VMware Fusion 12 Now Available With macOS Big Sur Support and More

by

Last month, VMware announced the next major version of its virtualization software for Mac, Fusion 12, and as of today, the update is now available.

vmware fusion 12 pro player
As we noted last month, Fusion 12 includes a number of updates and improvements, such as eGPU compatibility, support for container-based applications built with Kubernetes, DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 support, improved security for the sandbox rendering engine, improved accessibility controls, and more.

Fusion 12 has also been optimized for macOS Big Sur, with both host and guest support for Apple's upcoming release. On systems running macOS Catalina, Fusion 12 will continue to run with kernel extensions as it has in the past, but on macOS Big Sur, Fusion will take advantage of Apple's APIs to run virtual machines and containers.

With the launch of Fusion 12, VMware is also restructuring its licensing to bring it in line with Workstation 16, Fusion's sister software for Windows and Linux. The basic level of Fusion is now known as Fusion 12 Player and is free for personal use for the first time. A commercial license is priced at $149, with a $79 upgrade license available. Discounted education pricing will also be available, although many of those users will qualify for free personal licensing.

Fusion 12 Pro, aimed at developers and IT professionals rather than typical consumer and business users, offers some additional features and a license to run on up to three machines. Notably, this is a cross-platform license that allows for any combination of three machines using Fusion 12 or Workstation 16 across Mac, Windows, and Linux. Fusion 12 Pro is priced at $199, or $99 as an upgrade.

In order to keep up with Apple's advancing technologies, Fusion 12 requires macOS Catalina or Big Sur. For users with systems still on macOS Mojave, a Fusion 12 license key will be valid to activate Fusion 11.5.6 on those machines.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with VMware. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: VMware

Popular Stories

Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
Read Full Article • 408 comments
Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
Read Full Article • 143 comments
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Read Full Article • 70 comments
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
Read Full Article • 47 comments

Top Rated Comments

mikeroySoft Avatar
mikeroySoft
70 months ago

I can't see a free perpetual licence at all when I attempt to register, only a 90 day evaluation...? I've clicked on all the links people have provided - what am I doing wrong?


Yah, that's a typo... I'm working with the backend... some of the standard boilerplate stuff snuck through in a late edit... it is 100% a perpetual license (the product itself reflects that).

Source: I'm the product manager
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Malus120 Avatar
Malus120
70 months ago

Roadmap: No Windows on Apple Silicon Macs.
May run ARM Linux if VMWare release an Apple Silicon version.

We can speculate all day, but if you NEED Windows on a Mac, I recommend y'all to wait this out until at least one AS Mac is released and people have TESTED the bejesus out of it.
I don't know how many times we have to go over this. Apple Silicon Macs will NOT RUN WINDOWS as you know it. They will probably (no guarantees) be able to run the ARM version of windows, which is NOT COMPATIBLE with most Windows software aside from Office, in one form or another (likely virtualization), but this will NOT be like running x86 Windows in a VM today (and won't hold a candle to Bootcamp).

If running Windows in one form or another is a requirement for you, you need to buy an Intel Mac, a Windows PC, or a hackintosh. Period.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nylon Avatar
nylon
70 months ago

The link only says free for 30 days. It’s a trial.
Bottom left of the webpage 'Fusion 12 Player'. Register for a free personal use license. The license key you receive is perpetual, not trial. Not for 30 days. I have it up and running.



Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wowfunhappy Avatar
Wowfunhappy
70 months ago
For users with systems still on macOS Mojave, a Fusion 12 license key will be valid to activate Fusion 11.5.6 on those machines.
Actually, fun fact, VMWare also lets you straight up downgrade license keys if you need to use an earlier version of Fusion. It’s great. I did it this last November, turning a VMWare Fusion 11 key into a VMWare Fusion 8 key, which I use with OS X Mavericks.

Edit: ...but it doesn't look like you can do it with the new free license keys. Maybe the paid keys still allow it, but those are almost twice what they used to cost. This actually kind of sucks...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrfr Avatar
chrfr
70 months ago

I installed the Fusion Player today, installed a Windows 10 Pro VM -> Everything works fine but I assigned 8GB RAM but Windows tells me it has 3GB of RAM (no matter what I do, it doesn't increase).
Maybe this is a Player limitation?
It's a 32-bit Windows limitation. Switch to a 64-bit version of Windows.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goMac Avatar
goMac
70 months ago

I don't know how many times we have to go over this. Apple Silicon Macs will NOT RUN WINDOWS as you know it. They will probably (no guarantees) be able to run the ARM version of windows, which is NOT COMPATIBLE with most Windows software aside from Office, in one form or another (likely virtualization), but this will NOT be like running x86 Windows in a VM today (and won't hold a candle to Bootcamp).

If running Windows in one form or another is a requirement for you, you need to buy an Intel Mac, a Windows PC, or a hackintosh. Period.
This is not true anymore. They have full Windows 10, including x86 software support, on ARM now. The limited ARM version of Windows was discontinued.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments