Virtual machines are a useful tool for running multiple operating systems on a single computer. They allow users to experience different systems without needing to purchase and install separate hardware. However, setting up a virtual machine can be challenging, especially when it comes to installing macOS on an AMD system. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to install macOS Sonoma on a virtual machine using Virtual Box, a free and open-source virtualization software.
The process of installing macOS Sonoma on a virtual box on an AMD system involves downloading the necessary software, creating a virtual machine, adjusting its settings, and installing the operating system. While it may seem complicated, each step is straightforward and can be completed by anyone with basic computer knowledge. Follow the steps outlined in this article to successfully set up a virtual machine and experience the latest features of macOS Sonoma on an AMD system. So, let’s dive in and learn how to install macOS Sonoma with ease.
Table of Contents
1. Download the required software:
First, you will need to download certain software before you can install macOS Sonoma on a virtual box on an AMD system. These include Virtual Box software, the macOS Sonoma ISO file, the Virtual Box Extension Pack, and the latest version of AMD-V-enabled BIOS.
2. Create a new virtual machine in Virtual Box:
Once you have downloaded the necessary software, the first step is to create a new virtual machine in Virtual Box. This will serve as the platform on which you will install macOS Sonoma.
Have a glance:
If you are an expert in using VirtualBox and Virtual machine you can have a summary of the steps below here in a few lines and create a new Virtual machine. However, beginners must take a look down below for greater details.
- Open Virtual Box and click on the “New” button.
- Give your virtual machine a name and select “Mac OS” as the operating system.
- You must also select the amount of RAM you want to allocate for the virtual machine, with at least 4GB being recommended.
- Finally, create a virtual hard disk for the virtual machine.
a. In the VirtualBox Manager window, click New. You are prompted with a wizard to assist you in creating a new virtual machine (VM).
1. Creating a New Virtual Machine: Name and Operating System
b. Selecting a virtual hard disk for your VM is the next step.
Oracle VM VirtualBox may supply hard disk capacity to a virtual machine (VM) in a variety of potentially complex ways, but the most popular method involves using a sizable image file on your physical hard drive, the contents of which Oracle VM VirtualBox displays to your VM as if it were a full hard disk. Then, you may copy this file to another host and use it with another Oracle VM VirtualBox installation, as it represents a whole hard disk.
2. Creating a New Virtual Machine: Hard Disk
Oracle VM VirtualBox sets an upper limit on the size of the image file to keep your physical hard drive (host OS) from being overfilled. However, the image file has to be big enough to include the guest OS’s contents as well as the programs you wish to install. For any significant use, a Windows or Linux guest would most likely require many gigabytes. Later on, the maximum size of an image file can be altered.
3. Creating a New Virtual Machine: File Location and Size
Click Next to go to the following page after you have produced or chosen your picture file.
4. Edit the virtual machine settings:
At times, you may wish to adjust the settings of an already-existing virtual machine to accommodate increased performance requirements. A virtual computer can require more RAM and CPU capacity, for instance, or another virtual network adapter. With the Edit Settings dialog box, you can make changes to these settings. The following VM settings are editable:
- Hardware virtualization can be added or removed.
- Modify virtual machine settings, including time synchronization and VMware Tools update checks.
- The VM’s CPU and memory resources can be changed.
- Include a virtual RDM disk.
A virtual machine (VM) must typically be switched down to be modified, although some hardware modifications, such as hot-adding a USB controller, SATA controller, Ethernet adapter, or hard drive, can be done while the VM is powered on.
Right-click the virtual machine (VM) and choose the Edit Settings option to launch the Edit Settings dialog box in the vSphere Web Client:
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After creating the virtual machine, you will need to make some adjustments to its settings for a successful installation.
- Under the “System” tab, make sure to enable the “Enable PAE/NX” and “Enable Nested VT-x/AMD-V” options.
- In the “Display” tab, increase the video memory to at least 128 MB.
- Under the “Storage” tab, select the macOS Sonoma ISO file that you have downloaded.
