How to Run Windows on Mac in VirtualBox?
Are you tired of having to use a separate Windows machine just to run a specific program or software? Well, as a Mac user, you don’t have to! By using virtual machine software like VirtualBox, you can easily run Windows on your Mac and seamlessly switch between operating systems.
But before you get started, there are a few things you need to gather. In this guide, I’ll take you through the essential tools and software you need to run Windows on your Mac using VirtualBox. This way, you will be able to run any Windows OS on your Mac. So, let’s get started!
Things you will need to run Windows on Mac in VirtualBox
Before you can start running Windows on your Mac using VirtualBox, you’ll need a few essential things:
Check your System Specs: Your Mac needs to be a relatively recent model and powerful enough to handle running both operating systems simultaneously. This way, there won’t be any reason to check your system specs. Most likely, you have all the specs to run both OS at a time.
Like running a virtual machine also requires a lot of RAM, so make sure your Mac has enough memory to handle it. A minimum of 8GB is recommended, but 16GB or more is ideal.
Download VirtualBox: VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualization software that allows you to run multiple operating systems on your computer simultaneously. It’s a popular choice for running Windows on Mac or Linux systems. VirtualBox provides a user-friendly interface and a range of customization options, making it a flexible and powerful tool for virtualization.
Download Windows ISO: A Windows ISO is necessary to install the Windows OS on your virtual machine. It’s a disk image file that contains all the files and software needed to install and run Windows. Without a Windows ISO, you won’t be able to create a virtual machine to run Windows on your Mac using VirtualBox.
Enough storage space: Running a virtual machine requires a lot of storage space, so make sure your Mac has enough available storage to accommodate both operating systems. Make sure, you will have at least 50+ GB of free storage for your guest OS.
Once you have all of these things, you’re ready to start setting up your virtual machine and running Windows on your Mac.
Run Windows on Mac
Now let’s begin the procedure to run any version of Windows OS on your Mac inside VirtualBox. I have divided the entire process into three steps. With a single glance, you will understand what you are going to do.
- Install VirtualBox on Mac
- Create a new Virtual Machine
- Do the installation of Windows in Virtual Machine
Step 1: Install VirtualBox on Mac
As I mentioned above, you are going to download VirtualBox for your Mac.
- Once the download is complete, double-click on the VirtualBox disk image (.dmg) file to open it.
- Double-click on the VirtualBox.pkg file to start the installation process.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. You may be prompted to enter your Mac username and password.
- Once the installation is complete, you can launch VirtualBox from your Applications folder.
That’s it! You now have VirtualBox installed on your Mac and are ready to create a virtual machine to run Windows.
Step 2: Create a new Virtual Machine
Here’s how to create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox:
- Open VirtualBox on your Mac.
- Click on the New button in the top left corner of the VirtualBox.
- In the Create Virtual Machine, give your virtual machine a name and select the operating system you want to install (in this case, select Microsoft Windows).
- Choose the amount of memory (RAM) you want to allocate to the virtual machine. It’s recommended to allocate at least 8GB of RAM for a Windows virtual machine, but more is always better if your Mac can handle it.
- In the Hard Disk section, select Create a virtual hard disk Now and click Create.
- Choose the type of virtual hard disk you want to create (e.g., VDI or VHD) and select Dynamically allocated for the hard disk file type.
- Choose the amount of storage space you want to allocate to the virtual hard disk. It’s recommended to allocate at least 50GB of storage for a Windows virtual machine, but you can allocate more if you need it.
- Click Create to finish creating the virtual machine.
Now that you have created a new virtual machine. Let’s continue to the next step which is to install Windows in your new Virtual Machine in VirtualBox.
Step 3: Do the installation of Windows in Virtual Machine
From here you will install Windows in Virtual Machine:
- Start VirtualBox and select the Windows virtual machine you created in the previous step.
- Click on the Start button to start the virtual machine.
- In the Select Start-up disk window, click on the folder icon and select the Windows ISO file you downloaded.
- Click Start to begin the Windows installation process.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows. You’ll need to enter your Windows product key and select the installation options you prefer.
- Once the installation is complete, you can install any necessary drivers and software in the virtual machine.
- To switch between the Mac and Windows operating systems, you can simply pause or save the virtual machine and switch to the other operating system.
That’s it! You now have successfully installed Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac using VirtualBox.
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