PRODUCT Is VMware Fusion 11 a free update? VMware Fusion 11 and VMware Fusion 11 Pro are considered ‘major releases’ which are paid upgrades. Customers who currently own licenses for Fusion 8.0 or greater are entitled to discounted upgrade pricing.
Customers on older versions of Fusion (7.x and earlier) must purchase a new license. What programs can I run with VMware Fusion? VMware Fusion lets you run more than 200 operating systems as virtual machines, including Windows XP through Windows 10. Nearly all programs that run on these operating systems will run with VMware Fusion.
Programs can range from common productivity suites (such as Microsoft Office) to graphics-intensive programs such as AutoCAD or SolidWorks, as well as custom applications. Can I play 3D games in a virtual machine? Yes, VMware Fusion 11 has 3D hardware-accelerated graphics support. For Windows VMs Fusion now supports DirectX 10.1 (with Shader Model 4.1) and earlier. For Windows and Linux guests Fusion provides OpenGL 3.3 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. Can I migrate Parallels Desktop for Mac virtual machines to VMware Fusion? VMware Fusion 11 can easily import Parallels Desktop for Mac (versions 2.5 through 12) based virtual machines.
Simply launch VMware Fusion, go to the File menu, select ‘Import’, select your virtual machine setting’s file, and click ‘Import’. Will VMware Fusion 11 slow down my Mac? In typical use cases, VMware Fusion 11 has little to no impact on your Mac’s overall performance.
The impact on performance will mainly depend on the amount of applications and virtual machines running at the same time, how much RAM is available on your Mac and the speed of your storage. SSD-based Macs are recommended for optimal performance. Can I access and use USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices? Yes, you can use the vast majority of USB 2.0 devices without additional setup required, such as video cameras, external hard drives, GPS devices, and much more in a virtual machine.
USB 3.0 devices can also be accessed and used in Windows 8 or higher virtual machines. Does VMware Fusion 11 support Retina display Macs?
Yes, VMware Fusion 11 supports Retina display Macs for a crisp and detailed experience of your Windows programs. Fusion 11 ensures you get a seamless experience when running Windows across Retina, 4K, 5K and non-Retina displays. Can I use multiple displays with VMware Fusion? Yes, VMware Fusion 11 supports up to 10 displays in both full screen and Unity views.
Can I access Thunderbolt hard drives in Windows? While Thunderbolt ports cannot be directly forwarded to Windows VM’s the same way that USB works, 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 16 Virtual CPUs to a Fusion 11 virtual machine, so the virtual machine can harness the full power of a Mac using the latest Intel processors. Multiple Virtual CPUs are recommended when you have applications that can take advantage of multiple processor cores and you have a multi-core Mac. Windows Can I convert my old Windows PC into a virtual machine for VMware Fusion? Yes, VMware Fusion includes a simple Migration Assistant for Windows that allows you to quickly and easily move your entire PC to your Mac as a virtual machine. Install a simple application on your PC, connect it to your Mac, and VMware Fusion will detect your PC and take care of the rest.
Do I need a copy of Windows to run VMware Fusion? 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.
You can either migrate an existing copy of Windows from your old PC or install a new one. 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 11 as your system’s 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. However, you can only run 64-bit guest operating systems on Macs with 64-bit Intel processors (Core 2 Duo, Xeon or later processors).
Can I use virtual machines created by VMware vSphere, VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player or VMware vCloud environments, with VMware Fusion? Yes, VMware virtual machines are fully compatible across the product line. Virtual machines created with vSphere, Workstation, Player or vCloud Air can run on VMware Fusion.
INSTALLATION System Requirements The minimum system requirements for installing and using VMware Fusion 11 are:. Apple Mac launched in 2011 or later.:. Also supports the 2010 Mac Pro “Six Core”, “Eight Core” and “Twelve Core” models. Minimum 4GB of RAM. 750MB free disk space for VMware Fusion and at least 5GB for each virtual machine. Mac OS X 10.11.0 or later.
Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines. Microsoft Windows is not included with VMware Fusion.
Recommended graphics hardware for Windows DirectX 10 or OpenGL 3.3 support:. NVIDIA 8600M or better. ATI 2600 or better Minimum requirements for Metal support: See Apple's documentation regarding Metal supported Macs:.Support excludes the 2012 Mac Pro “Quad Core” using the Intel® Xeon® W3565 Processor due to CPU architecture incompatibility. Supported Guest Operating Systems What are the supported guest operating systems for VMware Fusion 11? VMware Fusion 11 supports more than 200 operating systems from MS-DOS through Windows 10, various flavors of Linux, and certain versions of Mac OS X / macOS.