5. Install the Virtual Box Extension Pack:
To further enhance the functioning of your virtual machine, you will need to install the Virtual Box Extension Pack. This can be done by going to “File” > “Preferences” and selecting the Virtual Box Extension Pack that you have downloaded. The extension pack will provide additional features and support for your virtual machine.
About VirtualBox Extension Pack
A binary package called VirtualBox Extension Pack increases the functionality of VirtualBox. The following features are included in the extension pack:
Devices using USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are supported. Devices like network adapters, flash drives, hard drives, cameras, and so forth that fit into a host system’s actual USB ports can be connected to a virtual computer running VirtualBox. Thus, an actual USB device may be utilized with a guest operating system (OS).
Without the VirtualBox Extension Pack installed, you may see the error message “Invalid settings detected” while attempting to enable USB 3.0 functionality in the virtual machine settings (Machine > Settings > USB).
How do I download a VirtualBox Extension Pack?
On the download page of the official VirtualBox website, click the link to open the VirtualBox Extension Pack for all compatible computers. Installing a single extension pack file is done using the VirtualBox interface, and it works with a wide range of host operating systems that VirtualBox is compatible with. You may download the single file and use it to install the VirtualBox Extension pack on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris. The Extension Pack file should be saved in a handy location. Extension Pack for Oracle VM VirtualBox 6.0.8. The file used in this example is named box-extract, and it is kept under
C: VirtualBox. You may also get the appropriate versions of the extension packs for earlier VirtualBox versions.
6. Start the virtual machine and install macOS Sonoma.
With all the preparations done, you can now start the virtual machine and begin the installation process for macOS Sonoma. The macOS installer will load, and you will need to follow the on-screen instructions to install the operating system. Once the installation is complete, the virtual machine may automatically restart.
7. Install Virtual Box Guest Additions:
After macOS Sonoma is fully installed, you must install Virtual Box Guest Additions. This will provide better integration between the virtual machine and your host operating system.
To install Guest Additions, click on the “Devices” tab on the Virtual Box menu and select “Insert Guest Additions CD image.”. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
8. Restart the virtual machine.
After guest additions are installed, restart the virtual machine for the changes to take effect.
9. Configure the virtual machine:
Once the virtual machine is restarted, you will need to make some adjustments to its settings.
For example, under “Display,” make sure to select the “Scaled” option and adjust the resolution to fit your screen.
Also, under “Security & Privacy,” make sure to allow apps downloaded from the “App Store and identified developers.”
10. Enjoy macOS Sonoma on your virtual machine:
Congratulations! You have successfully installed macOS Sonoma on a virtual machine on your AMD system using VirtualBox. You can now explore and enjoy all the features of macOS Sonoma on your virtual machine.
Symptoms of the VirtualBox macOS Security and Access Problem
Many users of macOS Sonoma have reported that VirtualBox has several problems when running its virtual machines.
There are at least two situations in which the reported problem occurs:
- On more recent macOS versions, fresh installations of VirtualBox will install without any issues; however, trying to launch a virtual machine will fail.
- Before updating macOS to Catalina and later versions, VirtualBox and the Virtual Machines were operating as intended.
Some common symptoms:
- When you deselect the active instance window or while interacting with the virtual machine, VirtualBox and/or the virtual machine crash instantly.
- The Virtual Machine performs extremely slowly or appears to freeze at random (compared to the pre-MacOS upgrade)
- Certain features don’t work, freeze, or crash the host OS X and guest virtual machines like copy/paste and drag-and-drop.
- If you were using shared folders, they will no longer function.
Cause of the Problem
The way that kernel integrations and permission management are handled in applications has been modified in macOS versions Catalina and higher. Certain permissions are required for certain applications to function, and without those permissions, those applications will stop working. Additionally, updating MacOS can destroy previously functional kernel integrations and permissions if VirtualBox is already installed. During our testing, we discovered that various users of VirtualBox (as well as other software like VMware) have encountered both problems.
From the user’s point of view, there are similarities between the symptoms and solutions of the kernel integration issue and the permission issue. The steps to attempt fixing your VirtualBox installation are listed below. We acknowledge, though, that this might not be able to address every permissions issue with VirtualBox and Catalina (and higher) and that further investigation and adjustment might be necessary.
