Apple has made the headlines once again with some shocking announcements and new product unveiling. At this year’s World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) 2020, Apple has released yet another new operating system in its macOS line up. This new OS is called the macOS Big Sur.
The new macOS Big Sur update brings big changes in the design of the OS as compared to macOS Catalina. Apple has made quite some new changes to help users get the most out of their macOS. With Big Sur, a bunch of new features and a modernized look has been given to the macOS. It includes features like a redesigned notification center, easy access to control center for Mac, a renovated dock, and many more.
There are also updates in other aspects of the OS like a revamped Safari to surf the internet in a more convenient way. The new Safari features improved security for users privacy, Apple claims that the new Safari has 50% improved performance over the previous versions and GOOGLE CHROME. Although that’s something that has to be tested to know exactly if it’s true. They also claim that Safari is now much more power-efficient than before.
In this article, we will show you how to install macOS Big Sur Beta on VMware on a Windows operating system. Since this operating system is still in Beta, there are many changes that might come along the way later until the Beta ends and the completed version releases. In this tutorial, we have compiled a step by step guide on How to install macOS Big Sur on your PC. You might notice a few link changes in the future because of the Beta version so we might need to change them.
How to install macOS Big Sur Beta on VMware On Windows PC
You will need to follow the instruction below to install macOS Big Sur on VMware on your PC. Although there are a few things you can simply skip if you have already done them like installing VMware workstation. Follow the step by step guide below to install macOS Big Sur.
Step 1 : Acquire the following essential files
To start, you will need to download a few files that will be required along with the tutorial. We have provided all the direct download links so that you can acquire these files easily. If you already have some of the pre-installed you can simply skip it and move to the next one.
#1. Download VMware Workstation Pro/Player
The first thing to do is to download and install any version of VMware Workstation (Pro/Player). Check out the links below to download any version that you like. The links to both of them are provided here.
#2. Download macOS Big Sur Beta ISO File
The next thing to download is the macOS Big Sur Beta ISO file which is needed to install macOS Big Sur.
#3. Download macOS Unlocker VMware
The next thing to download is the macOS unlocker tool. check out the link below to download the macOS unlocker tool from GitHub.
#4. Download VMware Tools (Not Necessary but Optional)
This file is not really necessary but if you want to not run into any type of error or anything not working you need to install it.
Step 2: Install the downloaded files
Once you have downloaded all the required files for macOS Big Sur, make sure to install them one by one according to the tutorial.
Now the first thing to install is the VMware virtualization software itself. You can skip this step if you have already installed VMware. You can choose to install any version of the VMware as you like whether the VMware Workstation Pro or Player. If you don’t know where to download the links are given above in the Download Section of the article.
Step 3: Run VMware Unlocker to activate macOS installation
The next thing you will need to do now is to completely terminate VMware Workstation.
Note: Do make sure that you don’t have VMware Workstation running in the background and also download the latest version of VMware unlocker from the link provided above to minimize any failure possibilities.
#1. Now go ahead and open the VMware unlocker folder that you had downloaded earlier.
#2. The next thing to do is to extract the VMware Unlocker V3 and locate the file named “win-install.cmd“.
#3. Now Right-Click on it and choose Run as Administrator. The program will run a few commands automatically and you are done after it finishes.
Step 4: Create a new Virtual Machine
Now that everything is setup, you will need to create a new virtual machine.
#1. To do this, open up VMware Workstation and click on Create a new Virtual Machine or simply press (CTRL + N).
#2. Now select the third option on the menu “I will install the operating system later” and click next.
#3. In this menu, Choose “Apple macOS X” as your operating system and choose “macOS 10.16” from the drop-down list for the operating system’s version and then click next.
#4. Now type in a name you like for the virtual machine and choose a preferred location by clicking the browse button. If you don’t want to change the location you can leave it as it is and click next after you type in a name.
#5. Now choose the maximum storage capacity for your macOS. You can choose any disk capacity size you want but storage of between 60 to 120 GB is recommended. Don’t forget to select “Store Virtual disk as a single file” and then click Next.
#6. This menu is a summary of all the chosen configurations. Before clicking Finish, Click on “Customize Hardware” as we want to make a few changes in it.
#7. In the memory settings, choose about 50% of your physical computer’s memory. My PC has 8GB or RAM so I chose 4GB for the VM.
#8. Now click on processors and do the same. You can Choose Between 2 to 4 or even higher if your physical computer has a lot of cores. As in my case i opted for 2.
#9. Now click on CD/DVD (SATA) and click on Use ISO image file and then click Browse. Now locate the macOS 11 Big Sur Beta ISO that you had downloaded earlier and select it. Click OK.
#10. Everything is now setup up and ready. Click Close to save changes and hit Finish.
Step 5: Edit the VMX File for macOS Big Sur
#1. You will now need to edit the VMX file before starting the virtual machine. Navigate to the folder where you have stored the newly created virtual machine.
