VMware Fusion is a software hypervisor developed by VMware for macOS systems. It allows Macs with Intel or the Apple M series of chips to run virtual machines with guest operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, or macOS, within the host macOS operating system.

Overview

VMware Fusion can virtualize a multitude of operating systems, including many older versions of macOS, which allows users to run older Mac software that can no longer be run under the current version of macOS, such as 32-bit and PowerPC applications.

History

VMware Fusion, which uses a combination of paravirtualization and hardware virtualization made possible by the Mac transition to Intel processors in 2006, marked VMware's first entry into Macintosh-based x86 virtualization. VMware Fusion uses Intel VT present in the Intel Core microarchitecture platform. Much of the underlying technology in VMware Fusion is inherited from other VMware products, such as VMware Workstation, allowing VMware Fusion to offer features such as 64-bit and SMP support. VMware Fusion 1.0 was released on August 6, 2007, exactly one year after being announced. Along with the Mac transition to Apple silicon in 2020, VMware announced plans for Fusion to support the new M-series platform and ARM architecture, releasing a tech preview for M1 chips in September 2021. In November 2022, VMware Fusion 13 was released, allowing ARM virtualization on Apple Silicon chips. Coinciding with the release, VMware implemented support for TPM 2.0 and OpenGL 4.3, along with improvements to VMware Tools on Windows 11. VMware Fusion 13 retains support for Intel Macs, distributing the software as a universal binary. On May 13, 2024, it was announced that VMware Fusion Pro would become free for personal use. Previously VMware Fusion (not Pro) was free for personal use; this edition would be discontinued, effectively replaced by the Pro edition. At the same time, commercial use would switch to annual subscription, removing the option to buy a one-off perpetual license.

System requirements

Operating system support

Version history