Viable For Mac

Virtual machines can be invaluable for all kinds of tasks, from security testing to running an app in a sandboxed environment. Even regular users can benefit from them, but they are sometimes difficult to set up.

Viable lets you run a virtual version of macOS on your Mac with very little effort. It can handle downloading and installing the operating system automatically, and it is incredibly easy to use once set up, supporting most important VM-related features.

If you’re just getting started, and you don’t have an IPSW restore image ready to go, the app can download the latest stable one and install it automatically. The download progress isn’t displayed, and the images are quite large, so be prepared to wait a while.

Once installed, click Start VM and navigate to the location of the VM bundle. A new window will pop up with the virtual system, and you’ll be able to set up macOS as you would after a normal installation. Unfortunately, you’ll have to load this file every time you launch the VM, with no shortcuts available. Alternatively, you can use Vimy as a quick launcher.

The VM is simple to use. You can set up shared folders for file transfers between the VM and host, and keyboard pass-through can be enabled so that the VM will capture keyboard input while in the foreground.

The size of the virtual disk should be at least 20 GB, with 40 GB recommended for updating macOS in the VM. You can set the number of cores and amount of RAM to be used, as well as change the resolution and PPI, with HiDPI supported for Retina displays.

The sandboxed version of the app, ViableS, offers no clipboard and folder sharing, and it can be run with no network access. For particularly sensitive work, it might be the better choice.

There are still things that can be improved, but this is still a Beta version of the app. As it stands, Viable is excellent for anyone looking to quickly set up a VM on their Apple Silicon Mac, and all it needs are a few refinements and maybe additional features down the line.

You don’t really need to have any kind of prior experience with VMs to install and launch one, and the thorough documentation takes care of any questions you may have. I've started using it myself for app testing, and it hasn't let me down so far.