can access the Google homepage.
How to Use USB Flash Memory in Virtual Machine
It is very easy to connect your USB flash drives or USB storage devices to the Windows guest machines you use on macOS.
When you connect a device to your Mac’s USB port, the Fusion program will ask you where you want to connect that device. In this window, you can connect your USB device to your Mac or Windows guest machine.
Step 1
Plug a USB stick into your Mac computer and click Connect to Mac to connect it to your macOS system first.
Step 2
Open Disk Utility and right-click on the USB device you connected from the External section, then click Erase.
Step 3
You cannot use an NTFS-based USB device on Mac systems. So, change the format of your USB device to ExFAT and click Erase again.
Step 4
You can now copy or create a file or folder inside the flash memory called KINGSTON on your Mac computer.
Step 5
After making your flash drive usable on Mac, click Virtual Machine / USB & Bluetooth / Connect KINGSTON (Kingston DataTraveler 3.0) in the Fusion tool menu to connect it to your Windows guest machine.
Step 6
In Windows 10 virtual PC, you can now use your USB stick and transfer files between your host and your VM via USB.
How to Connect to Guest OS using Remote Desktop Connection on Mac
You can continue to do your work by connecting to a Windows guest machine running on your Mac with Remote Desktop Connection. After downloading and installing this software for macOS on your system, you just need to allow remote connections on your guest machine and create a password for your user account.
Step 1
On your Windows 10 machine, right-click on My Computer and click Manage from the options that appear. Then, when Computer Management is opened, click Users under Local Users and Groups from the left section.
To set a password for the user named User in the user list on the right panel, right-click on it and click Set Password. Click the Proceed button in the warning window informing you that you have chosen to reset the password for the local user account.
Step 2
In the Set Password window, create a password that you can remember, and then click OK.
Step 3
To enable allowing remote connections in Windows 10, open the computer properties and click Remote Settings on the left panel. Enable the Remote Desktop feature on the Remote tab in the System Properties window.
Step 4
After downloading the Microsoft Remote Desktop application to your Mac, double-click the pkg installation file.
Step 5
Click Continue in the Microsoft Remote Desktop setup wizard.
Step 6
Accept the license agreement to continue using the Remote Desktop software.
Step 7
Click Continue again to start the installation without changing the installation location.
Step 8
To start the installation, type your macOS user account password and click Install Software.
Step 9
Open Applications on your Mac and run Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Step 10
Click OK if you want to allow the use of your computer’s camera and microphone devices on remote connections.
Step 11
After opening the Remote Desktop application, click Add PC to add your Windows guest machine.
Step 12
Execute the ipconfig command in CMD to find out the IP address of your guest machine. Type the IP address of the guest machine in PC Name: and click Add User Account from the User Account options to automate the remote login.
Step 13
When you open the Add a User Account window, type the user account name and password of the Windows 10 guest machine and click the Add button.
Step 14
After typing the necessary information, add your virtual computer to the remote desktop program.
Step 15
Connect to the PC you added to the homepage of the Microsoft Remote Desktop program and click Continue in the certificate warning window.
Step 16
You have successfully connected to a Windows 10 guest machine via a remote desktop from your Mac.
How to Configure Shared Folder
You can use the Shared Folder feature on Fusion for the easiest file transfer between your host computer and your VM.
Step 1
Click Virtual Machine / Settings from the tool menu to enable Shared Folder while the guest machine is running.
Step 2
When you open the settings of the Windows 10 machine, click Sharing.
Step 3
After enabling Shared Folder in the virtual machine, click the + button to add a location on your Mac.
Step 4
You can access the files you have added or created to the Shared Folder location created on your Windows 10 virtual computer directly from your macOS system.
Video
Related Articles
♦ What is a Virtual Machine?
♦ How to Set Up Windows 10 on a PC
♦ How to Set Up macOS in VirtualBox
♦ How to Set Up macOS in VMware
♦ How to Set Up Windows 7 in Fusion