Elyra
 Elyra The coding agent eTerm The terminal that knows where each command ends Starf An activity monitor for Apple silicon that never invents a number etrans An SSH and SFTP client for macOS Elyra VM Virtual machines for macOS, Linux and Windows on your Mac Litr A small, native web browser for macOS Notr A notebook for macOS e The native code editor Elyra Grove Native local development environment Askr The real server for Laravel & PHP Elyra Framework Rust + Svelte 5 framework for desktop apps Elyra Conductor Local project conductor Refr Local-first PDF workspace for macOS Elyra Workspace A desktop workspace for coding agents Elyra SQL Server MySQL-compatible SQL server in Rust Elyra Félagi Agents as teammates on one board Elyra SQL Client Native desktop SQL workbench Elyra SQL Anywhere Replication-ready SQL engine Elyra Sjá SEO & GEO workspace for macOS Elyra DataGrid Server-driven data grid for Laravel
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macOS guests
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Elyra
Elyra
Elyra VM
macOS guests

macOS guests

macOS VMs run on Apple's Virtualization framework as a Mac of their own, with a Retina display, the Mac keyboard and trackpad, and graphics accelerated by your Mac's GPU.

Making a macOS VM

Click + (⌘N) and choose:

  • macOS 27 under Download and Install: the newest macOS your Mac can run, which Apple names when the VM first starts; or
  • From an IPSW or ISO… with an .ipsw file you have, for a particular version.

Then start the VM. Its window installs macOS before the first boot.

Installing

Installing happens in the VM's window, which shows the system's icon, what is happening and a progress bar. The library's row says the same, for example Downloading macOS 27.0.1 (26A434) · 4.98 GB of 26.64 GB, then Installing macOS 27.0.1 (26A434) · 42 %.

  1. Looking up (catalog VMs only): Elyra VM asks Apple for the newest macOS this Mac can run.
  2. Downloading (catalog VMs only): the IPSW, some 20–30 GB, is downloaded into ~/Library/Caches/Elyra VM/Restore Images/. Every macOS VM after the first installs from that copy without downloading again.
  3. Installing: Apple's installer sets the VM up as the Mac that version needs, and installs macOS on its disk. This takes a few minutes (about three for macOS 27 on an M4 Max).
  4. First boot: the VM starts, and macOS's Setup Assistant asks for the country, the account and the rest, as on a new Mac.

Once installed, the VM's summary shows the version installed, such as macOS 27.0.1 (26A434), and the installer is no longer needed.

If the connection drops

A download that loses its connection carries on from where it stopped, up to five times. If it still fails, or you stop it, the part already downloaded is kept: the next start of the VM carries on with it rather than starting over.

Stopping an install

Closing the window during an install asks first. Stop Installing ends it: a download carries on next time; an install that had begun starts over at the next start of the VM.

What it needs

  • A Mac that can run the version in a VM. A macOS newer than your Mac's own may not be possible; the VM says so if not.
  • At least the processors and memory that version asks for. The defaults (4 processors, 8 GB) are enough for current versions; if not, the VM says what it needs.
  • Disk space for the IPSW (once) and for what the VM writes. The VM's disk is sparse: a fresh install takes roughly 15–20 GB of it.

What the guest gets
Display Retina; starts at 1440 × 900 points and follows the window
Graphics Apple's paravirtualized GPU, accelerated with Metal
Keyboard, trackpad Mac keyboard; trackpad with gestures, and a pointer for a mouse
Network Shared (NAT), with its own MAC address
Sound output; input only if the microphone is allowed
Shared folders mounted by macOS itself in /Volumes/My Shared Files, and shown in Finder

Shared folders

Folders in the VM's shared_folders (VM settings) appear in the guest without any setup, in /Volumes/My Shared Files, each folder by its name.

Elyra VM Tools

With Elyra VM Tools installed in the guest (one command in Terminal), the clipboard is shared with the Mac (text, formatted text, pictures, and files copied in Finder), files dropped on the window land in your Downloads, files dragged out of the window land where you drop them on the Mac, the guest's system and address show in the library, and elyravm exec, shell, cp and send work, as in Linux.

What macOS guests don't have yet

  • Signing in with an Apple Account works only for some services in a VM; this is a limit of macOS in VMs, not of Elyra VM.

Duplicating a macOS VM

A duplicate gets a new machine identity, so it is a Mac of its own to macOS and to Apple's services. It boots the same installed system.

Apple's licence

Apple's macOS licence allows macOS to run in up to two VMs on each Mac you own, alongside the macOS on the Mac itself. See the licence of the version you install.

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