For those who don't have a Mac lying around but want to test Apple's desktop OS for free, a workstation offers a convenient workaround. If you have VMware Workstation Pro on your Windows PC, you can easily install macOS as a workstation on it. Here's how to go about the whole process.

Install macOS on VMware Workstation Pro on Windows

Before we begin, make sure you already have VMware Workstation Pro installed on your Windows PC. It's completely free now and shouldn't take more than a few minutes to get. Once you have that, use the following steps to get macOS as a virtual workstation on your Windows PC.

Step 1: Unlock macOS for VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation by default doesn't support macOS as virtual machines. But there's a simple unlocker that you can get from the GitHub link below to address that.

Step 1.1: Navigate to the link above, Click on Code and select Download ZIP.

Step 1.2: Right-click the downloaded zip file and Extract it.

Step 1.3: From the extracted files, run win-install.cmd.

This will unlock the ability to install macOS as a virtual machine on VMware Workstation.

Step 2: Get a macOS ISO

Next, you'll need to get access to the ISO file of the macOS version that you want to install. Although the official means require you to download the macOS installation file (in DMG format) from a Mac, you can easily find the ISO files online as well. Simply look for the version of macOS that you want. Sites like Internet Archive will provide the ISO files for just about every macOS version out there. You can also find downloadable macOS ISOs on GitHub.

Which macOS version should you get for a virtual machine?

Unless you have 16GB RAM to spare, it's best to stick to the macOS version that's a little old. Catalina, which was released in 2019, would work well. If you like, you can go up to Big Sur and Monterey. Any higher version (Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia) is not recommended as many of them won't be compatible in the first place. Also, since it's a virtual machine, it really isn't worth trying any heavy-duty macOS. If you have any extended work to do on macOS, you're better off getting a Mac itself.

Step 3: Create a new workstation

Once you have your precious macOS ISO, use the following steps to create a new workstation.

Step 3.1: Open VMware Workstation Pro and click on Create a New Virtual Machine.

Step 3.2: Select Typical and click Next.

Step 3.3: Click on Browse.

Step 3.4: Navigate to the downloaded ISO file, select it, and click Open.

Step 3.5: Click Next.

Step 3.6: Select Apple macOS. Select the Version associated with your macOS. Click Next.

Step 3.7: Give your virtual machine a name. To change the location where the virtual machine will be created, click on Browse.

Step 3.8: Pick the folder where you want the virtual machine to be created. Then click OK.

Step 3.9: Click Next.

Step 3.10: Assign the disk size (best to select a little more than the recommended size). Then click Next.

Step 3.11: Click Customize Hardware.

Step 3.12: Select the RAM you want to allocate to the virtual machine. Then click Close.

Step 3.13: Click Finish.

Step 3.14: Wait for the Apple logo.

Step 3.15: Select your language.

Step 4: Format virtual disk

Before we can install macOS, we'll need to give the virtual disk a wipe.

Step 4.1: On the macOS Utilities page, select Disk Utility and click Continue.

Step 4.2: Select your VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media and click on Erase at the top.

Step 4.3: Give your virtual drive a name. Then click Erase.

Step 4.4: Once the erase process is complete, click Done.

Step 4.5: Click on Disk Utility (top left corner) and click Quit Disk Utility.

Step 5: Install macOS

Step 5.1: On the macOS Utilities page, select Install macOS and click Continue.

Step 5.2: Click Continue.

Step 5.3: Click Agree.

Step 5.4: Select the virtual disk and click Install.

Step 5.5: Wait for macOS to install.

Step 6: Set up your macOS

Now let's set up macOS on your virtual machine.

Step 6.1: Select your region and click Continue.

Step 6.2: Click Continue on the following screens.

Step 6.3: On the Sign in page, click on Set Up Later.

Step 6.4: Click Skip.

Step 6.5: Click Agree.

Step 6.6: Give your machine a name, add an account name, enter the password, then click Continue.

Step 6.7: Click Continue on the following screens.

Step 6.8: Select your look.

Step 6.9: You will now be fully booted up and able to access macOS on the virtual machine.

Step 7: Install VM Tools package for macOS

For best peripheral and display experience, it's recommended to install VM Tools. But VM Tools cannot be installed automatically on the macOS virtual machine and needs to be done manually. Here's how to go about it.

Step 7.1: Navigate to the link above. You'll need to login to your Broadcom account (the same account you used to install VMware Workstation Pro). Then put a check next to I agree to the Terms and Conditions and click on the download icon next to VMware Tools packages for macOS.

(A very generous Reddit user has also archived the VM Tools package for macOS, in case you don't have your Broadcom login info at hand).

Step 7.2: Save the zip file in a convenient location.

Step 7.3: Extract the zip file.

Step 7.4: Now, from VMware Workstation, click on VM > Removable Devices > CD/DVD (SATA) > Settings.

Step 7.5: Click on Browse.

Step 7.6: Navigate to and select the extracted darwin.iso file. Click Open.

Step 7.7: Click OK.

Note: If you get an error message, right-click the install macOS icon on your macOS desktop and select Eject. Then try again.

Step 7.8: Go to VM > Removable Devices > CD/DVD (SATA) > Connect.

Step 7.9: This will bring up the VMware Tools installer. Double-click on Install VMware Tools.

Step 7.10: Click Continue.

Step 7.11: Click Continue Installation.

Step 7.12: Enter your password and select Install Software.

Step 7.13: You'll get a pop up telling you that the installation is blocked. To rectify this, Open Security Preferences.

Step 7.14: Under the General tab, click on the Lock icon at the bottom.

Step 7.15: Enter your password and click Unlock.

Step 7.16: Click Allow.

Step 7.17: Click Restart.

Step 7.18: Once the system restarts, install VMware Tools again.

Step 7.19: Finally, click Restart again.

Step 7.20: Now that system restart, you'll have access to the full resolution as well as better peripheral (mouse and keyboard) use.

For most intents and purposes, macOS on a virtual machine should run fine. Although this isn't exactly Hackintosh, it still lets you get a taste of macOS and test out a few things. For anything more advanced, you're better off getting a Mac itself.

We hope this guide helped you install macOS on VMware Workstation Pro on Windows 11.