What is VMware Fusion?
Product
VMware Fusion is a line of Desktop Hypervisor products designed for modern application developers, IT professionals and everyone that wants to run virtual machines, OCI containers and Kubernetes clusters on a Mac. Each Edition, Fusion Pro and Fusion Player, let users run Windows and other operating systems right from macOS, without rebooting. Fusion is simple enough for home users and powerful enough for IT professionals, developers and businesses.
Is VMware Fusion 13 Pro a free update?
VMware Fusion 13 Pro is considered a ‘major release’ and as such requires a new license to operate. Customers who currently own licenses for Fusion 11 Pro or Fusion 12 Pro are entitled to discounted upgrade pricing. Customers on older versions of Fusion (10.x and earlier) must purchase a new license to use Fusion 13 Pro.
Is VMware Fusion 13 Player a free update?
VMware Fusion 13 is considered a ‘major release’ and as such requires a new license to operate. Fusion 13 Player licenses are available in 2 varieties: Personal or Commercial. Commercial (paid) customers who currently own licenses for Fusion 11 or greater are entitled to discounted upgrade pricing. Commercial customers on older versions of Fusion (10.x and earlier) must purchase a new license. Personal use customers may register for a new free license from this link regardless of the currently owned license.
What programs can I run with VMware Fusion?
In Intel Macs, VMware Fusion lets you run macOS, Windows, Linux and other x86-based operating systems as virtual machines. On Apple Silicon Macs, Fusion supports the Arm editions of the most popular operating systems including Windows 11. Nearly all programs that run on these operating systems will run with VMware Fusion. Programs can range from common productivity suites, like Microsoft Office, to graphics-intensive programs such as AutoCAD or SolidWorks which require DirectX 11, as well as custom applications. Fusion Player and Fusion Pro can both also run containers and Kubernetes clusters with the built-in CLI ‘vctl.’
Can I play 3D games in a virtual machine?
Yes, VMware Fusion 13 for Intel Macs has 3D hardware-accelerated graphics support. On Apple Silicon Macs, Windows 11 graphics are rendered using the host CPU, while Linux VMs can use 3D hardware acceleration.
For Windows VMs on Intel Macs, Fusion supports DirectX 11 (with Shader Model 5.0) and earlier.
For Linux guests on Intel or Apple Silicon Fusion provides OpenGL 4.3 capabilities.
Fusion uses Apple Metal graphics technology to render 3D hardware-accelerated graphics to virtual machines on compatible Mac systems.
Do I need Apple Boot Camp to install VMware Fusion?
Boot Camp is not required to run Windows on a Mac with VMware Fusion. However, if you already have Windows installed as a Boot Camp partition, VMware Fusion can easily create a Windows virtual machine based on your Boot Camp Windows installation. This will allow you to run Windows programs side-by-side with your Mac applications without having to reboot your Mac.
Will VMware Fusion 13 slow down my Mac?
When not running virtual machines, VMware Fusion 13 has no impact on your Mac’s overall performance. The impact on performance while running virtual machines, containers and Kubernetes clusters will mainly depend on the type of applications bring run, how many virtual machines/containers are running at the same time, how much RAM is available on your Mac, the speed of your CPU (GHz) and the speed of your storage. SSD-based Macs are recommended for optimal performance
Can I access and use USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 devices?
Yes. VMware Fusion supports USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1 devices.
Does VMware Fusion 13 support Retina or 6K displays?
Yes, VMware Fusion 13 supports Retina and 6K display Macs for a crisp and detailed experience of your Windows programs. Fusion 13 ensures you get a seamless experience when running Windows across Retina, 4K, 5K, 6K and non-Retina displays.
Can I access Thunderbolt hard drives in Windows?
Thunderbolt ports cannot be directly forwarded to Windows VM’s the same way that USB works. However, you can still access your Thunderbolt hard drives in VMware Fusion by mapping the hard drive to a VMware Shared Folder. Go to the Virtual Machine menu, select ‘Shared Folders’ and select ‘Add Shared Folder’. Select your Thunderbolt hard drive and click ‘Open’ to assign your Thunderbolt disk to the shared folder. To access your Thunderbolt hard drive in Windows, go to ‘VMware Shared Folders’ shortcut on the desktop and select your Thunderbolt hard disk.
How many CPUs can I assign to a virtual machine?
You can assign up to 32 Virtual CPUs to a Fusion 13 virtual machine (requires at least 16 physical cores), so the virtual machine can harness the full power of a Mac using the latest Intel processors. It’s recommended that sufficient resources remain un-allocated to virtual machines to ensure smooth host operation. For example, on a Mac with 6 cores, it would be unadvisable to assign more than 4 cores to a virtual machine. Application requirements vary, so experiment with your settings to find a balance.