LICENSING AND UPGRADES Technology Guarantee Program Can I qualify for a free upgrade? Customers who purchased VMware Fusion 10 starting on August 20, 2018 are covered by the Technology Guarantee Program for VMware Fusion and are eligible for a complimentary electronic upgrade to VMware Fusion 11 when it becomes generally available:. If you purchased VMware Fusion 10 from the VMware online store on or after August 20, 2018, you will automatically receive your new VMware Fusion 11 license key(s) via email after the General Availability of Fusion 11. Please allow up to 48 hours after General Availability of Fusion 11 to get your new license key(s). No further action is required to receive your upgrade. If you purchased VMware Fusion 10 Pro from the VMware online store or an authorized VMware partner on or after August 20, 2018, you will automatically receive your new VMware Fusion 11 Pro license key(s) via email after the General Availability of Fusion 11 Pro.
Please allow up to 48 hours after General Availability of Fusion 11 Pro to get your new license key(s). No further action is required to receive your upgrade. What if I purchased VMware Fusion 10 Pro without a Support and Subscription (SnS) contract before August 20, 2018? Customers who purchased VMware Fusion 10 Pro before August 20, 2018 without an SnS contract are not eligible for a complimentary upgrade to VMware Fusion 11 Pro and need to purchase an upgrade to Fusion 11 Pro to fully enjoy the benefits of the latest version of the product. Upgrades Who is eligible to upgrade to VMware Fusion 11 and Fusion 11 Pro? Please consult the table below to check your eligibility to purchase an upgrade on the. How do I purchase VMware Fusion 11 upgrades?
VMware Fusion 11 upgrades are available for purchase on the or through. 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 11 software from the Fusion. 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 7.x) will need to.
I have an academic copy of VMware Fusion 10.x Pro or VMware Fusion 10.x. Can I get a discounted upgrade to VMware Fusion 11 Pro?
Yes, you may purchase an academic upgrade from the. 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 or VMware Fusion Pro? The price of VMware Fusion/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, and x.1.1, and so forth). VMware Fusion will automatically download updates or you may download updates by visiting the.
NOTE: The price of VMware Fusion/Fusion Pro entitles a customer to free updates, but not free upgrades. Upgrade 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 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 VMware Fusion license key is registered.
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 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 the My VMware portal. Log into the using your VMware.com account credentials.
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 for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded products running Mac OS X ('Mac Computer') that you own or control. VMware Fusion 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 Mac OS X ('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 page:.
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 page.
Are students and professors eligible to receive special academic pricing for a full license of VMware Fusion or Fusion Pro? Students and professors can purchase VMware Fusion or Fusion Pro at our standard academic pricing by ordering directly from the or by contacting VMware Sales at 1-977-4VMWARE (1-977-496-10273) in the United States and Canada, or +1-650-427-5000 elsewhere. Please note that proof of eligibility is required. DOWNLOADS AND TRIALS How can I download VMware Fusion or VMware Fusion Pro? You can download VMware Fusion software from the. 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 to 18 months, 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 need to manually register your license key in My VMware. Please consult this 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?
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 or VMware Fusion Pro? You can obtain a free trial of VMware Fusion or VMware Fusion Pro at. Complimentary Support Email installation support for VMware Fusion and VMware Fusion Pro is valid for 18 months 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 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 With a minimum quantity of 10 VMware Fusion Pro licenses, VMware 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 With a minimum quantity of 10 VMware Fusion Pro licenses, 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.
When does complimentary support start? Complimentary support starts when your VMware Fusion license is registered. Registration takes place automatically if you purchase your product from the VMware Online store. If you purchased from a reseller, you need to register your license in My VMware. Please consult this for detailed instructions on license key registration. How long does complimentary support last? Complimentary support for VMware Fusion and VMware Fusion Pro is valid for 18 months from product registration.
Can I use a support incident for different versions of Fusion, for example versions 7 and 8? 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.
Please refer to our for detailed information. What type of technical support help can I get if I am evaluating VMware Fusion? Evaluation users can get help through the. Evaluation 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:. – product documentation and manuals.
