[GH-ISSUE #40] macOS Guests Deprecated in Fusion 13 #28

Closed
opened 2026-03-02 03:57:50 +03:00 by kerem · 6 comments
Owner

Originally created by @DrDonk on GitHub (Aug 31, 2022).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/DrDonk/unlocker/issues/40

VMware will stop supporting new macOS versions as guests starting with Fusion 13 and the next version of ESXi.

This is documented at the VMware KB for Fusion:
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/88697

And for ESXi:
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/88698

This will likely impact Workstation Pro/Player as well. Currently the exact details of what make change are not clear, but it is safe to say we should look for alternative approaches to the unlocker.

Originally created by @DrDonk on GitHub (Aug 31, 2022). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/DrDonk/unlocker/issues/40 VMware will stop supporting new macOS versions as guests starting with Fusion 13 and the next version of ESXi. This is documented at the VMware KB for Fusion: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/88697 And for ESXi: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/88698 This will likely impact Workstation Pro/Player as well. Currently the exact details of what make change are not clear, but it is safe to say we should look for alternative approaches to the unlocker.
kerem closed this issue 2026-03-02 03:57:50 +03:00
Author
Owner

@SimPilotAdamT commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022):

Apparently it's possible to run MacOS on VirtualBox as well as via Qemu on KVM and even on Microsoft's Hyper-V... Maybe it's finally time to start switching to either of those three to prepare for this... Maybe it would be possible to modify Unlocker to bring compatibility back when the changes do happen? Granted it would take an especially long time without updating Workstation Pro/Player while the changes are made, and it would increase the size of the codebase but I think it could be done.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1253489367 --> @SimPilotAdamT commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022): Apparently it's possible to run MacOS on VirtualBox as well as via Qemu on KVM and even on Microsoft's Hyper-V... Maybe it's finally time to start switching to either of those three to prepare for this... Maybe it would be possible to modify Unlocker to bring compatibility back when the changes do happen? Granted it would take an especially long time without updating Workstation Pro/Player while the changes are made, and it would increase the size of the codebase but I think it could be done.
Author
Owner

@DrDonk commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022):

I have a working VMware macOS template using OpenCore that I am testing. It wouldn't need any patches, but would still use the VMware guest settings but supply the SMC data directly.

There is a some evidence from VMware Fusion product manager that he's trying to get this overturned for Fusion on Intel Macs. Apple Silicon require a different approach using Apple supplied VM API and virtual Mac models.

The interesting thing is that they are not dropping support for currently released macOS versions.

Time will tell what's going on.

I don't have anything but Intel Macs now, and will be migrating to Apple M2 kit when the machines I need become available. So my involvement may drop, but I can test the patches using nested virtualization.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1253658090 --> @DrDonk commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022): I have a working VMware macOS template using OpenCore that I am testing. It wouldn't need any patches, but would still use the VMware guest settings but supply the SMC data directly. There is a some evidence from VMware Fusion product manager that he's trying to get this overturned for Fusion on Intel Macs. Apple Silicon require a different approach using Apple supplied VM API and virtual Mac models. The interesting thing is that they are not dropping support for currently released macOS versions. Time will tell what's going on. I don't have anything but Intel Macs now, and will be migrating to Apple M2 kit when the machines I need become available. So my involvement may drop, but I can test the patches using nested virtualization.
Author
Owner

@SimPilotAdamT commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022):

Sounds good to me... We'll see what happens when Apple drops support for X86 silicon altogether, since VMware can't just emulate aarch64.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1253661639 --> @SimPilotAdamT commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022): Sounds good to me... We'll see what happens when Apple drops support for X86 silicon altogether, since VMware can't just emulate aarch64.
Author
Owner

@DrDonk commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022):

VMware will support Intel for awhile, and they have aarch64 in tech preview. Bottom line is that VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V use virtualization not emulation so Intel on Apple Silicon will need QEMU or something similar.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1253678445 --> @DrDonk commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2022): VMware will support Intel for awhile, and they have aarch64 in tech preview. Bottom line is that VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V use virtualization not emulation so Intel on Apple Silicon will need QEMU or something similar.
Author
Owner

@DrDonk commented on GitHub (Nov 8, 2022):

There are issues with Venture see this issue:

https://github.com/DrDonk/unlocker/issues/47#issue-1440512657

<!-- gh-comment-id:1307485677 --> @DrDonk commented on GitHub (Nov 8, 2022): There are issues with Venture see this issue: https://github.com/DrDonk/unlocker/issues/47#issue-1440512657
Author
Owner

@DrDonk commented on GitHub (Nov 23, 2022):

VMware Fusion manual lists macOS 13 as supported so I think we're good for now.

<!-- gh-comment-id:1325285278 --> @DrDonk commented on GitHub (Nov 23, 2022): VMware Fusion manual lists macOS 13 as supported so I think we're good for now.
Sign in to join this conversation.
No milestone
No project
No assignees
1 participant
Notifications
Due date
The due date is invalid or out of range. Please use the format "yyyy-mm-dd".

No due date set.

Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference
starred/unlocker#28
No description provided.