Windows
Do I need a licensed copy of Windows to run VMware Fusion?
Yes. VMware Fusion requires the installation of an operating system in order to function. The operating system is not included with the purchase of VMware Fusion. In order to run a Windows virtual machine, you must have a licensed copy of that Windows operating system or purchase a new Windows license.
Can I use the Windows operating system that came with my PC?
VMware Fusion includes a simple Migration Assistant for Windows that allows you to quickly and easily bring your entire PC to your Mac as a virtual machine. Whether you can legally use a copy of Windows from an existing physical machine, typically delivered as an 'OEM' license, depends on the license terms surrounding that installation of Windows. Please consult the license agreement that came with the version of Windows included with your PC, or the PC manufacturer, for more details.
Can I use an OEM version of Windows with VMware Fusion?
Many OEM Windows installations are tied to specific hardware and will likely not work with VMware Fusion. Whether you can legally use a copy of Windows from an existing physical machine depends on the licensing surrounding that copy of Windows. Please consult the license agreement that came with the version of Windows included with your PC for more details.
Virtual Machines and Virtual Machine Compatibility
Can I run multiple virtual machines on a Mac at the same time?
Yes, you can run as many virtual machines concurrently with VMware Fusion 13 Pro and Player as your system’s CPU, RAM and disk storage will support. In fact, VMware Fusion leverages patented memory-sharing techniques to drastically reduce the memory required to run multiple virtual machines at the same time.
How many virtual machines can I create with a single VMware Fusion license?
You can create an unlimited number of virtual machines from a single VMware Fusion license. You will need to provide the required operating system software and license for each installation of a virtual machine.
Can I run 64-bit virtual machines?
Yes, VMware Fusion allows you to create and run 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines.
Can I use virtual machines created by VMware vSphere, VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player or VMware Cloud environments, with VMware Fusion?
Yes, VMware virtual machines are fully compatible across the product line when using the same architecture. Virtual machines created with Workstation, as well as vSphere and other environments that employ the ESXi hypervisor can run on VMware Fusion.
Installation
System Requirements
General Requirements:
VMware Fusion 13 can run on Macs that support macOS 12 and later.
Supported Guest Operating Systems
What are the supported guest operating systems for VMware Fusion 12?
To see a complete list of supported host and guest operating, please refer to the VMware Compatibility Guide here:
Documentation
Licensing and Upgrades
Technology Guarantee Program
Do I qualify for a free upgrade?
Customers who purchased VMware Fusion or Fusion 12 Pro beginning October 15th, 2022 are covered by the Technology Guarantee Program for VMware Fusion, and are eligible for a complimentary electronic upgrade to VMware Fusion 13 Player or Pro depending on the upgrading license, when they become generally available:
- If you purchased VMware Fusion 12 Pro or Player from the VMware online store or an authorized VMware partner on or after October 15th, 2022 you will automatically receive your new VMware Fusion 13 Pro or Player license key(s) via email after the General Availability of Fusion 13 Pro. Please allow up to 48 hours after General Availability to get your new license key(s). No further action is required to receive your upgrade.
What if I purchased VMware Fusion 12 without a Support and Subscription (SnS) contract before October 15, 2022?
Customers who purchased VMware Fusion 12 Pro before October 15, 2022 without an SnS contract are not eligible for a complimentary upgrade to VMware Fusion 13 Pro, but may be eligible for upgrade pricing discounts to Fusion 13 Pro.
Upgrades
Who is eligible to upgrade to VMware Fusion 13 Player and Fusion 12 Pro?
Please consult the table below to check your eligibility to purchase an upgrade on the VMware Online Store.
Currently Licensed Product
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Eligible for Paid upgrade to Fusion 13 Pro
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Eligible for Free upgrade to Fusion 13 Pro
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Eligible for Paid upgrade to Fusion 13 Player (Commercial License)
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Fusion 10 |
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Fusion 10 Pro |
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Fusion 11 |
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Fusion 11 Pro |
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Fusion 12 Player |
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Fusion 12 Pro |
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How do I purchase VMware Fusion 13 upgrades?
VMware Fusion 13 upgrades are available for purchase on the VMware online store or through VMware resellers.
I have an active SnS contract for VMware Fusion Pro. When can I expect to receive the new version?
Customers with an active Support and Subscription (SnS) contract with an end date on or after General Availability are eligible for a free upgrade. You can download VMware Fusion 13 software from the Fusion Download page.
What if I have an older version of VMware Fusion, am I eligible to buy an upgrade?
