Running Virtual Machines on macOS 13 Ventura

Yes, you can run virtual machines on macOS 13 (Ventura) using a wide range of modern virtualization software. Your options and overall experience will primarily depend on your Mac’s hardware architecture—whether it runs on an Intel processor or Apple Silicon (M1/M2 chips). While both platforms support virtualization, they differ in the types of guest operating systems they can run natively without performance-degrading emulation.

Intel vs. Apple Silicon Macs

  • Intel-based Macs: If your Mac has an Intel processor, you can natively virtualize standard x86 and x64 operating systems, including older and current versions of Windows, standard Linux distributions, and other Intel-compatible environments.
  • Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2): Macs with Apple Silicon use ARM architecture. They can natively run ARM-based guest systems, such as Windows 11 on ARM and ARM64 Linux distributions. While running x86 operating systems is technically possible through software emulation, it causes a noticeable drop in performance.

Several software solutions are fully compatible with macOS 13:

  • Parallels Desktop: Highly optimized for macOS Ventura and Apple Silicon. It offers seamless integration with macOS, easy installation of Windows 11 on ARM, and strong graphical performance for productivity and gaming.
  • VMware Fusion: VMware Fusion offers full support for macOS 13. It includes native support for Apple Silicon with automated Windows 11 setup, 3D graphics acceleration, and is free for personal use.
  • UTM: A free, open-source virtualization tool built specifically for macOS. UTM utilizes Apple’s native Virtualization framework for high-speed virtualization of ARM systems, while also including QEMU to emulate legacy x86 systems if needed.
  • VirtualBox: Oracle VirtualBox runs reliably on Intel-based Macs on macOS 13. While experimental builds exist for Apple Silicon, it is primarily recommended for Intel hardware.

Native macOS Virtualization Framework

macOS 13 includes enhanced built-in APIs through Apple's Virtualization framework. This allows lightweight, fast virtualization of Linux and macOS guests directly within the host system. It supports Rosetta 2 inside Linux virtual machines, enabling you to run x86-64 Linux binaries inside an ARM Linux VM with near-native performance.