Running a MacOS 12 Monterey VM in VMware 🌱

Installing and Configuring VMware

  1. Download a MacOS Monterey .iso Download
  2. Download VMware Workstation Player Download
  3. Download MacOS Unlocker for VMware Workstation Download
  4. Install VMware Workstation Player, accepting the defaults
  5. Extract the downloaded MacOS Unlocker for VMware Workstation
  6. Inside the extracted file, right click Unlocker.exe > Run as administrator
  7. Wait for the command prompt to close before continuing

Creating the Monterey VM

  1. Launch VMware Workstation Player
  2. Click Continue to use Workstation Player for free for non-commercial use
  3. Click Finish
  4. Click Create a New Virtual Machine on the right side of the application
  5. Select Installer disc image file (iso) > Browse to and select the downloaded MacOS Monterey .iso > Click Next
  6. Select Apple Mac OS X and macOS 12 > Click Next
  7. Name the VM MacOS 12 and set the path to store the VM files > Click Next
  8. Adjust the disk size if necessary > Click Next
  9. Click Finish
    NOTE: If running an AMD processor, edit the .vmx file in the folder you specified for the VM, add the following to the bottom of the file and save your changes

    smc.version = "0"
    cpuid.0.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:1011"
    cpuid.0.ebx = "0111:0101:0110:1110:0110:0101:0100:0111"
    cpuid.0.ecx = "0110:1100:0110:0101:0111:0100:0110:1110"
    cpuid.0.edx = "0100:1001:0110:0101:0110:1110:0110:1001"
    cpuid.1.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0001:0000:0110:0111:0001"
    cpuid.1.ebx = "0000:0010:0000:0001:0000:1000:0000:0000"
    cpuid.1.ecx = "1000:0010:1001:1000:0010:0010:0000:0011"
    cpuid.1.edx = "0000:0111:1000:1011:1111:1011:1111:1111"
    smbios.reflectHost = "TRUE"
    hw.model = "MacBookPro14,3"
    board-id = "Mac-551B86E5744E2388"

  10. Right click on the MacOS12 VM > Power On

Installing MacOS Monterey

  1. After an initialization sequence the MAC OS Setup should start
  2. Select a Language > Click the next arrow
  3. Select Disk Utility
  4. Select the VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media > Click Erase
  5. Name the drive OS12 > Set the Format to APFS > Click Erase
  6. Click Done > Close Disk Utility
  7. Click Install macOS Monterey
  8. Click Continue > Click Agree > Click Agree again
  9. Select the OS12 disk > Click Install
  10. Wait while Mac OS installs files, the VM will reboot several times
  11. Select your Country > Click Continue
  12. Confirm your languages and keyboard layout > Click Continue
  13. Click Not Now on the Accessibility screen
  14. Click Continue on the Data & Privacy screen
  15. Select Not Now on the Migration Assistant screen
  16. Select Set Up Later and then Skip on the Apple ID screen
  17. Click Agree > Agree again
  18. Enter a name, user name, password > Click Continue
  19. Click Customize Settings
  20. Click Continue > Select Use or Don't Use for Location Services
  21. Pick a timezone > Click Continue
  22. Choose whether to share analytics with Apple > Click Continue
  23. Click Set Up Later on the Screen Time screen
  24. Uncheck the Enable Ask Siri box > Click Continue
  25. Pick a theme > Click Continue
  26. Welcome to MacOS 12 Monterey

Install VMware Tools (optional, but recommended)

  1. On the VMware toolbar click VM > Settings > CD/DVD
  2. Click Browse next to ISO Image File > Browse to the extracted Unlocker files \tools > Select darwin.iso
  3. Click the Connect checkbox
  4. Inside the VM, double click the mounted VMware tools and run the installer