– troubleshooting information. – users can share their information and experiences with others (registration required). – live, local gatherings of VMware users. Customers are also eligible for complimentary installation support for up to 18 months following product registration.
VMware Fusion 4 vs Parallels Desktop 7: The Virtualization Battle Continues VMware Fusion 4 vs Parallels Desktop 7: The Virtualization Battle Continues by Alan Zisman (c) 2011 First published in 18 January 2012 Good as the Mac is (and it's very good), some Mac users do need to run Windows software from time to time. Maybe they need to run a particular piece of Windows-only accounting software in order to work with their accountant or with a client.
Or maybe they're web developers and need to ensure that their pages display properly in Windows-only Internet Explorer. Four Ways to Run Windows Apps on Your Mac They could, of course, simply get a Windows computer and keep it for those times. But since Apple moved to building Macs with Intel processors in 2006, that hasn't been necessary.
Instead, there are a variety of ways to run Windows software, often along with other PC operating systems and software, right on a Mac. Among the techniques:. is built on the open source, to allow Windows software to run on a non-Windows computer without installing Windows. Neat idea with just one major problem - it only works with some software. Apple's Boot Camp allows users to nondestructively create a Windows partition on their Mac, install Windows (Vista or Windows 7 only, and non-Windows operating systems are not officially supported), and then boot to their choice of either Windows or Mac OS X. Good: When running Windows (or OS X) that operating system gets use of all the system memory and other resources. Bad: You can only run one operating system at a time.
Remotely access another computer. Recent Mac OS X versions have had the ability to connect to remote computers set up with the widely-available (and open source) VNC protocol. Other alternatives include Microsoft's, the http-based, and more. These, however, require having a computer running Windows - and a compatible remote access server - somewhere accessible by network or Internet.
Finally, Intel-powered Macs can run any of a wide range of PC operating systems in a virtual session, letting them run the 'guest' operating system and applications alongside the native Mac 'host' operating system and native Mac applications. The downside: You'll need enough system memory to provide an adequate amount for both Windows (or other PC operating system) and its applications and the Mac OS (and applications) that are all running at the same time. Moreover, running an operating system virtually is going to have a performance hit compared to booting to it directly using Boot Camp. (Though performance is vastly improved over the emulation available on prior-generation PowerPC Macs). For many Mac owners needing access to Windows applications now and again, the performance penalties of virtualization are a small price to pay compared to the convenience of not having to reboot and of being able to mix Mac and Windows applications on the same screen. Three Virtualization Options There are three major virtualization programs for Mac users. Is an open source program owned by Oracle.
It's available as a free download (a big plus) and may be all you need. But it's not being developed as aggressively as the pair of commercial products and lacks some of those products' features - such as the ability to run a Boot Camp installation in a virtual session, or to mix and match Windows and Mac applications on the Dock or the Mac desktop. For the past few years, a pair of commercial programs, and, have been available as virtualization options for Intel Mac users. Each has been pushed to match the other's features, performance, and $79 list price. (Note that each is frequently on sale on their respective websites - and each offers special pricing for customers of the other.) The release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion was quickly followed by new versions of each (Parallels Desktop 7 and VMware Fusion 4) within days of one another. Parallels Desktop was first released in June 2006, soon after the first Intel Macs.
As a result, for many Mac owners, it became the name they think of when they think of virtualization, and it garnered bonus points for coming to the Mac platform at a time when better-known virtualization companies like VMware were ignoring it. VMware has a long history producing virtualization software for PC networks and desktop users with products for (among others) Windows and Linux. They released their Mac version, Fusion, in mid-2007, a year after Parallels Desktop.
To over-generalize, Parallels' products have looked and felt more like Mac software than VMware's, which have tended to have more of a PC-style industrial design. Parallels Desktop was also first to release features to better integrate Windows applications into the Mac desktop experience, with icons on the Dock and program windows that can optionally float on the Mac desktop rather remaining 'trapped' in a Windows window. On the other hand, I found the last couple of Parallels Desktop versions buggy and unstable. For me, Parallels Desktop versions 5 and 6 may have had the looks of a flashy sports car, but they spent too much time in the shop. VMware Fusion may have had all the visual appeal of a truck, but it much more reliably carried the load. As a result, it was the one I tended to use.
