You can now download and install Windows 11 on your Apple Silicon Mac from the Fusion user interface.

Windows 11 introduces new system requirements for physical and virtual machines.

VMware Fusion 13 provides the necessary hardware and security requirements to satisfy these requirements, and gives options for the user to customize if necessary.

The following is the list of Windows 11 requirements:
  • TPM 2.0 device (or vTPM equivalent)
  • UEFI Firmware
Note: The best Windows 11 experience requires Virtual Hardware version 21. Virtual Hardware version 21 is default in Fusion 13.5 and later.

When you install Windows 11 on a physical machine, the PC must have a TPM chip of at least version 2.0. The vTPM in VMware virtual machines is a representation of a physical TPM 2.0, and requires a measure of encryption. While creating a Windows virtual machine, you may choose between a full encryption or a fast encryption of the virtual machine to satisfy the requirements for the vTPM. After the VM is encrypted, Fusion automatically adds the vTPM during the installation walkthrough.

These requirements are for both the traditional x86-based Windows as well as Windows for Arm devices, which is required when you use Fusion on Macs with Apple silicon such as the M1 and M2 chips.

Note: If you have previously created an ISO using this method, you can cancel this method and use another method to install Windows 11 with the already existing ISO file located in the following directory: ~/Virtual Machines.localized/VMWIsoImages/
Note: Fusion does not support creating a Windows 11 guest operating system on a remote virtual machine.

The following steps provide a walkthrough of a fresh Windows 11 guest installation on an Apple Silicon Mac host using the new built-in ISO download utility.

Prerequisites

To use this feature, you must have an Apple Silicon Mac using Fusion Pro or Player version 13.5 and onward.

Procedure

  1. Select File > New.
    The screenshot shows the New option in the File menu
    A dialog box named Select the Installation Method appears.
  2. Select Get Windows from Microsoft, and click Continue.
    The screenshot shows the Get Windows from Microsoft option selected on the dialog box named Select the Installation Method
    The Download and Install Windows 11 window appears.
  3. Click Continue.
  4. In the Windows Edition field, select your preferred edition for Windows 11.
    The screenshot shows the field to select the preferred windows edition.
  5. In the Language field, select your preferred language for Windows 11.
    The screenshot shows the field to select the preferred Windows 11 language.
  6. Click Download Windows.
    Fusion downloads and creates the Windows 11 ISO file for installation. After the ISO file is created, you can see the path to the ISO in the dialog. You may use this ISO file to install Windows 11 any number of times in any number of virtual machines.
    The screenshot shows completion of the Windows 11 download and ISO creation.
  7. Click Continue.
  8. From the Choose Firmware Type dialog box, select a boot firmware and click Continue.
  9. From the Choose Encryption dialog box, select an encryption type, enter a password for the encryption, and then click Continue.
    You can choose to encrypt all the files, or only the minimum needed files to support the vTPM device.
    Note: You can specify a password of your choice or select the Auto Generate Password option to automatically generate a password. You can also select the option to remember the encryption password. Mac's Keychain stores the password.
  10. Create a new virtual disk or use an existing virtual disk, and then click Continue.
  11. To change disk size, CPU, memory, or other standard settings of the virtual machine, click Customize Settings, and make the required changes.
  12. Enter the name and location of the virtual machine, and then click Save.
  13. Click Finish.

Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine and begins installing Windows 11, taking you through the out-of-the-box experience.

What to do next

After Windows 11 is successfully installed, you need to install VMware Tools. It is recommended that you install VMware Tools before you attempt to activate/license the operating system. For more information on installing VMware Tools on an Apple Silicon Mac, see Manually Install VMware Tools on Windows