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.
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.