Virtualizing Mac OS X The new versions of each of these programs take advantage of a change in Apple's licensing language regarding virtualization. (You may wonder why any Mac user would want to run OS X in a virtualization session window.
It can be handy for developers, giving them in effect another Mac on which to test potentially buggy prerelease versions.) OS X 10.5 Leopard and OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard allowed Mac owners to run OS X in a virtual session on their Macs - but only the server versions. The fine print of the OS X 10.7 license expands that to allow the installation and use of both the server and desktop versions of Lion in virtual sessions - but doesn't allow similar use of desktop versions of early OS X releases. That's too bad. I was disappointed that Apple dropped Rosetta from Lion, the technology that allowed Intel Macs running OS X 10.4 through 10.6 to use software developed in the PowerPC-era. Running one of these versions in a virtual session would be workaround for Lion users who still need to run PowerPC software. An awkward one, to be sure, requiring booting up the older Mac OS in a window in order to run an older program, but one that might be worthwhile in some cases.
The limitation is one of licensing language, not a limitation of the technology. VMware demonstrated that, perhaps by accident. In November, the company released a modest 4.1 upgrade version to Fusion. While it wasn't on the 'new features' list, users quickly discovered that the new version allowed them to create desktop Leopard or Snow Leopard virtual systems.
VMware Fusion 4.11 prevents the use of virtual non-server Mac environments. Within a few days, VMware replaced that with a 4.11 release, which, like earlier versions (and like Parallels Desktop), refuses to allow OS X 10.5/6 desktop discs to be used and refused to run desktop Leopard or Snow Leopard virtual systems created with the 4.01 version.
The error message VMware Fusion gives when you try to run non-server OS X virtually. The previous version of both products will run under Lion - though I needed to reinstall Parallels 6.x before it would run on my Lion system. (Then again, as I've said, I was never a big fan of that version of Parallels in any case.) The Latest Versions Both new versions offer pretty similar set of new features - improved graphics performers (of most importance, I suspect, to Mac users wanting to run Windows games), integration with new Lion features like Mission Control, and the ability to create desktop Lion virtual systems.
Parallels remains prettier. See for instance, the virtual machines list from each program. Parallels is prettier than VMware. VMware Fusion is far more utilitarian than Parallels.
But beauty is only skin deep. The new version of Parallels seems less buggy than the past couple of versions and is one that I'm much happier using. I do find that Mac web browsers - and especially Safari - become sluggish while a Parallels session is running, though this is not as bad as it was with the past couple of versions. Industrial-strength Fusion continues to just keep ticking - but with the improvements to Parallels, this is less of an advantage. More of a Fusion advantage: Fusion continues to offer support for a broader range of guest operating systems.
Configuring Windows 7 in Parallels. Configuring Fusion. Similarly, while both support last October's Ubuntu (11.10) release, based on past performance when April's new release comes out (ver.
12.04), I'd expect Fusion to support it, but not Parallels. VMware - to a large extent because of its well-developed Windows and Linux ecosystem - offers about 1,900 downloadable 'appliances' - preinstalled operating systems, often preconfigured for specific functions. Parallels' equivalent 'convenience store' offers only about 100. (On the other hand, once again Parallels' Create a New Virtual Machine window is much nicer looking than Fusion's equivalent - and offers users quick links to several of the more popular non-Windows virtual options). Parallels' Create a New Virtual Machine window. Fusion's New Virtual Machine Assistant.
Another plus for Fusion - for home users, a single purchase can be legally installed on multiple Macs. Parallels requires a copy for each Mac in your household. A plus for Parallels, though - it can be configured to provide more memory for video (assuming you've got lots of installed RAM). Add in better support for Windows' DirectX, and the result is better gaming performance. So which should you get?
For the past couple of years, Fusion was the clear winner for me. This time around, with Parallels pretty much getting over its instability issues, it's pretty much of a draw.
Compare Vmware Fusion 4 Vs Parallels Desktop 7 For Mac Windows 10
Parallels is prettier and more Mac-like and offers gamers better video performance. Fusion supports more operating systems and pre-made appliances and can be installed onto multiple Macs in one household. If you're happy with a previous version of either, neither new version is a 'must have' upgrade, although gamers wanting every ounce of potential performance will definitely like the boost. And if you're new to virtualization but need or want to run another operating system (or multiple copies of Lion) on your Mac, either will do just fine. is a Vancouver educator, writer, and computer specialist. He can be contacted.