Creating a new OS X virtual machine from the recovery partition in VMware Fusion

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

VMware Fusion 6.x and above have a feature to create a new OS X virtual machine from the recovery partition on the Mac. This article provides steps to use this feature.

Environment

VMware Fusion Pro 8.x
VMware Fusion 8.x
VMware Fusion 10.x
VMware Fusion 7.x
VMware Fusion 11.x
VMware Fusion 6.x

Resolution

To create a new OS X virtual machine from the recovery partition:

1. Start VMware Fusion.
2. Navigate to File > New from the Fusion menu bar. The Create a Virtual machine wizard opens.
   Note: In Fusion 8.x and above, select the Installation Method wizard and proceed to step 4.
    
3. Click More Options.
4. Select Install OS X from the recovery partition.
5. Click Continue.
   
   VMware Fusion looks for the recovery partition on the Mac and presents an option to create a New Mac OS X Virtual Machine.
    
6. Enter the virtual machine name in the Save As: option.
7. Select the location of the virtual machine. By default, virtual machine bundles are stored in Macintosh HD/Users/User name/Documents/Virtual Machines.
8. Click Save.
9. Click Finish after VMware Fusion completes the virtual machine creation.
   
   Note: The virtual machine settings can be customized by using the Customize Settings option on the Finish screen.
    
10. Power on the virtual machine and setup the Mac OS X for a new Apple Mac.