How to Run macOS 26 Tahoe in VMware on Windows (Complete Setup Guide)

Want to try macOS 26 Tahoe without buying a Mac?

Thanks to VMware Workstation and OpenCore for Virtual Machines (OC4VM), you can install and run the latest version of macOS directly on a Windows PC. Whether you’re a developer, IT professional, or simply curious about Apple’s newest operating system, a virtual machine lets you test macOS safely without modifying your existing Windows installation.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to download the official macOS recovery image, convert it into a VMware-compatible virtual disk, create the virtual machine, install macOS 26 Tahoe, and fix common issues such as graphics performance and missing audio.

What You’ll Need

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• VMware Workstation
• OC4VM (OpenCore for Virtual Machines)
• QEMU for Windows
• At least 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
• Around 80 GB of free disk space
• A stable internet connection

Step 1: Create a Folder for the Virtual Machine

Open File Explorer and create a folder where you’ll store all virtual machine files.

For example: macOS

Keeping everything in one location makes the installation much easier to manage.

Step 2: Download OC4VM

Download OpenCore for Virtual Machines (OC4VM) from GitHub.

This project provides a preconfigured OpenCore bootloader that allows macOS to boot correctly inside VMware.

Extract the ZIP archive into the folder you created earlier.

Step 3: Install QEMU

Next, download and install the latest QEMU for Windows (qemu-w64).

During installation, simply click Next until the installation completes.

QEMU will later convert Apple’s recovery image into VMware’s virtual disk format.

Step 4: Download the macOS 26 Tahoe Recovery Image

Open the extracted OC4VM folder and navigate to:

tools
└── windows

Run:

recoveryOS.exe

A command window will appear.

When prompted, enter:

7

to download macOS 26 Tahoe.

The tool downloads the official recovery image directly from Apple’s servers.

The download is approximately 750 MB to 1 GB, depending on the version.

Step 5: Convert the Recovery Image for VMware

Once the download finishes, the recovery image must be converted into VMware’s native virtual disk format.

In the same command window, choose:

1

to begin the conversion.

If you need to convert it manually, open Command Prompt inside the folder containing the downloaded DMG file and run:

"C:\Program Files\qemu\qemu-img.exe" convert -O vmdk -o compat6 tahoe.dmg tahoe-install.vmdk

"C:\Program Files\qemu\qemu-img.exe" convert -O vmdk -o compat6 tahoe.dmg tahoe-install.vmdk

Replace tahoe.dmg with the actual filename if necessary.

After a few minutes, you’ll have a new file named:

tahoe-install.vmdk

This is the virtual disk that VMware will use during installation.

Step 6: Copy the Virtual Disk

Open the OC4VM VMware folder.

You’ll see two folders:

vmware
├── intel
└── amd

Choose the one that matches your processor.

Copy:

tahoe-install.vmdk

into the appropriate folder.

Step 7: Open the Virtual Machine in VMware

Launch VMware Workstation.

Select: Open a Virtual Machine

Browse to the OC4VM folder and open the preconfigured VMware virtual machine.

Before powering it on, edit the virtual hardware.

Recommended settings:

To attach the virtual disk:

VM Settings
→ Add
→ Hard Disk
→ SATA
→ Use Existing Virtual Disk

Select:

tahoe-install.vmdk

Click Finish, then OK.

Step 8: Install macOS 26 Tahoe

Power on the virtual machine.

OpenCore will appear.

Select: Reinstall macOS Tahoe

Choose your preferred language.

When the macOS Recovery environment loads:

1. Open Disk Utility
2. Select the virtual disk
3. Erase it using:

• Format: APFS
• Scheme: GUID Partition Map

Close Disk Utility.

The installer downloads the complete operating system from Apple.

Depending on your internet speed, this may take anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour.

The virtual machine will restart several times.

Allow each restart to complete without interruption.

Step 9: Complete macOS Setup

Once installation finishes, configure macOS normally.

Choose:

• Country
• Keyboard layout
• Network
• Apple ID (optional)
• User account
• Password

After setup completes, you’ll arrive at the macOS desktop.

Step 10: Install VMware Tools

Immediately after installation, macOS may feel slow and unresponsive.

This happens because the virtual machine is using only a basic graphics driver.

To improve performance:

Open:

OPENCORE
→ OC4VM
→ ISO

Double-click:

darwin.iso

Run:

Install VMware Tools

Follow the installation wizard.

You may be prompted to:

• Enter your password
• Allow the system extension
• Approve VMware in Privacy & Security

Tip: The first installation attempt often fails. Simply run the installer a second time. It usually succeeds on the second attempt.

Restart the virtual machine.

Graphics performance should improve significantly.

See also: How to Use Your Laptop as a Monitor for Any PC

Step 11: Enable Shared Folders

Sharing files between Windows and macOS makes installing additional drivers much easier.

In VMware:

VM Settings
→ Options
→ Shared Folders

Enable:

Always Enabled

Add any folder from your Windows computer.

Restart the virtual machine.

Inside macOS, you’ll find it under:

Go
→ Computer
→ VMware Shared Folders

Step 12: Fix Audio

By default, audio doesn’t work.

The solution requires disabling a conflicting EFI tool before installing the OC4VM audio driver.

Restart the virtual machine.

Open OpenShell.

Run the following commands:

FS8:

FS8:

cd EFI → cd OC → cd Tools

cd EFI → cd OC → cd Tools

Check the current configuration:

CsrUtil.efi status

CsrUtil.efi status

Disable the conflicting configuration:

CsrUtil.efi disable 0xA85

CsrUtil.efi disable 0xA85

Verify the change:

CsrUtil.efi status

CsrUtil.efi status

Restart the virtual machine:

reset

reset

Once macOS boots again, copy the audio driver from the packages folder inside OC4VM into your shared folder.

Install the driver normally.

Allow the system extension when prompted and restart macOS.

Audio should now work correctly.

Final Thoughts

Running macOS 26 Tahoe inside VMware is easier than ever thanks to OC4VM and VMware Workstation.

Although the installation involves several steps, each one is straightforward when followed carefully. Once VMware Tools and the audio driver are installed, the virtual machine becomes fast enough for testing applications, exploring new macOS features, or learning the operating system without needing Apple hardware.

If you’re an IT professional, developer, or technology enthusiast, this setup provides an excellent way to experiment with macOS while keeping your Windows installation untouched.