VMware Fusion can virtualize a multitude of operating systems, including many older versions of
macOS, which allows users to run older Mac
software that can no longer be run under the current version of macOS, such as
32-bit and
PowerPC applications.
History VMware Fusion, which uses a combination of
paravirtualization and
hardware virtualization made possible by the
Mac transition to Intel processors in 2006, marked VMware's first entry into Macintosh-based
x86 virtualization. VMware Fusion uses
Intel VT present in the
Intel Core microarchitecture platform. Much of the underlying technology in VMware Fusion is inherited from other VMware products, such as
VMware Workstation, allowing VMware Fusion to offer features such as
64-bit and
SMP support. VMware Fusion 1.0 was released on August 6, 2007, exactly one year after being announced. Along with the
Mac transition to Apple silicon in 2020, VMware announced plans for Fusion to support the new M-series platform and ARM architecture, releasing a tech preview for
M1 chips in September 2021. In November 2022, VMware Fusion 13 was released, allowing ARM virtualization on Apple Silicon chips. Coinciding with the release, VMware implemented support for
TPM 2.0 and
OpenGL 4.3, along with improvements to
VMware Tools on
Windows 11. On May 13, 2024, it was announced that VMware Fusion Pro would become free for personal use. Previously VMware Fusion (not Pro) was free for personal use; this edition would be discontinued, effectively replaced by the Pro edition. At the same time, commercial use would switch to an annual subscription, removing the option to buy a one-off perpetual license. In November 2024, this change was expanded to include commercial and educational users, thereby making the software free for everyone. At the same time, however, Broadcom discontinued official technical support for the product, instead directing users to seek help from existing documentation and the community. ==System requirements==