It does not support Workstation 15 or earlier versions—you should upgrade to version 16 or 17 for best compatibility.
Right-click win-install.cmd (or unlock.exe depending on the fork) and select Run as Administrator . A command prompt window will open, displaying the automated process of stopping remaining tasks, backing up original binaries, patching the files, and restarting services.
This is perhaps the most important section of this guide.
Try using darwinPre15.iso instead of the standard darwin.iso . vmware unlocker workstation 17 pro
Intel or AMD CPU with hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) enabled in the BIOS/UEFI.
It is crucial to understand what the Unlocker cannot do. It does not magically add AMD CPU support or enable new features not already present in VMware's compiled code. If your processor lacks the necessary virtualization features or Apple's kernel extensions, the Unlocker cannot create them.
VMware Unlocker is a specialized script designed to patch the VMware Workstation Pro binary files. When you create a new virtual machine, VMware checks the host hardware to determine allowed operating systems. By default, VMware hides macOS support on non-Apple hardware. The Unlocker modifies these binary files to: Enable the macOS option in the VM creation wizard. It does not support Workstation 15 or earlier
VMware Workstation Pro is an industry-standard desktop hypervisor that allows you to run Windows, Linux, and BSD virtual machines on Windows or Linux desktop environments. It is widely used for software development, system testing, security research, and IT training. With VMware Workstation 17 Pro, you can create isolated virtual environments, take snapshots, clone virtual machines, and leverage powerful networking features.
Enable 3D acceleration in VM settings, set video memory to 128 MB, and install VMware Tools (or the open-vm-tools for macOS).
smc.version = "0" cpuid.0.eax = "0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001" 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" Use code with caution. Troubleshooting Common Errors 1. "Apple Mac OS X" Option is Missing This is perhaps the most important section of this guide
MacOS on VMware 17 Pro via unlocker is not bare-metal, but you can achieve 75-85% native speed with these tweaks:
Terminate background processes starting with vmware* , including VMware Authorization Service and VMware USB Arbitration Service . Step 2: Download and Extract the Patch Utility
The following section details the installation process for both Windows and Linux hosts. Before proceeding, ensure you have installed VMware Workstation Pro 17 on your host machine but have not yet launched it.