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Different operating systems have different functionalities and features but we can’t buy two computers to use both the major operating systems. Using a Windows OS on a Mac and vice-versa can be an amazing experiment and a good feature to flaunt. This is all possible using a Virtual Machine but not everyone is aware of how to set up and use a Virtual Machine on Mac or Windows.
This article is about how Virtual Machines! You’ll explore what Virtual Machines are, how to set up a Virtual Machine and how to use a Virtual Machine on Mac. Once you are all set, you can play around with different operating systems just on a single machine.
What is a Virtual Machine?
Virtual Machines are software to virtualize software applications or operating systems. It gives you an environment to run different operating systems just on one computer. With the same computer components like RAM, Hard Drive space, and processor, you can use another interface of a different operating system along with the primary operating system.
VMWare Fusion, VirtualBox, or Parallels Desktop are a few well-known Virtual Machines to switch between different operating systems. Using a VM, you can try out different operating systems, try apps in a safe, sandboxed environment or run software your main operating system is not compatible with. The main operating system installed on your device is called the Host and the one inside the VM are called the Guest. Operating System on VMs run slower than the Host OS. Gaming is not the right option on VMs due to the overload of actual resources.
Alternatives to a Virtual Machine for professional are Wine, CrossOver Mac, Remote Desktop or a Boot Camp. Remote Desktop is one of the easiest methods to have a feel of different operating systems.
How to Use a Virtual Machine on Mac
Those who are missing out on the features of Windows OS can relish the feel of using Windows on their Mac. You just need to decide on which VM platform to use from VMWare Fusion, VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop or any other offered by your company. Setting up the VM is absolutely easy. Once you setup the VM, you can easily run Windows program on Mac.
Boot Camp
Price: FREE
Boot Camp is a FREE and inbuilt utility that comes with MacOS that allows you to switch between MacOS and Windows. Installing this on your Mac is an easy process. You can download a copy of Windows OS and follow the Boot Camp wizard to complete the installation process. There are certain limitations here as it only functions on an Intel-based Mac. It also functions properly if you are using the latest version of MacOS.
To use Boot Camp, you need to ensure that you have the latest version of MacOS, enough free space available on your hard drive. you can follow a step-by-step process to run Boot Camp on your device.
Parallels Desktop
Price: $79.99 – $99.99 / Year
Parallels VM is best for Apple Mac virtuality. You can use Windows, Linux distros, Chrome OS and others on this advanced virtual machine. The product is now owned by software behemoth Corel. Parallels have easy integration with MacOS and it works far better than Boot Camp. It comes with an attractively affordable price and you can find additional discounts when you go on their official website.
It allows you to run Windows apps and programs that can’t be installed on MacOS or other platforms. Parallels can also let Windows alerts appear in the MacOS notification center lets you use a unified clipboard.
Oracle VM VirtualBox
Price: FREE
It is one of the perfect examples to claim that not all good things cost money! VirtualBox is a FREE utility to explore Windows, MacOS and Linux operating systems on different machines. It has got wide popularity as this VM is supported by Oracle, the world’s leading software company.
If you are trying to explore Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, Linux 2.4 and above, Windows NT Servers, Solaris and others, this is a perfect solution to your virtualization. You can download different platforms of Virtual Machine from the official website of VirtualBox.
How to use a Virtual Machine on Mac
Step 1. Once you download and install the selected VM on your Mac, you can initiate the setup process. Open your VM software and click on the new button to create a new virtual session.
Step 2. It will ask you to enter details of the OS version you would like to access. Enter the name of OS and it will automatically select the default compatible version of the OS.
Step 3. On the next screen, you need to select the amount of RAM you wish to allocate for the VM machine. It will give you the default options that best fit your configuration.
Step 4. You need to select the default Hard Disk partition for your Virtual Machine or you can select an external hard drive for the same. It requires around 10 GB of free storage space to function swiftly.
Step 5. Select the fixed size and click on the ‘Create’ button to create the VM setup.
Once the VM is set up, click on the Start button to initiate the virtualization. Now you can run Windows program on Mac or use different applications compatible only with Windows OS.
Summing Up
If you were unaware of how to use a Virtual Machine on Mac, this article gives you a step-by-step approach to set up and use a Virtual Machine on Mac. We have also listed the alternative methods that can replace the virtualization of operating systems. Now run Windows program on Mac like a professional and make use of the added functionality.
