If you’re a Mac user, there’s no need to sell your Mac and get a Windows computer. You can use VirtualBox, Parallels or VMWare (links lead to academic versions) to run Windows on your Mac. This tutorial was written for VirtualBox, since it’s free and you don’t have to reboot your computer to access Windows (this is why I don’t recommend Bootcamp, since you lose access to your Mac files and software).

1. Windows Key On Mac Virtualbox
2. Windows On Mac Wine
3. How To Install Windows On Mac With Virtualbox

• The VirtualBox software that allows for the creation of a virtual machine (VM) on a mac. Create a new Windows 10 VM using VirtualBox. Install Office 365 on the Windows 10 VM. Office 365 includes applications like Access, Excel and Word.
• Apr 18, 2018 I recently just started using virtualbox on my mac machine and the performance is very slow on windows 10. My macbook is fairly new and has 16GB of RAM so not too sure if my configuration is wrong, or what could be causing my virtual machine to experience slow performance. Also in the activity monitor, virtualbox is using 200% of my CPU.

Before you do anything else, make sure your Mac is updated to the latest version of OS X your computer supports, and verify it has 8GB or more of RAM.

1) Download Windows 10

In this video, you will learn how to install Windows 10 on your Mac using VirtualBox.Link to download Windows 10: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-do. In this video, you will learn how to install Windows 10 on your Mac using VirtualBox.Link to download Windows 10: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-do.

You can now download an ISO of the installation disk directly from Microsoft. Most likely, you need the 64-bit version. The file you download will be over 3GB, so get this started and move on!

2) Purchase a Windows License

You will need to purchase a Windows 10 Home (64-bit) license, which is available new on Amazon (search for “Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit OEM”) or a second-hand license available on eBay. What you really need is the activation key, since DVD drives are very uncommon these days.

Please note that you can install Windows without a license key, but you’ll get a nasty reminder if you don’t activate after a few weeks.

3) Download and Install VirtualBox

Save the DMG to a location on your computer where you will be able to find it (Downloads, Desktop, etc.). If you are on a Mac, you need the version for “OS X hosts.” VirtualBox must be installed before it can be used. When you mount the DMG, you must then run the VirtualBox installer, which will place VirtualBox into your Applications folder.

4) Create your Virtual Machine (VM)

1. When you run VirtualBox for the first time, there will be no virtual machines (VMs) installed.
   
2. Click New in the toolbar, which will launch the New Virtual Machine Wizard.
   1. Give your VM a name such as “Windows 10”.
   2. Select “Windows” as the operating system, and “Windows 10 (64 bit)” as the version.
   3. Go with the recommended memory (2048 MB, or 2 GB).
   4. Leave the default “Create a virtual hard disk now” selected.
   5. Choose “Create.”
3. Next you must configure the hard disk for your VM to use. The default settings should be fine (the drive is dynamic, so will only use the least amount of space on your host computer). Choose “Create.”
4. You will now be taken back to the Virtual Machine Manager, which will no longer be empty. You should see the VM you created, and it should be “Powered Off”. Your VM is a computer within a computer, which means it must be started and shut down like a normal computer (it also means it can get viruses so be careful).
   

5) Install Windows

1. Select the new VM you created and choose Settings (gear icon).
2. Scroll down to the “Storage” section
3. Select “[Optical Drive] Empty” and choose “Choose/Create a disk image…” A dialog will open.
4. Choose “Add,” select the ISO you download earlier, and select “Choose”
5. Click the green “Start” arrow to start your VM.
   You may see a warning that “Auto capture keyboard” is turned on. What is important to note on this screen is the host key, which is set to Left Command key. Use this key to “release” the mouse and keyboard from the VM to switch back to your Mac. You will need to do this if your mouse and keyboard appear to be “stuck” in the VM, meaning you can’t move the mouse out of the VM. Normally after Windows installed, you can simply move your mouse out of the VM window and it will be back on your Mac side.
6. Your VM should start for the first time. It will boot like a normal computer, but in a window on your Mac. You may get the Virtual Machine host key warning again, select “Do not show this message again” and then “Capture”. You must remember your host key, which defaults to the left Command key.
   
7. Now you’re in the Windows installer. Follow the on-screen instructions, the default settings should be fine. One screen that is a little confusing is the “Upgrade” or “Custom” installation. Since this is a new VM, there is nothing to upgrade, so Custom would be the most logical choice.

Your VM may reboot a few times as Windows in installed, but most of your time will be spent watching your screen, so this would be a good time to get up and walk around.

6) Configure a Shared Folder

Before you can actually use your new VM, you will need to enable a shared folder. This folder is used to access files on your Mac from your VM. If you don’t have a shared folder, then your VM will be landlocked, meaning you won’t be able to get files on or off (you could theoretically use a USB key). To configure a shared folder, your VM must be powered off.

1. In your VM configuration window, scroll down to the Shared Folders section. Clicking this heading will open the shared folders Window.
   
2. Click the “Add a new shared folder definition” button to add a share.
3. Click the down arrow in the folder path box and select “Other…”. Navigate to a folder on your Mac, such as your Desktop or your Documents folder. Once you have chosen your folder, click “Choose”.
4. The folder name will automatically populate the “Folder Name” box, but you can change it should you wish. Make sure “Read-only” is not checked, and that “Auto-mount” is checked.
   

