How to run Windows 10 on a Mac using a Virtual Machine(VirtualBox) and share your files across platforms
(**Updated December 20, 2021)
This is intended to help Mac users successfully set up a fully working virtual Windows 10 machine and a shared folder for moving files between the two. I also include how to fix issues that might happen while setting up or using VirtualBox. This will work best for Macs running Catalina OS versions or later.
— — Downloads — —
- Download VirtualBox from here: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
2. Download a Windows 10 ISO file from this link for use in the “Set up Windows 10” section. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO The 64-bit download will work.
3. Keep the Windows 10 download somewhere easy to access for later.
— — Set up Virtual Box — —
4. Double tap the Virtual Box download to start installation.
5. In VirtualBox, click on the blue circle button titled “New” to create a new virtual machine. Give it a name, for example “Windows 10, and select the proper version, like ‘Windows 10 — 64 bit’ from the drop down.
For the next 5 steps just continue to follow the prompts.
6. On the next screen decide the amount of RAM to allocate to your virtual machine. More RAM means more computing power and more ability to run multiple programs simultaneously, but you don’t want to eat up too much from your Mac. So, it’s ok to start with the default and adjust it later.
7. For the next several screens you can choose the default settings as shown in the images and click Continue.
8. When prompted to decide a file location for your virtual machine, you can either choose an SSD if you have one, or your computers’ local folder, Local Disk (E:).
9. Once you have set the file location, choose the size. The default is a good place to start.
10. Now go ahead and click Create.
11. You should now see your Windows machine in the left menu on the Manager. It will be shown as “Powered Off.”
(To change the amount of RAM or access other advanced settings later on, right-click on your Windows machine from the menu and select ‘Settings.’ A settings menu will appear. You can change the amount of RAM in the ‘System’ tab.)
— — Set up Windows 10 — —
12. Next you’ll need to set up Windows on the virtual machine.
13. First add the ISO file you downloaded to your virtual machine. Select the yellow Settings wheel on Virtual Box as shown above.
In Settings click on Storage, as shown below.
14. Click on the left compact disk icon with a green plus next to “Controller: SATA.” (Shown above)
Next, select the Add icon (as shown below).
Choose your downloaded ISO file from your files.
Then select Choose (as shown below) once your ISO file is shown.
You should now see your disk listed under “Controller: SATA.” If you see any additional “Empty” discs you can remove them.
Now, exit Settings and start your virtual machine by tapping the green ‘Start’ arrow with your machine selected.
The Windows setup screen will now show (as below). Choose you language and keyboard options and follow the prompts.
- Don’t worry if the screen looks too small at this point. We’ll fix that later.
15. Select the “Install” button.
When prompted to add a product key, select ‘I don’t have a product key’ at the bottom of the window. This will limit the functionality a little but should be good enough for the moment.
Then select the version you want to install form the list, like ‘Windows 10 Pro,’ accept the terms and conditions, and select ‘Next.’
Choose the operating system you want, such as “Windows 10 Home.”
16. Accept any terms and conditions on the next screen and click “Next.”
Next, select the “Custom: Install Windows only” option and select ‘Next.’ If you miss this step it will make you repeat some steps. So make sure you select the second option.
17. Select the location which will be the one and only disk associated to your Windows machine (as shown below). Click ‘Next’ to install.
Installation will begin and will look like this:
18. It may ask you to select the region, keyboard layout, and type of usage. For type of usage select ‘Personal.’
19. Next it will ask you to login to your Microsoft account or create a new one.
20. Follow the prompts, add your name and pin or password for logging on to your Windows machine. Lastly, choose the privacy settings you want and skip through the remaining prompts.
It may take a few minutes for Windows to complete setup and launch.
Once you see this screen you’re done and are now running a Windows computer on your virtual machine! 🎉 🎉
To exit the virtual machine you can use Command + F to exit full screen or click anywhere outside of the Virtual Box window, and then close the window.
After exiting you should see the words “Powered Off” again under your machine in the left menu of the Manager in Virtual Box.
To reopen your virtual machine, open VirtualBox program on your Mac, select your Windows 10 machine and click on the green ‘Start’ arrow.
— — Additional Tips and Troubleshooting — —
Tip: Fixing Windows screen looking too small in Virtual Box Window.
1. Go to the ‘Start’ button with the Windows icon at the lower left of the screen and scroll down to Settings.
In Settings, go to System and adjust the Display Resolution to use a larger screen size.
Then on the Virtual Box menu at the top of the Window select “View” > “Virtual Screen 1”(or the last option) and choose “Scale to 175%” or another scale that fits your screen best.
Your Windows screen should fill out the VirtualBox window more fully. 🎉
Sharing files between the VM and your mac:
Now that you have a working virtual machine, you may have files or downloaded programs you want to share between them.
The following steps will show you how to set up a shared folder.
- With your VirtualBox virtual machine running, go to ‘Devices’ from the menu, select ‘Insert Guest Additions CD image…’
2. Once the Guest Additions image is installed, go to ‘Machine’ in the menu and select ‘Settings.’
3. Go to the ‘Shared Folders’ tab. You will want to add a folder to the ‘Machine Folders.’ Machine Folders are permanent and will remain if you restart the virtual machine. Click on the green and blue ‘Add’ button at the right of the window.
4. Next, on the pop-up window you will need to specify the folder path, this is where your shared folder will be located on your Mac. You can choose your Desktop or anywhere convenient.
5. You should also give the folder a name, like ‘Virtual Shared.’
6. Uncheck ‘Read-only’. ‘Read-only’ will not let you add files or make changes in the folder, so unless you have reasons for it to be read-only go ahead and uncheck this. Then decide if you want to check ‘Auto-mount’ or not. ‘Auto-mount’ will automatically open the folder when turning on your computer.
7. Once you’ve finished the steps above, click the ‘Ok’ button. Your virtual folder should now appear at the location you specified on your Mac.
On your Windows virtual machine you can find your folder by going to the ‘File Explorer’, selecting ‘Network.’ It should be under the computer “VBOXSRV.”
Troubleshooting: If you follow these instructions, but get an error saying you need to “install Guest Additions” in VirtualBox, this short Youtube video will provide all the help you need to set up your shared folder successfully.
Additional troubleshooting:
If you ever start up Virtual Box from the dock on your mac and see the following message pop up, there is a fix.
The issue could be caused by the shortcut on your doc getting corrupted.
The first thing to do is right-click on the shortcut and remove it from the dock, as shown below. Then go into your Applications folder in a new Finder window and double-click to open Virtual Box from there. This should resolve the issue and allow you to open Virtual Box.
If this doesn’t fix this problem removing the Virtual Box application from your computer and downloading it again might be necessary. But only do this as a last resort if the instructions above don’t work.
Here is a link to a forum where this issue and solutions are discussed: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=92632.
Thank you for reading! Hope this was helpful!
