In this article, I will try UTM, popular virtualization software for Apple Silicone Mac. With UTM, we can install multiple operating systems on macOS easily. Well, it is still limited, but it is usable. I am going to try to install macOS Ventura on my Macbook Pro M1 which has macOS Monterey on it. You can try it yourself by downloading UTM using the link we provided at the end of this post.
The macOS Ventura installed on the MacBook Pro M1 machine runs smoothly and is responsive. Everything works as expected except for the AppleID which still doesn’t work on this virtual machine. But that is not a big deal because I only use this for testing purposes. The animated window scrolling works well. You will not notice if this is a virtual machine.
macOS Ventura Virtual Machine
Steps to Install macOS Virtual Machine on Apple Silicone Mac
Step 1. Download and install UTM
Navigate to the link below to download UTM. Install it on your M1 Mac and then run it.
https://github.com/utmapp/UTM/releases/latest/download/UTM.dmg
Step 2. Create macOS Virtual Machine
Click the + button on the UTM main window.
Select Virtualize
Click macOS 12+ from the list
Before we can install macOS, we need to download a recovery IPSW. If you don’t have it, UTM will download the latest version from the Apple website. But when I use this method, the VM won’t start properly. So, it is better to download IPSW manually. You can visit the link below to download the macOS IPSW that you want to use.
Click Browse and then choose the IPSW file you’ve downloaded. Click Continue.
Allocate the VM RAM amount. I would leave this as default which is 4GB.
Next, specify how much disk space you want to allocate to the macOS VM. In this case, I leave it as 64 GB.
Give the new VM a name.
Click Save. And then, UTM will start downloading the necessary files from the internet. It will take some time depending on your internet speed.
Once the download is finished, we can start the VM
You will get this notification when you start the VM for the first time.
Hit OK and then the installer will continue to install macOS Ventura on UTM. This will take a while so be patient. Once the installation completes, you can use macOS Ventura on your Mac M1 or M2. Please note that the AppleID did not work on this macOS Ventura on UTM. You will need to figure out how to install software on your macOS virtual machine.
Final Thoughts
I was surprised that my macOS Ventura virtual machine running very smoothly in the UTM. The launchpad and applications are also very responsive.
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