#2. Look up Step 4 – #4. that’s where you had chosen a location for your VM to store to. If you didn’t change the location, the default location is Documents > Virtual machines > your own chosen name for the Virtual machine.
#3. Now right-click on macOS Big Sur Beta By WindowsTrainer.VMX and go to Open with… and choose Notepad.
#4. Once it launches, Copy the following texts and paste it at the bottom where the texts end in notepad.
smbios.reflectHost = "TRUE" hw.model = "MacBookPro15,1" board-id = "Mac-224D89E6547G9512" smc.version = “0”
#5. Now click on File > Save or Simply press (CTRL + S) to save it.
Step 6: Power on macOS Big Sur Virtual Machine
#1. Everything is now set up and now select macOS Big Sur virtual machine from VMware menu and Click on Power On this Virtual Machine or Play Virtual machine. This may be different depending on the installed version of the VMware Workstation.
#2. Now, wait for the virtual machine to boot.
#3. Now Choose a language and click next or the arrow on the bottom of the screen.
#4. Now Select Disk Utility and click on Continue.
#5. Select “VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media” from the list and click on “Erase“.
#6. In this menu, Type in a name you like. In my case, it is macOS Big Sur Beta By WindowsTrainer and for Format, Select APFS & Click Erase. This will format the disk and change the format to APFS.
#7. Once completed, you will see a window pop up stating erase complete. Now Simply click Done.
#8. Click on Disk Utility on the top left corner and click on Quit Disk Utility.
#9. Select Install macOS and click on continue to proceed to the next step.
#10. Simple click Continue here.
#11. Agree to the software license agreement by clicking on agree.
#12. Select the previously erased disk and click on install.
Heads Up: If you faced an error that would prevent you from installing the operating system, please refer to this article where we have stated all the solutions which you can follow to easily solve the issue. Although if you have copied the text correctly from Step 5 > #4 then you won’t be facing this issue.
How to fix the operation couldn’t be completed (BIErrorDomain error 3.)
#13. Now the operating system will restart several times during the installation . All you have to do is wait for it to complete. The installation took about 30 minutes for me but it depends according to your system.
Step 7: Finalize macOS Big Sur Account setup & settings
#1. Once the installation finishes installing, turn off the virtual machine, and click on Edit this virtual machine. Under CD/DVD (SATA) and uncheck connect at power on and click OK.
#2. Select your Country or Region and click on continue.
#3. Choose your written and spoken language and click continue.
#4. There are a few different features in Accessibility to make your experience with mac better. Simply click not now to skip this step. you can also set this feature later when you wanted to.
#5. Read the Data & Privacy policy and click Continue.
#6. Choose Not Now in the Migration Assistant page to continue.
#7. If you have an Apple ID you can sign in with yours but if you don’t have one or don’t want to sign in right now, just click on set up later to continue with the setup.
#8. Agree to the terms and conditions to continue.
#9. Type in a Full name, Account name & Password to create a new account. then click Continue.
#10. Click on Continue to proceed. If you want to customize Express Set up, Click on Customize Settings.
#11. Click on Continue for the Analytics page.
#12. For the Screen Time page, Click on set up later to continue.
#13. Now choose the theme you like in the Appearance page and click Continue. As you can see I have chosen Dark which is looking great.
#14. Now give the macOS a bit of time to complete the setup. Once complete, you will be met with the macOS Big Sur Desktop right away.
macOS 11 Big Sur is now installed successfully on VMware Workstation Pro/Player. All you have to do now is install VMware Tools.
Step 8: Install VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur
Although, the installation of macOS 11 Big Sur is complete, you still need to install one more thing to make it more responsive and optimized. You might have also noticed that changing the resolution is not working. So to fix this and improve performance and reduce lags, we will need to install Vmware Tools on macOS Big Sur.
#1. We assume that you have already downloaded VMware Tools as we have mentioned at the beginning of the article. if you haven’t, go ahead and download it using the link given above or click here.
#2. Now click on File and go to Remove able Disk > CD/DVD (SATA) > Settings.
#3. Check the option Connect at power on and click on browse and choose the VM Tools you have downloaded and click OK to save settings.
#4. Now a Disk will appear on your macOS’ Desktop with the VM tools in it. Click on it and choose open and then click install. Once the installation completes you will be required to restart the virtual machine.
Note: You might be required to enable system extensions by opening system preferences and clicking on allow.
You have now successfully installed macOS 11 Big Sur on VMware.
How to fix (BIErrorDomain error 3.) on VMware?
The fix for this issue is very simple all you have to do is copy which was given in Step 5 > #4. If you are upgrading from macOS Catalina to Big Sur and is facing the same error, this will also fix the error for that too.
All you have to do is edit the VMX file and copy the code given above in Step 5 and its fixed.
Bottom Line:
The installation of macOS Big Sur version 11 on VMware on Windows is now complete. I have tried my best to explain as simple as possible and every step is also illustrated with pictures so that you wouldn’t face any difficulties following them.
If you have any questions regarding the topic leave a comment below and we would help you right away.
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