How To Run Windows 11 On MAC Using VMWare Fusion

Arunkl
TheSecMaster
Published in
9 min readMar 20, 2023
MAC desktop with MAC OS and WINDOWS logo on red background
Source:thesecmaster.com

Let’s start this post with a discussion of why people want to run Windows on mac. Well, there are many reasons for this. Apple is known for its quality products, and MacBooks are considered the best available laptops in the market. When it comes to the operating system, Mac is popular, but what about Windows? Windows is dominating. Windows has a largest community than any other operating system. Especially in the gaming landscape. As per the report, more than 96% of gamers use Windows. In general, Windows tops the list. It has taken more than 76% of the market. Mac is ranked second with 17% of the market share. There are many people who want to buy MacBook with Windows 11, the latest Windows operating system for desktop users. That is just possible only in dreams at this point in time. However, we are here to help you succeed in your dream. Well, there are many ways to run Windows 11 on Mac. Don’t worry. We are here to show you how to run Windows 11 on mac using VMWare Fusion. Let’s get started.

Microsoft introduced lots of security features to make Windows 11 secure more than any other Windows operating system. One such security feature is TPM. To run Windows 11, it is necessary to have a TPM v2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) hardware module on your computer. Since we are dealing with a Virtual Machine in this scenario, no need to worry so much. VMWare has a couple of workarounds to run Windows 11 on mac using VMWare platforms like VMWare Fusion. Thanks to VMWare for this wonderful workaround.

Bar chart showing Desktop/Laptop Operating system Browsing statistics

Table of Contents

· Reasons To Run Windows On Mac:
· Prerequisites To Run Windows 11 On Mac:

If you’re a Mac user, there are plenty of reasons to run Windows on your Mac. Whether you need to use specific Windows-only software for work or you want to take advantage of the stability and performance of a Mac, running Windows 11 on your Mac is a great solution. Here are five reasons to do it.

  1. There are users who need both Mac & Windows to manage their work.
  2. Newly migrated users from Windows to Mac or Mac to Windows want to run Windows on Mac.
  3. Mac provides the best hardware, but Windows is the most popular.
  4. Gamers may want to run Windows on Mac as most games support only Windows.
  5. You can get the best of both worlds with a Mac/Windows hybrid.

Prerequisites To Run Windows 11 On Mac:

Basically, you need a Windows 11 ISO image, VMware Fusion with a free license, and of course a MacBook. That’s all.

  1. Windows 11 ISO image: It is a must to have a Windows ISO image. Visit the Microsoft web page to download the Windows 11 ISO image. Click here to download.
  2. VMware Fusion player: VMWare team is offering a free license for personal use. Click here to register and download the VMware Fusion player with a license. Please don’t ignore to verify the compatible version of VMware Fusion.
  3. MacBook: A MacBook with a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 250 GB of storage disc is required. We recommend having 16GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Because you may need 4 GB of RAM and 100 GB of storage to run a VM (Virtual Machine). There is a dependency on intel processors, you can’t run Windows x86 on an M1 chip.

Time needed: 30 minutes.

How to Run Windows 11 on MAC using VMWare Fusion?

Let’s begin the actual post for which you are here. Let’s see how to run Windows 11 on mac using VMWare Fusion. We presumed that you have installed VMWare Fusion on your mac. If you feel you need assistance in installing VMWare Fusion on mac, please visit this post.

  1. Create New VM for Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

Let’s create a new Virtual Machine on VMware Fusion.
Open Virtual Machine Library –> Click on ‘+‘ –> In the drop-down list Click on ‘New‘.

Create New VM for Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

2. Select the Virtual Machine Installation Method in VMWare Fusion

The new VM Installation Wizard opens and Lists Installation Methods. Click on ‘Create a custom virtual Machine‘ and click on ‘Continue’.

Select the Virtual Machine Installation Method in VMWare Fusion

3. Choose the Operating System to be used in this Virtual Machine

Select ‘Microsoft Windows’, since Windows 11 is not made available in VMware, select the latest Client Operating System ‘Windows 10 and later x64‘ and click on ‘Continue‘.

Choose the Operating System to be Used in this Virtual Machine

4. Choose Firmware Type to Boot the Virtual Machine

Select the Boot firmware as ‘UEFI‘ and select ‘UEFI Select Boot‘. Click on ‘Continue

Choose Firmware Type to Boot the Virtual Machine

5. Select the Virtual Disk to be used in this Virtual Machine

Select ‘Create a new virtual disk‘ and click on ‘Continue‘.

Select Virtual Disk to be Used in this Virtual Machine

6. Take a Look at the Virtual Machine Summary

For Modification, Click on ‘Customize Settings’.

7. Save the VM with a name

Rename VM as ‘Windows 11’ and click on ‘Save’ again click on ‘Finish’ to complete the wizard

Save the VM with a name

8. Mount CD/DVD(SATA on VMWare Fusion

Open for VM settings, click on ‘CD/DVD(SATA)‘ to import the downloaded Windows 11 ISO image.

