VMware Fusion Tech Preview Brings Windows 11 to Apple Silicon Macs

VMware this week announced that its latest VMware Fusion update brings Windows 11 support to both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. Available as a free tech preview, the 2H22 version of Fusion will finally allow Apple silicon Mac users to download and use Windows on their machines through virtualization.

vmware fusion windows
Features include Windows 11 support with 2D GFX and networking, VMtools installation for Windows on Apple silicon machines, improved Linux support on Apple silicon machines, and more.

  • Windows 11 on Intel and Apple Silicon with 2D GFX and Networking
  • VMtools installation for Windows 11 GOS on M1
  • Improved Linux support on ‌M1‌
  • 3D Graphics HW Acceleration and OpenGL 4.3 in Linux VMs* (Requires Linux 5.19+ & Mesa 22.1.3+)
  • Virtual TPM Device
  • Fast Encryption
  • Universal Binary

While the new functionality was designed with Windows 11 in mind, VMware says the tools can be used with other VMs too. At the current time, Fusion on Apple silicon devices is "still a work in progress" and there are some limitations to be aware of.

  • Fusion will not support running VMs across different architectures. (I.e. no x86_64 VMs on ‌M1‌ Macs).
  • macOS virtual machines are out of scope for this release, but it's something we're looking into.
  • Ubuntu 20.04.4 and 22.04 for arm64 are not currently booting (Ubuntu 20.04.4 builds from July 5 and onward) We are working to resolve this.

VMware says that it is looking for feedback from users in order to iron out kinks and add new capabilities in preparation for more formal support later this year. While in the testing period, VMware Fusion will be free to use. The VMware Fusion Tech Preview can be downloaded from the VMware website.

Tag: VMware

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Report Reveals Internal Chaos Behind Apple's Siri Failure

Thursday April 10, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
A new report from The Information today reveals much of the internal turmoil behind Apple Intelligence's revamped version of Siri. Apple apparently weighed up multiple options for the backend of Apple Intelligence. One initial idea was to build both small and large language models, dubbed "Mini Mouse" and "Mighty Mouse," to run locally on iPhones and in the cloud, respectively. Siri's...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks

Friday April 11, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in iOS 19, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and...
Alleged iOS 19 Icons Front Page Tech

iOS 19 Leak Reveals Alleged New Design With Rounder App Icons, Floating Tab Bar, and More

Monday April 7, 2025 3:13 pm PDT by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech is back today with another video that provides a closer look at iOS 19's alleged design changes. The video contains re-created renders of iOS 19, which are allegedly based on real footage of the software update, provided by sources within Apple. Overall, iOS 19 is expected to have a more glass-like, visionOS-inspired design, with added translucency for user...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store in Chicago Area Permanently Closing Later This Month

Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:56 am PDT by
Apple will be permanently closing its store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook on April 26, the company has announced. Apple has added the following notice to the store's web page:Thank you Northbook. Apple Northbrook is closing on April 26 at 7pm. We're still here for you. Please visit apple.com/retail to find your nearest store.Apple Northbrook opened ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Two Changes So Far

Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 18.5 last week, and so far the software update includes only two minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, there is some new AppleCare+ information. For ...
apple intelligence black

NYT: Apple's AI Struggles Began with 2023 Chip Budget Dispute

Friday April 11, 2025 4:33 am PDT by
Apple's current struggles with Apple Intelligence and Siri began in early 2023 when AI head John Giannandrea sought approval from CEO Tim Cook to purchase more AI chips for development, according to a new report from The New York Times. Cook initially approved doubling the team's chip budget, but CFO Luca Maestri reportedly reduced the increase to less than half that amount, and instead...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device to Enter Mass Production in Late 2026

Thursday April 10, 2025 1:33 am PDT by
Along with an iPhone "Fold," Apple is believed to be working on a larger foldable device that's somewhere around 19 inches, and one analyst suggests it could arrive as soon as late next year alongside Apple's rumored foldable iPhone. In a new research note covering likely post-tariff scenarios for Apple, investment firm GF Securities' lead analyst Jeff Pu says that both 18.8-inch and...

Top Rated Comments

Yebubbleman Avatar
35 months ago

So no x64 Windows on M1 still.
Bro, that was never in the cards. That requires an emulator. VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop are not emulator products the way Connectix/Microsoft Virtual PC was for PowerPC; they're Hypervisors.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dysamoria Avatar
35 months ago

Windows 11 has an x64 emulator out of the box.

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2020/12/10/introducing-x64-emulation-in-preview-for-windows-10-on-arm-pcs-to-the-windows-insider-program/
Oh boy, alpha software on a beta OS.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randomthoughts Avatar
35 months ago

So what’s the point of running Windows 11 if you can’t run x86 apps?
You can. Just like Rosetta 2, Windows 11 has an out of the box emulator to launch and run the apps transparently.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmonster Avatar
35 months ago

Then why does the article state:

“Fusion will not support running VMs across different architectures. (I.e. no x86_64 VMs on M1 Macs).”
You can't run x64 windows, but you can run ARM windows, and ARM windows can run x64 windows apps/binaries via its equivalent to Rosetta 2
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
35 months ago
It's kind of dead out of the gate without the x86 W11 capability. I know that the limitations and difficulties aren't VMware's fault - its a huge downside for me of the AS platform as Windows VMs were so handy for my line of work. I moved ahead anyway as I couldn't stand the noise of those i9s any longer.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randomthoughts Avatar
35 months ago

Likely not going to happen. As long as there is Windows on Arm this will be the focus.
Windows 11 has an x64 emulator out of the box.

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2020/12/10/introducing-x64-emulation-in-preview-for-windows-10-on-arm-pcs-to-the-windows-insider-program/
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)