MacVisor GA

System requirements

The Mac, macOS version, memory, disk space and network MacVisor and each kind of guest need.

The Mac

Requirement
ChipApple Silicon (M1 or later). There is no Intel version.
macOSmacOS 27 for MacVisor 27. Windows guests need macOS 27.2.
Nested virtualizationM3 or later, for Linux guests that run KVM
AccountsMacVisor runs per user, while that user is logged in. A Mac that runs VMs unattended needs automatic login. See Always-on host.
ApprovalAn administrator approves MacVisor's background items once, for its network helper. See Install and activate.

MacVisor doesn't emulate x86: guests must be ARM64. x86-64 programs still run inside Linux guests through Rosetta 2, and inside Windows 11 on ARM through Windows' own emulation.

Each guest

Memory and vCPUs are the defaults of a new VM. Disks are sparse: a 64 GiB disk takes only the space the guest has written, plus the template or installer it was made from.

GuestMemoryvCPUsDiskDownloaded once
Linux from a cloud image4 GiB464 GiBThe image, a few hundred MB, kept as a template
Linux with Ubuntu Desktop6 GiB464 GiBAs Linux, plus about 1 GB the guest downloads on its first boot
macOS8 GiB4 or more64 GiBThe installer, 15 to 27 GB, kept for later VMs (see Download, add and remove)
Windows 11 (Tech Preview)8 GiB464 GiBMicrosoft's ISO, which you download, and about 1 GB of drivers
FreeBSD (experimental)4 GiB464 GiBThe image, kept as a template
AI sandbox, Linux (Tech Preview)4 GiB264 GiBAs Linux, plus the agent and any models on the Mac
AI sandbox, macOS (Tech Preview)8 GiB464 GiBAs macOS
  • Memory can't be shared out twice. Running VMs together need less memory than the Mac has, with room left for macOS and your apps. vCPUs can be overcommitted.
  • macOS allows two macOS VMs at a time on a Mac, a limit of Apple's license and Virtualization framework.
  • A VM has up to four network interfaces, and the Mac up to 32 across all running VMs.
  • Models for AI sandboxes run on the Mac, in its memory: 24 GB is enough for a small coding model, and 32 GB or more is comfortable. See Models on your Mac.
  • The guest agent in a macOS guest needs macOS 14 or later. Automatic setup needs a macOS 27 guest.

Storage

Keep VMs on an APFS volume: the internal disk, or an external drive formatted APFS (encrypted if it leaves your desk). There, copies, clones and snapshots share blocks and take seconds. A network share or a drive that isn't APFS also works, but every clone, snapshot and revert copies the disks in full. Folders that iCloud or another cloud service syncs can't hold VMs. See Storage locations.

Keep free space for what grows: snapshots, a suspended VM's memory (as much as the VM has), and downloads in progress.

Network

WhatNeeds
License checkskeys.scaleninja.com on port 443, every few days. A Mac that can't reach it keeps working for 30 days after its last check.
Updatesscaleninja.com, once a day when update checks are on
Cloud images, installers and driversThe distributions' servers, Apple's CDN, fedorapeople.org and GitHub, when you ask for them
Your VMsThe Local Network permission for MacVisor, which macOS asks for during setup

What each request carries is in the privacy policy, and the full list of destinations in What leaves your Mac.