VirtualBuddy

<img src="./assets/VirtualBuddyIcon.png" width="128" />

# VirtualBuddy

VirtualBuddy can virtualize macOS 12 and later on Apple Silicon, with the goal of offering features that are useful to developers who need to test their apps on multiple versions of macOS, especially betas.

![](./assets/Showcase.jpg)

## System Requirements

- **Apple Silicon Mac**
- macOS 13 or later

### Installing macOS

To install a macOS virtual machine, you can select from a list of macOS versions provided by VirtualBuddy, which will automatically download and install the selected version. You may also provide your own IPSW link or select from an IPSW you have already downloaded.

### ⚠️ Important Note About macOS Golden Gate

To install macOS Golden Gate beta on a macOS 26 host, make sure you are running [VirtualBuddy 2.2 beta 2](https://github.com/insidegui/VirtualBuddy/releases/tag/2.2-b2) or later and that you have downloaded and installed the [latest device support files](https://developer.apple.com/services-account/download?path=/Developer_Tools/RaveMobileDeviceSeed2050A3n/DeviceSupport_macOS_27_beta.dmg) from Apple. If you already have the Xcode 27 beta installed, then you don't need to install the device support files separately.

### Installing macOS Betas

If you’d like to run a virtual machine with a macOS beta that’s more recent than the one you’re currently running, such as a macOS 15 virtual machine running in a macOS 14 host, then you’ll need the latest device support package from Apple. 

Device support packages are sometimes made available by Apple directly, but they’re always included and installed automatically with the latest Xcode beta. These can be obtained from the [Apple Developer portal](https://developer.apple.com/download).

![Screenshot of the Apple Developer device support download](./assets/DeviceSupport.png)

## Download

VirtualBuddy is free and open-source. If you’d like to support its development, [you may purchase it on Gumroad](https://insidegui.gumroad.com/l/virtualbuddy) or [sponsor my work on GitHub](https://github.com/sponsors/insidegui).

If you’d just like to download the latest version, [go to GitHub releases](https://github.com/insidegui/VirtualBuddy/releases/latest).

If you use [homebrew](https://brew.sh), install with `brew install --cask virtualbuddy`.

### Feature Checklist

- [x] Ability to boot any version of macOS 12 or macOS 13, including betas
- [x] Ability to boot some ARM-based Linux distros (tested with Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Desktop)
- [x] Built-in installation wizard
	- [x] Select from a collection of restore images available on Apple’s servers
	- [x] Install the latest stable version of macOS
	- [x] Local restore image IPSW file
	- [x] Custom restore image URL
	- [x] Install a Linux distro from a local .iso file
	- [x] Select from a collection of Linux distros
	- [x] Install Linux from URL
- [x] Boot into recovery mode (in order to disable SIP, for example)
- [x] Networking and file sharing support
- [x] Cl