Customers with older VMware Fusion versions (1.x through 10.x) will need to purchase a new license.
I have an academic copy of VMware Fusion 11.x or VMware Fusion 12.x. Can I get a discounted upgrade to VMware Fusion 13 Pro?
Yes, you may purchase an academic upgrade from the VMware Academic Store. To qualify for this discount, you must currently own an academic Fusion license and be a student, parent, faculty or staff member at a qualifying academic institution.
Do I get free updates (not upgrades) when I purchase VMware Fusion Player or VMware Fusion Pro?
Yes. The price of VMware Fusion Player and Fusion Pro includes an update service that entitles you to product updates and patches, which are new releases of Fusion within a given product version (e.g. x.1, x.1.1, and so forth). VMware Fusion will automatically download updates or you may download updates by visiting the Fusion Download Page.
NOTE: The price of VMware Fusion Player or Fusion Pro entitles a customer to free updates, but not free upgrades. Upgrade (‘Major’) releases contain functional enhancements or significant extensions and must be purchased separately unless you have an active support and subscription (SnS) contract.
Licensing and Registration
How are the VMware Fusion products licensed?
VMware Fusion Player and Fusion Pro are perpetually licensed, with options for Support and Subscription add-ons to provide additional security for upgrades and troubleshooting.
What is the difference between Pro and Player licensing?
VMware Fusion Pro offers paid licenses for individual and commercial uses, and are available for purchase from our online store or from our authorized
resellers and partners
VMware Fusion Player is dual-licensed, with options for Personal and Commercial Use. Fusion Player Personal Use licenses are free and can be obtained by registering at vmware.com.
VMware Fusion Player Commercial Licenses are available for purchase from our online store or from our authorized resellers and partners.
How do I license my copy of VMware Fusion?
To license VMware Fusion, simply enter a purchased license key during product installation in the license key field. Alternatively, you can enter your serial / license key from the "VMware Fusion" drop down menu in the product. Choose "License" in the drop down menu, enter the serial / license key and choose "OK".
Complimentary email support is activated as soon as your paid VMware Fusion license key is registered.
How do I get a free Personal Use License for VMware Fusion Player?
Fusion Player Personal Use licenses are free and can be obtained by registering at vmware.com.
Do I need a Personal Use or a Commercial Use license to use Fusion 13 Player?
If you are using Fusion 13 Player on an unmanaged Mac that you personally own, provided you are not performing functions that drive commercial activity, you may use a Personal Use license.
Personal Use Examples:
Students learning about virtual machines, computers, etc. (not academic institutions)
Home Users playing Windows games on Mac
Building / testing Open Source applications
Running VMs and Containers to deliver home-based services (i.e. home media server, firewall, etc.)
Commercial Use examples:
Working from Home
Building / testing commercial applications
Running a corporate desktop virtual machine
Delivering paid-for services from virtual machines, containers or Kubernetes clusters running on Fusion
How do I register my copy of VMware Fusion with VMware?
If you purchased the product from the VMware Online store, your license key is automatically registered. If you purchased VMware Fusion from a reseller, you need to manually register your license key in My VMware. Please consult this KB article for detailed instructions on license key registration.
Where can I find my serial/license key in VMware Fusion?
If you purchased VMware Fusion directly from VMware, you can find your serial / license key by looking it up in your VMware Customer Connect portal.
Log into your VMware Customer Connect portal using your VMware.com account credentials and
Select the Manage License Keys option from the top menu.
If you have already entered your serial / license key upon software installation, you can see your key from the VMware Fusion drop down menu in the product.
Choose License in the drop-down menu. The serial / license key will be displayed in the software licensing dialogue.
What does a VMware Fusion serial/license key look like?
The VMware Fusion Activation Code is a 25-character alpha-numeric code.
Example: AALYG-20HVE-WHQ13-67MUP-XVMF3
Can I use a single license on more than one Mac?
VMware Fusion for personal use:
You may install and use VMware Fusion Player for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded products running macOS ("Mac Computer") that you own or control.
You may install and use your VMware Fusion Pro license for personal, non-commercial use on up to 3 devices that you own or control.
VMware Fusion Pro or Player for commercial use:
If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, you may install and use the Software on a number of Apple-branded products running macOS ("Mac Computer") that you own or control equal to the number of licenses purchased. Installing and using the Software on multiple Mac Computers with a single license is prohibited even if the computers are not running the Software concurrently.
You can review the End User License Agreement(s) from this
What is the possible cause for an error when I try to register my license with VMware?
