VMware Fusion for Mac

Free to try VMware Mac Version 11.0.3 Full Specs

Editors' Rating:

4.5

Outstanding

Average User Rating:

45 User Votes

4.0

out of 45 votes

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Editors' Review

by Clifford Colby / September 04, 2015

With VMware Fusion, you can run Windows and OS X applications side by side on your Mac. The virtualization software provides lots of installation options and many ways to integrate Windows into your Mac workflow.

Pros

Installation options: VMware Fusion offers a handful of options for creating a virtual machine on your Mac. You of course can create a virtual machine from scratch with a Windows 10 disk image. If you previously installed Apple's Boot Camp, you can create a virtual machine that directly uses your Boot Camp volume, or you can copy your Boot Camp volume to a new virtual machine. You can also import into Fusion virtual machines you've created with Parallels Desktop and Microsoft Windows Virtual PC.

Migration help: VMware Fusion includes a migration assistant to move your apps, settings, and documents from a Windows computer to a virtual machine.

Run Mac and Windows side by side: You don't need to reboot to change operating systems, as you must with Apple's Boot Camp. With Fusion, you can run both OSes at the same time. And unlike Boot Camp, you can run Fusion and the virtual machine from an external drive. (Boot Camp needs to be installed on an internal hard drive.) You aren't limited to Windows, either; you can run another version of OS X or Linux in Fusion as well.

Well integrated: Copy and paste or drag and drop files between Mac and Windows environments, and copy and paste between Mac and Windows apps. You can use the Windows 10 Store, the Edge browser, and Cortana. Fusion includes support for DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3.

Multiple ways to work in Windows: You can run Windows full screen or side by side with the Mac environment. Or you can keep it out of sight and access it from a Windows Start menu from the Mac menu bar and launch Windows apps from the dock.

Cons

Resource intensive: Running a virtual machine strains system resources, so you'll see overall operational degradation if you don't have a moderately well-equipped and current Mac.

Bottom line

VMware Fusion is a thoroughly capable virtualization application that lets you run Windows and OS X. With a handful of options for using Windows and OS X apps side by side, Fusion makes its easy to use the two operating systems in tandem.

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User Reviews

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1 stars

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"Don't buy if planning to upgrade operating system."

Ronschnarr December 22, 2016 / Version: VMware Fusion 8.0.0

2016-12-22 06:34:31 | By Ronschnarr

Pros

Worked fine while it was still compatible.

Cons

I just updated my operating system to the El Capitan Operating System and my VMware no longer works. I contacted VMware and they told me that I need to buy their latest version and not only that, I will have to buy Windows again. I already bought the product and now I'm being asked to buy $300 worth of software to keep using it. This is a scam if you ask me.

5 stars

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"5.02 version has been released in NOvember 2012!"

remyleroy January 20, 2013 / Version: VMware Fusion 5.0.2

2013-01-20 04:49:37 | By remyleroy

Pros

Fusion works just fine with Bootcamp

Cons

Don't forget to install the VMWare tools especially if you installed Windows thru BootCamp or Windows will think your copy isn't genuine

4 stars

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"I recommend VMFUSION for virtual machine operation."

derrico August 24, 2012 / Version: VMware Fusion 5.0

2012-08-24 11:17:39 | By derrico

Pros

easier install of the virtual machine than Parallels and more intuitive interface

Cons

haven't seen any

Summary

My sister had trouble running some Windows legal software (BestCase) under a Parallels virtual machine (disappearing application window). We tried various fixes with no success. The law software tech said he had seen the same problem, each time with Parallels. I decided to switch to VMFusion. Much easier install of the virtual machine and more intuitive interface. So far, the disappearing app problem has not occurred. She is pleased.

1 stars

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"You will need to pay extra for customer support later."

dazgm39 November 10, 2011 / Version: VMware Fusion 4.0.2

2011-11-10 20:08:11 | By dazgm39

Pros

It worked for 10 months.

Cons

It is supposedly the cheaper option for fusion products, but don't buy it....Mine worked for the first 10 months and now it is cactus...You try finding how to get support on the VMWare Fusion website! It is an absolute minefield and these guys don't have a clue how to do business.