Solutions to the Problem
Due to the nature of the issue and how it can be brought about by various situations, there are several solutions. We recommend that you work through the following solution in the specified order. The first solutions are the quickest and least disruptive to your setup, and they are arranged roughly according to how difficult and disruptive they are.
Getting to the Security and Privacy Settings
Solution1: Permit System Access for Identified Applications
Solution2: Adjust VirtualBox Permissions
Solution3: Reinstall VirtualBox completely
Security and Privacy Settings Problems
A number of the solutions listed below call for modifying the macOS security & privacy settings. You can accomplish that by following these guidelines:
- Go to Security & Privacy > System Preferences.
- To accomplish this, either click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of the screen and select System Preferences, or select the System Preferences button on the button bar.
SOLUTION 1: Allow Identified Apps to Access the System
More limitations are imposed on what apps can run on the system with MacOS Catalina and later versions. We must ensure that VirtualBox’s current developers, Oracle America, Inc., are allowed to run their software on your system.
1. Close VirtualBox completely
2. To access the General Tab of the Security & Privacy Settings window, follow the instructions from Accessing Your Permissions Settings above. There ought to be a window that resembles the picture below.
3. Click the lock icon to unlock the General Tab and allow modifications. It might ask for your password.
4. Verify that App Store and recognized developers are selected in the Allow apps downloaded from section, which is denoted by the green box in the image above.
NOTE: To test whether it functions, you must select it, exit the Security & Privacy settings, and launch VirtualBox once more. If it isn’t already selected. If that still doesn’t work, exit VirtualBox, return to these settings, and move on to the next step.
5. If this issue affects you, a notice stating that the system software from developer “Oracle America, Inc.” could not load will appear. with an Allow button next to it, as seen in the image above, indicated by the red box. To ensure that VirtualBox can function properly, click Allow.
6. To check if this resolves the issue, exit the Security & Privacy settings once more and try to launch VirtualBox and the Virtual Machine.
SOLUTION 2: Modify VirtualBox Permissions
On macOS Catalina and later, these steps have helped resolve the VirtualBox permission issues; however, some users have reported that they need to adjust permissions differently. Have you discovered any permissions adjustments that, although not mentioned below, resolved your Catalina crashes? Inform us!
Grand Permissions for VirtualBox
All four (4) of the necessary permissions should ideally be granted for VirtualBox and its different services to function as intended.
- Close VirtualBox completely
- To access the Privacy Tab of the Security & Privacy Settings window, follow the instructions from Accessing your Permissions Settings above. A window resembling the picture below should appear, and you should be able to see the red box that indicates the Privacy Tab is currently selected.
- Click the lock icon (see the yellow box in the image) to unlock the Privacy Tab and allow changes. It might ask for your password.
- Examine the four (4) permissions listed in the green box and confirm that VirtualBox is checked in each case where it appears in the list of apps that can control your computer below (in the blue box).
NOTE: The VirtualBox app might not always be editable (greyed out). There should be a checkmark on it still. If not, you might need to carry out the above-mentioned clean re-install of VirtualBox.
5. You can manually add VirtualBox if it is not included in any of the four permissions:
- Click the + button (located in the image above’s purple box).
- Click Open after selecting Applications > VirtualBox; it should now be listed. Ensure that the checkbox is selected.
After granting all four permissions, click the lock icon (the yellow box) to lock the Security & Privacy window. Then, open VirtualBox and run a test on your virtual machine. Return to Security & Privacy and begin REVOKING VirtualBox Permissions if issues (crashing, etc.) continue (see below).
REVOKE Permissions for VirtualBox
Removing some permissions may help if you are still experiencing problems with VirtualBox, especially if they are sudden crashes. This has been reported to assist some users. Start removing permissions by using the screenshot found in the section above on Grant Permissions for VirtualBox as a guide. Examine the four (4) permissions that we gave you, as shown by the green box.
To get permission for everyone, do the following:
- Uncheck VirtualBox and choose one of the permissions (start with Accessibility).
- Click the lock icon (the yellow box) to lock the Security & Privacy window. Next, launch VirtualBox and run a test on your virtual machine.
