VMware Fusion Pro is a desktop virtualization application for macOS that runs Windows, Linux and other guest operating systems inside virtual machines. It lets you use applications from another operating system, build test environments or maintain several separate desktops while macOS continues running, without restarting the Mac to switch systems.
Each virtual machine has its own operating system, applications and virtual disk. Fusion Pro maps the Mac’s physical resources to virtual hardware, with controls for the processor count, memory allocation and disk configuration assigned to each guest. The Pro application is free for personal, educational and commercial use.
Guest systems
The Mac’s processor architecture determines which guest systems it can run. Fusion Pro supports both Intel and Apple silicon Macs, but Windows on Apple silicon uses Windows for Arm.
On Apple silicon, the Get Windows function obtains Windows from Microsoft and creates an ISO image after you choose an edition and language. That image can be reused for additional virtual machines. Fusion Pro also provides the virtual TPM and UEFI firmware used by modern Windows guests. Its encryption choices cover either the complete virtual machine or the files needed for the virtual TPM.
File sharing, clipboard and graphics
VMware Tools provides integration between a guest and the Mac. With it, files and folders can be dragged between the two environments, while clipboard operations move text without saving it to a temporary file. Windows and Linux guests also support copying images and formatted text through the clipboard. The available transfers depend on the guest; file and folder clipboard copying is not supported for macOS guests.
Fusion Pro also supplies accelerated virtual graphics, including DirectX 11 support, for compatible guest applications.
Snapshots
A snapshot records a virtual machine’s memory, settings and virtual disks at a particular point. Taking one before changing the guest’s configuration or system software gives you a state to restore if that change produces an unwanted result. Restoring it returns the guest to the captured state, including its earlier disk contents.
Snapshots do not create an independent backup copy of the entire machine.
Clones
VMware Fusion Pro can use an already configured virtual machine as the parent for additional machines. Several test environments can start from one operating system and application setup: each clone begins with that configuration, and subsequent changes remain separate from the parent.
A full clone is independent of its parent. A linked clone is quicker to create but retains a dependency on the parent machine. Fusion Pro gives each clone a different MAC address, allowing it to have a separate network identity rather than duplicating the parent’s address.
Virtual networks
Custom networking controls how guests communicate with the Mac and with other machines. A NAT configuration lets a guest share the Mac’s network address for its external connection. A private virtual network provides communication between connected guests and the host, supporting environments in which several virtual systems work together.
Fusion Pro lets you add or remove these networks, choose their subnets and decide whether a physical host network connects to them. Settings apply to the virtual machines attached to the selected network, so a network configuration can define a shared environment for several guests.
Connecting VMware Fusion Pro to vSphere and ESX
Fusion Pro can connect to remote vSphere or ESX servers to launch, control and manage their virtual machines. Local virtual machines can also be transferred to that infrastructure when a workload needs to move from the desktop to a private cloud.
Automation
The REST API exposes virtual machine operations to scripts and other applications. Requests can change a machine’s power state, create or update virtual network adapters, retrieve guest IP addresses and configure shared folders. Responses use JSON, allowing another tool to read the returned machine information and act on it as part of a larger workflow.