Problems with registration can be caused by several factors. First, double- check your serial / license key for typographical errors. All characters that look like a "0" are a numeric "zero" and not the letter "O".
Verify that the code you are trying to register is a VMware Fusion serial number. It should be a 25-character alpha-numeric code (example: AALYG-20HVE-WHQ13-67MUP-XVMF3).
If you continue to have difficulty, please file a licensing support request from the Get Support page.
Are students and professors eligible to receive special academic pricing for a full license of Fusion Pro?
Yes. Students and professors can purchase VMware Fusion Pro at our standard academic pricing by ordering directly from the VMware Academic Store.
Downloads and Trials
How can I download VMware Fusion Player or VMware Fusion Pro?
You can download VMware Fusion software from the Fusion Evaluation page. A single download contains both editions of Fusion, the license key determines which version of Fusion is unlocked.
Can I convert my trial license to a permanent license?
After the evaluation period has expired, you will be prompted to enter a license key. If you have purchased the product you will have received a new license key. Enter the purchased license key when prompted to unlock the full "unlimited" version of the software. To take advantage of complimentary email support for up 30 days, your license key must be registered. If you purchased the product from the VMware Online store, your license key is automatically registered. If you purchased from a reseller, you may need to manually register your license key in MyVMware. Please consult this KB article for detailed instructions on license key registration.
Do I need to download VMware Fusion again if I am converting my trial license to a full license?
No. You simply need to update your license key in VMware Fusion. You can do this from the "VMware Fusion" menu, click on "License" and enter your new license key.
Where do I download free "minor" updates?
VMware Fusion will prompt you for updates automatically. To manually check for updates, click on the "VMware Fusion" drop-down menu in VMware Fusion and choose "Check for Updates."
Can I install VMware Fusion and Parallels on the same Mac?
Yes, both can be installed at the same time. Please, check system requirements for both products before installing.
How can I obtain an evaluation of VMware Fusion Pro?
You can obtain a free trial of VMware Fusion Pro at
https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/fusion-evaluation.html
Support
Create a Support Request
To create a new support request or check on the status of an existing request please sign on to your account through the VMware Customer Connect portal.
Support Offerings
Along with our comprehensive web-based support resources such as the Knowledge Base and VMware Communities, the following support offerings are available:
Complimentary Support
Email installation support for VMware Fusion and VMware Fusion Pro is valid for 30 days from product registration. Submit support requests either online or via phone; responses are targeted within one business day.
Per Incident Support
Purchase support as you need it for VMware Fusion Player and VMware Fusion Pro. Individual incident support is conveniently sold in 1, 3 or 5 incident packs. Submit support requests either online or via phone; responses are targeted within one business day.
Basic Support
VMware Basic Support can now be purchased for Fusion Pro and Fusion Player, even if you’re only buying 1 product license. Basic Support provides access to our global support centers, 12 hours a day, 5 days a week, including unlimited support requests and subscription services for 1 or 3 year periods.
Production Support
VMware Production Support can now be purchased for Fusion Pro and Fusion Player, even if you’re only buying 1 product license. VMware Production Support provides access to our global support centers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Severity 1 issues, including unlimited support requests and subscription services for 1 or 3 year periods.
Support FAQs
When does complimentary support start?
Complimentary support starts when your paid VMware Fusion Player or Fusion Pro license is registered. Registration takes place automatically if you purchase your product from the VMware Online store. If you purchased from a reseller, you may need to register your license in My VMware. Please consult this KB article for detailed instructions on license key registration.
How long does complimentary support last?
Complimentary support for VMware Fusion Player and VMware Fusion Pro is valid for 30 days from product registration.
Can I use a support incident for different versions of Fusion, for example version 11?
Yes, you can purchase support incidents and open a support request for any product version that is still officially supported by VMware.
What is the support period for VMware Fusion?
VMware Fusion follows the Desktop Hypervisor lifecycle policy. Please refer to our lifecycle policies for detailed information and end of support dates.
What type of technical support help can I get if I am evaluating VMware Fusion?
Evaluation users can get help through the VMware Fusion Community. Evaluation users are not eligible for complimentary email support.
What type of technical support help can I get with a VMware Fusion Player Personal Use license?
Personal Use license users can get help through the VMware Fusion Community. Personal Use licensed users are not eligible for complimentary email support.
Are there any free Fusion support resources available from VMware?
VMware provides several self-help and community supported resources including:
Fusion Documentation – product documentation and manuals
Knowledge Base – troubleshooting information
Community Forum – users can share their information and experiences with others (registration required)
User Groups (VMUGs) – live, local gatherings of VMware users
Customers are also eligible for complimentary installation support for up to 30 days following product registration.