- Return to Security & Privacy and attempt unchecking VirtualBox on a different permission if issues (crashing, etc.) continue.
- Perform these actions one by one for each of the four permissions, ideally in this order (and verify each modification):
- Accessibility
- Input Monitoring
- Files and Folders
- Full Disk Access
SOLUTION 3: Clean Re-install of VirtualBox
Reinstalling VirtualBox from scratch is the most dependable workaround for both the kernel integration and permission issues that we have discovered.
- Using the VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool included in the VirtualBox Installation Package (.dmg file), uninstall VirtualBox. You can simply download the install package again from the VirtualBox Download page if you no longer have it (any new version will work; the.dmg for your installed version is not required). The VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool will be visible in the bottom right corner of the VirtualBox Installation Package when it is opened (see the red box in the image below). To access the file action menu, right-click the VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool file. Next, select the Terminal option under “Open With” to launch this uninstall script in a terminal window. After identifying which VirtualBox files are installed, the script will prompt you to confirm removal by typing Yes.
- To remove the permissions, restart the computer in recovery mode. Restarting the computer and holding down the Command + R keys will accomplish this until the Apple logo displays. After that, you ought to boot into Mac OS X Recovery Mode.
- To launch a recovery terminal window, click the Utilities menu and choose Terminal.
- To remove the current permissions, use the csrutil clear command. Next, restart the computer.
- Use a recent version of the VirtualBox Installation Package to install a brand-new instance of VirtualBox (if appropriate, use the dmg from the previous step).
With any luck, VirtualBox will now function correctly. If not, though, you can proceed to the following troubleshooting o:ions:
Cause of the Problem
The way that kernel integrations and permission management are handled in applications has been modified in macOS versions Catalina and higher. Certain permissions are required for certain applications to function, and without those permissions, those applications will stop working. Additionally, updating MacOS can destroy previously functional kernel integrations and permissions if VirtualBox is already installed. During our testing, we discovered that various users of VirtualBox (as well as other software like VMWare) have encountered both of these kinds of problems.
From the user’s point of view, there are similarities between the symptoms and solutions of the kernel integration issue and the permission issue. The steps to attempt fixing your VirtualBox installation are listed below. We acknowledge, though, that this might not be able to address every permissions issue with VirtualBox and Catalina (and higher) and that further investigation and adjustment might be necessary.
FAQ
1. Can I install macOS Sonoma on a virtual box on a Windows or Linux system?
You can install macOS Sonoma on a virtual box on any operating system that VirtualBox supports. As long as your system meets the hardware requirements and you have downloaded the necessary software, you can follow the steps outlined in this article to install macOS Sonoma on a virtual machine.
2. Is it possible to use a physical hard drive for the virtual machine on an AMD system?
You can use a physical hard drive for the virtual machine on an AMD system. However, it is recommended to use a virtual hard disk for better performance and to avoid any potential hardware issues.
3. Can I adjust the virtual machine settings after it is created?
You can make changes to the virtual machine settings after it is created. This includes adjusting CPU and memory resources, adding or removing hardware virtualization, and incorporating a virtual RDM disk. However, certain changes may require the virtual machine to be powered off.
4. Are there any additional features I can install to enhance the virtual machine’s performance?
You can install the Virtual Box Extension Pack to enhance the virtual machine’s performance. This pack provides USB 2.0 and 3.0 support, which allows you to connect devices like network adapters, flash drives, and cameras to the virtual machine. Additionally, Virtual Box Guest Additions can be installed to improve integration between the virtual machine and your host operating system.
Conclusion
In conclusion, setting up a virtual machine and installing macOS Sonoma on an AMD system may seem daunting, but with this guide, anyone can easily achieve it. By following each step carefully, you can create a virtual environment where you can experience the latest features of macOS Sonoma without having to make any changes to your physical hardware. With free and open-source software like VirtualBox, users can now have the flexibility to explore and use different operating systems on a single computer. So, whether you are a developer, an avid user, or simply curious about macOS Sonoma, this article has provided you with a comprehensive guide to successfully installing it on your virtual machine. We hope this article has been helpful, and you can now enjoy all the benefits of using macOS Sonoma on your AMD system.