Operating macOS on a Virtual Machine and you would like to how to upgrade to macOS Mojave and Catalina? If so, that’s a perfect move. I mean, there are several cool features to enjoy with this new release. But how do you go by it? Well, in this guide, we have provided a step by step tutorial to make sure that you upgrade to avoid losing your data and ensure that the upgrade is successful. In this post, we are going to focus on the best 2 available tutorial, upgrade Mojave to Catalina and upgrade Catalina to new version.
Options 1: Upgrade Mojave and Catalina on VMware
Step 1: Upgrade to new VMware Player 15.5
If you are running macOS Mojave on Vmware, make sure that you have the latest version. Only this release has enough resources to support macOS Catalina. If you are not running on the newest release, go ahead and download. Here are the step by step instructions.
- Open VMware Player Link and look for free version 15.5.0.
- Click on the green download button located on the top right corner of the download page. This will download the installer to your computer.
- Once downloaded, double click on the exe.
- After your computer starts again, double click on the exe file to finish the installation.
- Once the installation is complete, a popup window will appear. Click on Finish to close the installation wizard.
Next step is reinstall your Patch Tool
Step 2: Edit VMX File for macOS Catalina
Navigate to virtual machine containing the “Virtual Machine configuration” file. If you didn’t specify, the default location will be Document > Virtual Machine. Once you’ve found it, right-click on it. Select Open the file with Notepad.
Find the code: guestOS = “darwin18-64” and replace it to guestOS = “darwin19-64”. Scroll down to the bottom of texts and add this code: smc.version = “0”
Click on File tab then Save the VMX file, darwin19-64 is new macOS Catalina. Open your VMware and you will see VMware player 15.5 now support macOS Catalina.
Step 3: Download and Install a Catalina
Using the steps, explained previously, download macOS Catalina, and configure your virtual machine. With your VMware configured, you can go to the last step and install macOS Catalina.
- Turn on VMware Player, select your virtual machine then click on Power on the virtual machine.
- Download a new version of macOS Catalina from Mac Apps Store.
- After the download has completed, the installer will start running.
- Go ahead and follow that wizard instruction to install macOS Catalina on your VMware.
Options 2: Upgrade Catalina and Mojave on VirtualBox (not support with new version)
If you were looking for information on how to upgrade macOS Mojave to Catalina in Virtual Machine or upgrade Catalina to new version, this guide will help you with everything there is to know. In case you experience any errors or problems, you can always use the internet or recheck the steps to see where you went wrong. At the end of it all, you will be running on the all-new macOS Catalina. And with it, there are a lot of features that you will be in a position to enjoy. All the best in your endeavors!
No funciona como actualizar mi catalina 10.15 a una superior, como lo debo de hacer estoy usuando Virtualbox 6.1
Hi, I’m checking this problem. You should use VM Player to upgrade to new version.
Can you please share update disk again?!
I’m checking a problem with new version. Hope you wait!
10.15.2 is now out and I cannot get it to work, same issue as everyone else, it hangs on the script. Now there is no way for me to use 10.15.1 either, so I am stuck
Hi Joe. I’ll check this problem!
me too, this how-to is not helpful at all. it explains nothing correctly.
Hello, I’m trying to update from 10.15.1 to 10.15.2 in VirtualBox. I download and run the update in Software Update, then map the updater disk image on reboot, but when I run update.nsh it fails to find the macos install data folder on any file system.
When I browse through the shell…
I’ve tried a few times – do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hi. Do you add Boot Disk?
The update.nsh script get stucked on booting from … (i try to update from 10.15.0 to 10.15.2)
Hi. Give me a screenshot?
I have the same problem here. no idea how to post a screenshot, but ill try to describe it. i installed 10.15, got it completely running and disabled the beta versions . The systems tells that 10.15.2 is ready to install. So i tried installing it and tried downloading it from the app store and starting the install. After getting the files ready, the system wants to restart. at reboot is turn off the machine, add the update vmdk and start the sysyem again. Press ESC so not to start the startup.nsh to get in the shell. … All times… Read more »
Hi Edwin. You should add commands to cmd, again!
Hi john. Not really sure what commands you mean. Do you mean the VboxManage commands that you should run in the administrator command prompt for the specific machine (while VirtualBox is turned off/closed) ?
I tried this this morning and after entering the commands (no errors) I started the virtual machine again.
Nothing changed, still hangs…
Hi. I’ll check this problem!
With VB, trying to upgrade from Catalina 10.15 to 10.15.2 when I reboot, I press esc; then I type fs1:\update.nsh (after having added the virtual disk to the Virtula Machine). At a certain point I get:
…
and the shell stops…
I tried both in developer and in non-developer mode.
Any advice?
Thank you!
Hi. You should upgrade to new version before add Virtual Boot disk. Try!
Hi John, thank you very much for your answer. I detached the Update.vmdk disk from my virtual machine; then I started Catalina (10.15) and made start again the upgrade installation. When the system restarted, I stopped the virtual machine, went to settings and added the Update.vmdk. At shell I pressed esc button, and then, at the prompt, I typed … The first time I tried I got a small different output that stated something about a Kernel error (I forgot to copy it….). Then I tried again to do all the procedure (delating the Update.vmdk, starting Catalina, starting the upgrade… Read more »
Hi John,
I followed what @Julian stated some posts below…
I set Catalina in order NOT to receive beta versions; at this point I could download and install the 10.15.1 version (that was not possible to download with the system set to receive beta versions) and I could succesfully upgrade my VB Catalina system to 10.15.1 version.
So I suppose what @Julian states is correct, i.e. it seems there is an issue related to update the system with beta versions.
I hope my experience is useful to fix this issue, also for other users.
Thank you very much for your support.
Cheers,
Jake
Thank Jake!
10.15.2 is still in Beta so only available in developer mode. If you take the machine out of that mode by removing it from the beta program you should be able to update to 10.15.1 (see my post below). When the final version of 10.15.2 comes out I’ll see if I can get it to upgrade. Certainly 10.15 to 10.15.1 worked first time for me.
This worked great and now my Catalina 10.15.1 is running perfectly on VMware Player 15.5. However, after upgrading it, VMware Player no longer shows MacOS as an option to create new virtual machines. Will there be a new…
Thanks for all your awesome work.
Hi. You can create a virtual machine with Windows 64x, then edit your GuestOS in VMX File for macOS.
I got a error message: “Guest operating system ‘darwin19-64’ is not supported.”
Hi Tommy. Do you install new VM 15.5?
The command did not work.
Hi. What is commands? Can you explain?
I suspect this is on VirtualBox – I just built a system from scratch and tried this…
I worked though the script and all appears sensible but the final call to boot.efi, which does exist, in the update package simply makes the system hang. No output at all to the efi shell window so I suspect it fails very early on. Not sure why ……. but I am still looking.
Tried this on Vbox 5.2 and 6.0 and both act the same.
Thank. I’ll check this problem!
…… more info. With the mac in developer mode (which is where I was on the previous post) it won’t update to “10.15.2 beta 3” from “10.15.0” – it just hangs when trying to boot from boot.efi. Take the mac out of receiving beta versions and mine updated to “10.15.1” so think this is more to do with the specific update or the mode that the mac is in (i.e. developer mode as I call it) than the procedure!
Tried to update from “10.15.1” to “10.15.2 beta 3” and it failed again. So it looks like there is an issue with the latest beta and VirtualBox. When the next beta or release comes out i’ll try and post the results.