macOS is a very stable operating system that provides support for various user activities. However, sometimes it is necessary to have the Windows operating system at your disposal. In this tutorial, you will see step-by-step instructions on how to install Windows 11 on Apple Silicon using VMware Fusion.
So, if you want to install the Windows 11 operating system on Apple Silicon devices such as iMac, MacBook with M1, M2, M3 processors, the steps in the guide below will help you.
How to Install Windows 11 on Apple Silicon with VMware Fusion
To begin, you need to obtain the Windows 11 ARM image from Microsoft. When you download it, you will notice that you receive a .VHDX file (Hyper-V), which is incompatible with VMware. It can be converted by running the following command in the terminal:
/Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Library/vmware-vdiskmanager -r ./Windows11_InsiderPreview_Client_ARM64_en-us_22598.VHDX -t 0 ./Windows11.vmdkAs seen, the vdiskmanager tool from VMware is used for the conversion.
This command will transform VHDX into a VMDK (a format that can be opened in VirtualBox) using the vdiskmanager tool.
Once this process is complete, start VMware and then create a new virtual machine (VM). Then select “Create Custom Virtual Machine".
Select Windows 11 ARM as operating system, then don't forget to check the box “UEFI Secure Boot".
Set a password, then go get the image VMDK as a virtual disk (Virtual Disk).
When selecting, remember to choose “Make a separate copy of the virtual disk". This will copy the virtual disk to the location chosen at the time of its creation to avoid any bugs or other inconveniences.
Complete the operation and open VM (Virtual Machine) with Windows 11 ARM on Mac Silicon.
The problem is that VMware has no network support in this image. So you will need to install Windows no network support. When you are at this step (or before), press the key combination SHIFT + F10 (if you have a keyboard Mac, you will have to press Fn + F10). This will open a terminal where you enter the line below:
OOBE\BYPASSNROThis will enable the ability to install Windows 11 without network support and will restart the installation.
Click on “I don’t have Internet".
Click on “Continue With Limited Setup".
After successfully following the steps to install Windows 11 on Apple Silicon with VMware Fusion, you will have the operating system, but without an internet connection.
To fix the internet connection issue as well, open PowerShell with Admin privileges, then run the command line below and press “A" for "Yes to All"
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
Then all you have to do is install “VMware Tools” through the menu VMware.
Related: How you can install Windows 11 on computers Mac (Intel) – Not Meet the Minimum Hardware Requirements
Restart the Windows operating system to ensure everything functions normally. You will now have a fully functional Windows 11 on Apple Silicon.
