Tesseract

macOS Virtual Machine

Before you start

IMPORTANT Unfortunately due to a limitation imposed by Apple, you can create as many macOS VMs as you want, but you can only start two at any given time. If you try to start more than two macOS virtual machines, you will be greeted by one of these errors below:
Too Many Macs Error Install Failed Error

Acquiring a macOS restore image

IMPORTANT: In order to install macOS on your shiny new virtual machine, you need a macOS recovery image. You can find them on the internet. Don't worry if you don't know where to look for, because we got you covered. Follow the instructions below!
  1. Head to this website and select the desired macOS version from the list of available images
    Select macOS Version
  2. Click on the big blue download button
    Download Button
  3. Congratulations you have a restore image!

    (Optional) While the gargantuan download finishes, you can sip off a cup of tea

    Downloading macOS Image

Creation of the virtual machine

  1. Start Tesseract, and click on "+ Create a new Virtual Machine"
    Create New VM
  2. Under "Operating System", select macOS as the operating system of your choice
    Select macOS
  3. Under "Generics", click on "+ Pick a file" to open the Finder file picker
    Pick IPSW File
  4. Select the .IPSW image you just downloaded
    Select IPSW Image
  5. Select the Performance profile that you prefer
    TIP: Leave this setting on "Balanced" if you are not sure!
    Select Performance Profile
  6. In case of custom parameters: Tesseract will notify you if the specifications you set don't meet the minimum requirements
    Warning for Parameters
  7. Select the optional features to enable for your virtual machine
    NOTE:"Enable shared directory" option creates for you a folder that is shared between your physical mac and your macOS virtual machine, allowing you to transfer documents and other files facilitating your work. This feature is supported on guest systems starting from macOS Ventura (13.0+)
    Optional Features
  8. When you are satisfied with your options, click on Confirm and Create
    Confirm and Create

macOS Installation Process

Select your newly created virtual machine from the menu on your left. You will see that the start button in the top right corner is locked.

  1. Click on the little Play button in the top right corner to start the VM
    Play Button
  2. Select "Confirm" when the alert dialog pops up
    Data Loss Alert
  3. The installation process will start, don't worry if it takes time!

    (Optional) While the installation process finishes, you can drink a cup of coffee or stretch your legs a bit.

    Installation Process

When the installation reaches 100%, a button labeled "OK" will appear on the installation dialog. Click it and profit!

A sidenote on this procedure

Don't throw away your .IPSW files! Tesseract needs them to initialize your virtual machine every time you start the application. If the original file is deleted, or moved, the virtual machine will report a configuration error.

Don't worry, you can always tell Tesseract to use another file: select your VM from the main menu and click on the installation media to select a new one.

Select Installation Media