Summary

Don't buy this! You will regret it. I have had problem after problem with it.

2 stars

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"PRINTING ISSUES"

rlenham September 19, 2011 / Version: VMware Fusion 4.0.1

2011-09-19 08:43:29 | By rlenham

Pros

No pros I can think of. I have reverted to version 3

Cons

Major issues with Windows 7 and printing. The program selects a different printer than my default Mac printer and after changing and printing one page Windows becomes unusable and I get a nasty message from Windows.

Summary

I downloaded Parallels 7 this morning, converted my Windows 7 VM virtual machine and everything is working beautifully.

4 stars

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"Watch out for upgrade"

greg171 September 15, 2011 / Version: VMware Fusion 4.0.1

2011-09-15 19:46:10 | By greg171

Pros

Excellent virtualization software

Cons

Only at the bottom of the FAQ page will you find that the upgrade is only for recent buyers (since Lion). All others have to buy new at full price ($50 for a ltd time). If 4.0.1 is installed then a link to buy goes to a broken page @ Digital River.

Summary

I am not being critical of the pricing, as it is time to collect some money for development. My complaint is that the pricing policy is not readily available for existing users. And as of this date I (as a registered user) have not received any email announcement of the upgrade or its pricing. And as noted above, it is difficult to find it on the web site. And I did not find "limited time" for $50 defined anywhere - so how much time do I have before the price increases? I got burned this way with iStat Menu's last upgrade, as the price expired before the trial did. It would be nice not to be kept in the dark.

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5 stars

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"The best Windows (or Linux) visualization software."

thompson_Matthew March 13, 2011 / Version: VMware Fusion 3.1.2

2011-03-13 05:30:48 | By thompson_Matthew

Pros

It is more stable than Parallels Desktop and just looks better. The new unity mode puts a very handy launch bar in the system tray that allows searching. It supports Ubuntu Linux (even Unity and the Launch bar!). It's also cheaper than parallels...

Cons

I really haven't found any yet...

Summary

VMWare fusion is by far the best virtulization software for mac on the market.

Updated on Mar 13, 2011

virtualization whoops typo

5 stars

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"couldn't survive a few windows' needs without it"

dmac6 May 26, 2010 / Version: VMware Fusion 3.1

2010-05-26 07:51:44 | By dmac6

Pros

flawless to my needs

Cons

none to my needs

5 stars

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"Wow!"

Guy Carmeli May 26, 2010 / Version: VMware Fusion 3.1

2010-05-26 03:39:49 | By Guy Carmeli

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
I am running Win7 off of a Boot Camp disk, and everything just seems dramatically faster. The UI is snappy and windows took about half the time to load.

Great product which just gets better.

5 stars

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"Update"

Phoenix DownUnder May 26, 2010 / Version: VMware Fusion 3.1

2010-05-26 01:04:27 | By Phoenix DownUnder

Summary

This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Fusion 3.1 installed perfectly and without any issues. XP seems to boot faster and runs reasonably quickly. Must qualify that however as XP has never been fast. IE and software Update started and worked quite quickly. Windows Explorer opened in about 5 seconds on a 2.4GHz macBook. Word opened in its normal lethargic rate. Overall seems slightly faster.

Results 1–10 of 45

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 11.0.3

Fusion contains an out-of-bounds read/write vulnerability and a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in the virtual USB UHCI (Universal Host Controller Interface). These issues may allow a guest to execute code on the host. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the identifiers CVE-2019-5518 (out-of-bounds read/write) and CVE-2019-5519 (TOCTOU) to these issues.

General
Publisher	VMware
Publisher web site	http://www.vmware.com/mac
Release Date	April 29, 2019
Date Added	April 29, 2019
Version	11.0.3

Category
Category	Utilities & Operating Systems
Subcategory	System Utilities

Operating Systems
Operating Systems	Mac
Additional Requirements	macOS Mojave macOS High Sierra macOS Sierra

Download Information
File Size	361.69MB
File Name	External File

Popularity
Total Downloads	114,654
Downloads Last Week	4

Pricing
License Model	Free to try
Limitations	Not available
Price	$52.49

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VMware Fusion for Mac

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 11.0.3

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Operating Systems

Download Information

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