I own a 21.5-inch, late 2013 iMac, which I’ve upgraded with a pair of hardware enhancements – primarily RAM and hard drive capacity – and it runs macOS Catalina 10.15.7, which is the most recent version compatible with my machine’s specifications.
Can I install macOS Catalina 10.15.7 within a virtual machine on my iMac? While considering virtualization options, I’m drawn to VirtualBox due to its cross-platform availability and cost-effectiveness, distinguishing it from Parallels and VMWare Fusion, as I can easily download and access it online. Since VMware was acquired by Broadcom, it’s become increasingly difficult to locate a downloadable link for VMware Fusion.
I downloaded the official Catalina installer by clicking the provided hyperlink beneath the title.
Given that… I executed the script within macOS Catalina to create a bootable ISO file from its setup file.
I subsequently adhered to the instructions beneath the heading to configure a virtual machine within my VirtualBox setup, version. 7.0.20).
I utilized the following configurations: 1) 8GB RAM, 2) 64GB storage, and 3) dual processing units.
I successfully implemented every procedure up to step 15 inclusive. I didn’t understand what step 16 was asking me to do, which made me hesitant to proceed because I wasn’t clear on its purpose.
Instead of skipping step 16, I shut down the VirtualBox session, then restarted the application, and initiated the Catalina virtual machine by clicking the “Start” button.
The next display of textual content messages suddenly appeared, and that was all. Nothing extra occurred.
What’s next for you? Can you install macOS Catalina on VirtualBox and get a seamless experience? Here’s how to do it:
Firstly, you will need to download the VirtualBox software from its official website. Once downloaded, install it on your host operating system. Next, you should download the macOS Catalina ISO file, which is available online for free but not officially supported by Apple. Create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox and allocate necessary resources such as CPU, memory, and network settings. Then, add the macOS Catalina ISO file to the virtual machine’s settings.
After that, start the virtual machine, and it will boot up with the macOS installation screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to install macOS Catalina. During the installation process, you may encounter issues such as a black screen or boot failure due to VirtualBox not being officially supported by Apple.
Why not consider installing it within VMware Fusion instead? VMware Fusion can be downloaded from the official VMware website at vmware.com.
While there’s an existing publication similar in nature, dated four and a half years ago, its recommendations are unclear, leaving me uncertain about the intended course of action.
