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Setting Up A Virtual Machine

1. Getting a Windows ISO​

To install Windows on the virtual machine, you will need a Windows ISO file. You can skip this section if you already have a Windows ISO file.

  1. Open the CrystalFetch app.
  2. Select Windows 11 from the list of versions (Windows 10 should also work, but we recommend using Windows 11).
  3. Select Apple Silicon from the list of architectures
  4. Select any language you prefer, or leave it as default, which should be English (United States)
  5. Press Download... to download the Windows ISO file
  6. Select your preferred download location (your Downloads folder is probably the default and good enough) and press Move.

CrystalFetch

2. Creating the Virtual Machine​

  1. Open the UTM app.
    note

    When launching UTM for the first time, you may get a pop-up asking if you want to open it. Press Open. You may also get a "What's New" pop-up after it opens. Just press Continue to go to the next step.

  2. Click on Create New Virtual Machine
  3. Select Virtualize and click Windows
  4. Make sure these settings are selected:
    • Install Windows 10 or higher is checked
    • Import VHDX Image is unchecked
    • Install drivers and SPICE tools is checked UTM
  5. Press Browse... and select the Windows ISO file you downloaded earlier, then press Continue.
  6. Select the following settings:
    • Memory: 4096 MB (4 GB) or more
    • CPU Cores: 4 or more
note

We recommend setting the memory to 8 GB and the CPU cores to 8 if you have enough resources.

UTM 7. Press Continue. The default of 64GiB is fine for the disk size, but you can increase it if you want. Press Continue again. 8. If you wish to make a folder that is shared between macOS and your virtual machine, you can set it up here. Otherwise, press Continue. 9. Change the name of the virtual machine if you want, then press Save. Don't worry about the other settings.

3. Configuring the Virtual Machine​

  1. Click on the virtual machine you just created and press the configure button Configure Button, which is next to the play button in the upper right corner.
  2. Click on Display in the left sidebar.
  3. Ensure Resize display to window size automatically is ticked.
  4. Press Save.
  5. Press Command + , to open UTM settings.
  6. Click Display in the top bar.
  7. Change the Renderer Backend to ANGLE (Metal).
  8. Close the settings window.

4. Installing Windows​

important

If you see "Windows Guest Support Tools" under Pending in your sidebar, wait for it to finish installing before proceeding.

  1. Click on the virtual machine you created and press the play button in the upper right corner.
  2. When the window pops up, spam any key on your keyboard to boot to the Windows installer.
  3. Wait for the installer to load.
  4. Follow the instructions to install Windows.
    • When asked for a product key, you can skip it by pressing I don't have a product key. We will activate Windows later.
    • Select Windows 11 Pro when asked which version to install.
    • When asked where to install Windows on, there should be only one option in the list. Select it and press Next.
  5. Wait for Windows to install. This will take a while.
  6. The installer will restart the virtual machine.

5. Going Through Windows Setup​

Wait for the Windows setup screen to show up. Setting up Windows is quite straightforward. Just follow the instructions on the screen. However, there are a few things to note:

  1. Windows may restart a few times during the setup process. This is normal. Do not spam any keys during these restarts.
  2. If you get stuck on a screen with the UTM logo and a spinning circle after a restart, feel free to restart the virtual machine by closing the window and pressing the play button again.