# Running a MacOS Catalina 10.15 VM in VMware

## Installing and Configuring VMware

1. Download a MacOS Catalina .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 Catalina 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 Catalina .iso > Click Next
6. Select Apple Mac OS X and macOS 10.15 > Click Next
7. Name the VM MacOSX 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 MacOSX VM > Power On

## Installing MacOS Catalina

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 MacOS > Set the Format to APFS > Click Erase
6. Click Done > Close Disk Utility
7. Click Install macOS
8. Click Continue > Click Agree > Click Agree again
9. Select the MacOS 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 Continue on the Data & Privacy screen
14. Select Don't transfer any information now > Click Continue
15. Select Set Up Later > Click Continue > Click Skip
16. Click Agree > Agree again
17. Enter a name, user name, password > Click Continue
18. Click Customize Settings
19. Click Continue > Select Use or Don't Use for Location Services
20. Pick a timezone > Click Continue
21. Uncheck the Send Mac Analytics box > Click Continue
22. Click Set Up Later on the Screen Time screen
23. Uncheck the Enable Ask Siri box > Click Continue
24. Pick a theme > Click Continue
25. Welcome to MacOS 10.15 Catalina

## 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