7) Guest Additions

Start up your VM, when it is finished booting and you have added a user account, your final step is to install some software that VirtualBox will use to make using your VM perform a little better. From the “Devices” menu, select “Install Guest Additions”.

8) Use your VM!

You have now successfully installed VirtualBox and Windows. You may now install other software that you will need for courses. If you attached a USB key (or insert a CD or DVD into your computer), you may use it in your VM. You can also install software you download from the internet. Usually installation software ends with the extension .exe. These files can safely be downloaded on your Mac to be used in your VM. Your Mac will ignore them since .exe files are not compatible.

You will need to have Office on either your Mac or PC. Some software may require Office to be installed on Windows.

If you have any questions, please refer to the VirtualBox user manual.

If you need assistance installing VirtualBox, please reach out to Prof. Troyer.

If you need help using Windows, the Help Desk may be able to assist.

Here I explain how to install Windows on a Mac using the (free) virtualization software, VirtualBox.

VirtualBox is free software that allows you to install different operating systems on your machine. By using VirtualBox, you can install Windows on your Mac. This enables you to run Windows-only applications on your Mac.

Windows Key On Mac Virtualbox

Here are the main steps involved in installing Windows on a Mac:

1. Download and Install VirtualBox
2. Create a Virtual Machine
3. Download and Install Windows

Here they are in more detail.

Download and Install VirtualBox

To run Windows on a Mac, you need to use virtualization software such as VirtualBox. While there are other options available (such as Parallels and VMware Fusion), VirtualBox is free. And while Bootcamp is also a free option, it doesn't let you run macOS and Windows simultaneously (you have to reboot the machine every time you want to switch to the other operating system). So with VirtualBox you get the best of both worlds — it's free, and it allows you to run both Windows and macOS simultaneously so you can switch between them as required without having to reboot.

1. Download VirtualBox

   Go to the VirtualBox download page and click OS X Hosts.

2. Install VirtualBox

   Double-click the VirtualBox.pkg icon to install VirtualBox. This will enable you to run VirtualBox from your Applications folder.

Create a Virtual Machine

Now that you've installed VirtualBox, you can create a virtual machine. This virtual machine is where you'll install Windows.

Windows On Mac Wine

1. Launch VirtualBox

   Launch VirtualBox via the Applications folder (just as you'd launch any other application).

2. Start the Wizard

   Click New to start the process of creating a new virtual machine.

3. Name and Operating System

   Enter a name for the virtual machine (make it descriptive, such as Windows 10 or similar).

   Also choose Microsoft Windows and select the 64 bit version (unless you have reason to choose the 32 bit version).

   Click Continue.

4. Set the Memory Allocation

   Use the slider to specify how much memory is allocated to the virtual machine. I selected 4 GB (4000 MB), which should be sufficient to run SQL Server inside Windows. If your Mac has a lot more RAM, then you might be able to allocate more to the virtual machine.

   Click Continue.

5. Hard Disk

   Leave it at the default setting and click Create.

6. Hard Disk File Type

   Leave it at the default setting and click Continue.

7. Storage on Physical Hard Disk

   Leave it at the default setting and click Continue.

8. File Location and Size

   Leave it at the default setting and click Create.

9. Done!

   Your new virtual machine has been created. It appears in the left pane of the VirtualBox home screen.

   This is where you launch your virtual machine from whenever you need to use Windows.

Download and Install Windows

How To Install Windows On Mac With Virtualbox

1. Download the Windows Disk Image

   Go to the Windows download page and select the latest version of Windows. Follow the prompts to download the ISO file to your Mac.

   Alternatively, go to the Microsoft Evaluation Center and download a free evaluation trial. This is the option I used in this tutorial. This tutorial uses the Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation edition (which is free to use for 90 days).

   Download the file to your VirtualBox VMs folder (e.g. /Users/Dave/VirtualBox VMs/) or move it there once downloaded.

2. Start the Installation

   Double-click on the virtual machine that you created previously.

3. Select the Windows Disk Image

   Use the interface to browse to, and select, the Windows ISO file that you downloaded.

   Click Start.

4. Select Language, etc

   Select your language and other preferences, then click Next.

5. License Agreement

   Select I accept the license terms and click Next.

6. Installation Type

   Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

7. Select the Drive

   Here, the 50 GB drive (that you created when you created your virtual machine previously) should already be selected. If not, select it.

   Click Next.

8. Select Keyboard Layout

   Select your preferred keyboard layout and click Yes.

9. Add Another Keyboard?

   Click Skip (unless you want to add another keyboard, in which case click Add layout and follow the prompts).

10. Join Domain

    Microsoft wants you to sign in but for the purposes of this tutorial, we won't be doing that.

    For this tutorial, click Domain join instead.

    If you have an account with Office 365 or other business services, then feel free to sign in using that account instead.

11. Add Name

    Add your name (or pseudonym) and click Next.

12. Confirm Password

    Enter your password again to confirm and click Next.

13. Cortana?

    Click either Yes or No depending on whether you want to use the Cortana personal assistant. (In this case I chose No.)

14. Privacy Settings

    Disable any privacy settings you want to, then click Accept.

15. Finally... Done!

    Windows is now installed. The Windows desktop is displayed, and you can now go ahead and start using Windows on your Mac!