MacVisor Beta

Install and activate

Install MacVisor, complete first-run setup, start the 30-day trial, and activate your license.

MacVisor 27 requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 27.

Install

  1. Download the signed and notarized MacVisor app from your purchase or trial link.
  2. Move MacVisor.app to /Applications.
  3. Open MacVisor.

First-run setup

The first launch installs two background pieces together, in one short sheet:

PieceWhat it doesApproval
Background ServiceOwns the VM library and keeps VMs running when the window is closedAppears in System Settings → Login Items & Extensions
Network HelperApplies firewall rules, creates VLAN interfaces, and links the vz command-line toolOne administrator password prompt

The administrator prompt happens once, at setup — not per change. If macOS holds either item for approval, the sheet says so and settles as soon as you turn it on in Login Items & Extensions.

MacVisor may also ask for local network access, so it can discover live guest addresses and show how VM interfaces connect. Microphone access is requested only when a VM is configured to receive host microphone input.

If your VMs live on an external or network volume

macOS asks for consent before a background service reads removable, network, or other protected folders. Until that is granted, the library shows the location as waiting for permission rather than showing an empty list. Click Allow in the macOS dialog, or grant access under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders, and the VMs stored there appear. The same prompt appears once for the VM runner when the first VM on that volume starts.

The vz command line tool

The Network Helper links the CLI for you:

/usr/local/bin/vz → /Applications/MacVisor.app/Contents/Helpers/vz

The link is refreshed whenever the app moves or updates, so it always points at the installed copy. Verify the service and library:

vz service status
vz list

If you declined the helper, the CLI still works from inside the bundle at /Applications/MacVisor.app/Contents/Helpers/vz.

Updates

Settings → Updates controls automatic checks and background downloads, and can check on demand. Updates are downloaded over HTTPS and verified against MacVisor's signing key before installation. Running VMs are not interrupted by an app update, because each one runs in its own process.

Start the trial

The first launch starts a 30-day free trial with no payment details and no feature limits. Use this period to create VMs and test snapshots, networking, guest tools, and CLI automation on your Mac.

When the trial ends, existing .macvisor VM packages remain your files. Activate a license to continue managing and running them with MacVisor.

Activate a license

After purchase, copy the license key from your receipt email:

  1. Open MacVisor → Settings → License.
  2. Paste the key into the license field.
  3. Click Activate.

An offline license arrives as a signed block of text instead. Use Install License, Open File…, or Paste in the same place.

MacVisor is licensed per Mac host in three tiers — Personal, Professional, and Business / CI. See Pricing and licensing for permitted use, offline activation, and renewal terms.

A paid license is validated once, when you activate it. There is no routine check afterwards; a perpetual Personal license never contacts the licensing service again.

Uninstall

Assistant → Uninstall MacVisor… removes the background service, the helper, the vz symlink, and MacVisor's own support files. It shows exactly what it will remove first, and it never touches your .macvisor VM packages.