Mount CD/DVD(SATA on VMWare Fusion

9. Import Windows 11 ISO image to CD/DVD(SATA on VMWare Fusion

Select ‘Connect CD/DVD Drive’ and browse the ISO file. Click on ‘Show All’.

Import Windows 11 ISO image to CD/DVD(SATA on VMWare Fusion

10. Choose the Startup Disk to Boot Windows 11

Click on ‘Startup Disk’ to change the Startup Disk of VM.

Choose the Startup Disk to Boot Windows 11

11. Power On the VM on VMWare Workstation

Select ‘CD/DVD’ and click on ‘Restart’ to Start the VM with mounted ISO image.

Power On the VM on VMWare Workstation

12. Begin the Installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

As soon as the VM is powered on Windows 11 Installation will get started from the ISO image stored in CD/DVD. Select Language, Time Zone, and Keyboard and click on ‘Next‘.

Begin the Installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

13. Click on ‘Install Now’ Button to begin the installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion on mac

Click on ‘Install Now’ Button to begin the installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion on mac

14. Enter the Product Key

Update valid Product Key (if you have). You can Activate Windows with Product Key even after OS installation. Click on ‘I Don’t have a product key‘ if you want to continue without the product key.

Enter the Product Key

15. Select the Versions of Windows 11 to Install

Select the Version of Windows 11 to install and click on ‘Next

Select the Versions of Windows 11 to Install

16. Error Message will Appear “This PC can’t run Windows 11”

This error will appear due to System Requirement Failure and get below message. Click on ‘Back‘ to go back to OS Versions selection window.

Error Message will Appear “This PC can’t run Windows 11”

17. Create Registry Keys to bypass the System Requirement Validation which helps to Install Windows 11

Click on ‘Shift + fn + F10′ keys simultaneously in keyboard to open CMD window. Type ‘regedit‘ and click on ‘Enter‘ to open Registry Editor.

Create Registry Keys to bypass the System Requirement Validation which helps to Install Windows 11

18. In Registry Editor, navigate to ‘Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup‘.

Registry Editor Window

19. Create a New Key ‘LabConfig’ under key ‘Setup’

To create New key, Right click on ‘Setup‘ –> Select ‘New‘ –> Select ‘Key‘ –> Rename to ‘LabConfig

Create a New Key ‘LabConfig’ under key ‘Setup’

20. A New Key ‘LabConfig’ is created under key ‘Setup’

A New Key ‘LabConfig’ is created under key ‘Setup’

21. Create 4 Bypass Entries under key ‘LabConfig’ to Bypass System Requirement Validation

Right-click on the newly created ‘LabConfig‘ key and select ‘New‘ –>DWORD (32-bit) Value –> Rename to ‘BypassTPMCheck‘.

Create 4 Bypass Entries under key ‘LabConfig’ to Bypass System Requirement Validation

22. Configure ‘BypassTPMCheck Registry Key To Disable TPM Check in the Windows 11 installation Process

Double click on ‘BypassTPMCheck‘ and change the Value date to ‘1‘ and select Base as ‘Hexadecimal‘ –> click ‘OK‘.
Note: By Enforcing the value to 1, we have disabled TPM check successfully.

Configure ‘BypassTPMCheck Registry Key To Disable TPM Check in the Windows 11 installation Process

23.TPM Check is Bypassed in the Windows 11 installation Process

TPM Check is Bypassed in the Windows 11 installation Process

24. Create other 3 DWORD (32-bit) Value under ‘LabConfig’ key to bypass Secure Boot, CPU and RAM

To enforce Secure Boot check, create New DWORD (32-bit) Value ‘BypassSecureBootCheck‘ and set Value data as ‘1
To enforce CPU check, create New DWORD (32-bit) Value ‘BypassCPUCheck‘ and set Value data as ‘1
To enforce RAM check, create New DWORD (32-bit) Value ‘BypassRAMCheck‘ and set Value data as ‘1

Create other 3 DWORD (32-bit) Value under ‘LabConfig’ key to bypass Secure Boot, CPU and RAM

25. Continue the Installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

Now we can continue to install Windows 11 without any roadblocks. Accept the Licence Agreement and click on ‘Next‘.

Continue the Installation of Windows 11 on VMWare Fusion

26. Choose the Type of Installation you Want

Click on ‘Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)‘ to make changes in the Drive Partitions. It is up to you how you want to install Windows 11.

Choose the Type of Installation you Want

27. Partition the Disk

Select complete 60 GB for OS drive and click on ‘Next‘. Based on the requirement you can change the Drive Partitions.

Partition the Disk

28. Installation of Windows 11 begins and in Progress

Installation of Windows 11 begins and in Progress

29. Set up a Microsoft Account or a Local Account

After Windows 11 Installation, configure with profile with Microsoft account / Local account.

Set up a Microsoft Account or a Local Account

30. Installation of Windows 11 is Completed Successfully on mac using VMWare Fusion

Installation of Windows 11 is Completed Successfully on mac using VMWare Fusion

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