VMware Fusion Pro 25H2 for Mac is a professional desktop virtualization platform from VMware by Broadcom that allows Mac users to create and run virtual machines (VMs) containing Windows, Linux, and other supported operating systems alongside macOS. It provides an isolated virtual hardware environment in which users can install applications, test operating systems, develop software, run enterprise workloads, and maintain separate computing environments without rebooting the Mac. The 25H2 naming scheme represents VMware’s move to calendar-based versioning, with 25H2 corresponding to the second half of 2025.

Fusion Pro supports both Intel-based Macs and Apple Silicon Macs, but the guest operating systems available to a VM depend on the processor architecture. Intel Macs can run x86/x64 guest operating systems, while Apple Silicon Macs use ARM64/aarch64 guest operating systems. Consequently, an Apple Silicon Mac can run Windows 11 for ARM, but cannot natively boot an x86-64 Windows installation inside Fusion.

The Pro edition provides advanced virtualization capabilities such as snapshots, cloning, virtual networking, REST API automation, vmrun automation, vSphere connectivity, network simulation, and enhanced VM management. It is therefore useful not only for running Windows applications but also for software development, QA testing, cybersecurity labs, infrastructure testing, enterprise application compatibility, and virtualized server environments. VMware Fusion 25H2 also supports DirectX 11 graphics on both Intel and Apple Silicon editions, subject to the capabilities and architecture of the host and guest.

Fusion 25H2 is particularly relevant for organizations operating mixed Mac/Windows environments. Users can maintain separate Windows or Linux installations for applications that have no native macOS equivalent, while developers can create disposable virtual machines for testing. VMware’s Pro feature set also enables integration with VMware infrastructure and automation tooling, although individual capabilities differ between Intel and Apple Silicon hosts. For example, Apple Silicon Fusion supports ARM guests, while x86 operating-system guests are not supported on Apple Silicon.

Key Features

• Professional desktop virtualization for macOS
• Supports Intel and Apple Silicon Macs
• Run Windows and Linux virtual machines
• Windows 11 ARM support on Apple Silicon Macs
• x86/x64 guest operating-system support on Intel Macs
• Virtual machine snapshots
• VM cloning in Pro edition
• Virtual networking
• NAT, bridged, and host-only networking workflows
• Network simulation
• REST API automation
• vmrun command-line automation
• vSphere connectivity
• DirectX 11 3D graphics support
• Virtual USB device connectivity
• Drag-and-drop support
• Copy-and-paste support
• Auto-fit display resolution on supported configurations
• Multiple virtual CPUs and configurable virtual memory
• Virtual disk management
• VM encryption and security options
• Enterprise development and testing workflows
• Software compatibility testing
• Isolated development environments
• Server and infrastructure testing
• Support for VMware virtual-machine formats
• OVF import/export on Intel hosts
• VMware Tools integration where supported
• Advanced Pro-level VM administration

(Broadcom)

What’s New

VMware Fusion 25H2 introduced VMware’s new calendar-based product naming and several platform-level changes:

• New 25H2 versioning replacing the older 13.x numbering system
• Continued support for Intel Macs
• Continued Apple Silicon support
• ARM64 guest operating-system support on Apple Silicon
• Windows ARM virtualization on Apple Silicon
• DirectX 11 graphics support on both Intel and Apple Silicon
• Snapshots and cloning capabilities
• REST API and vmrun automation
• vSphere connectivity
• Network simulation
• Improvements to virtual-machine management
• Updated virtualization infrastructure and compatibility
• Continued support for modern Linux and Windows guest environments

Broadcom’s feature matrix confirms that Fusion 25H2 supports run-x86 guests on Intel, run-ARM guests on Apple Silicon, DirectX 11 graphics on both platforms, snapshots, Pro cloning, REST API, vmrun, networking, and vSphere connectivity.

Important architecture limitation: Apple Silicon Macs cannot run x86/x64 guest operating systems directly through Fusion. Windows users on Apple Silicon therefore need an ARM version of Windows, such as Windows 11 ARM.

Professional Applications

VMware Fusion Pro 25H2 is suitable for:

• Running Windows applications on Mac
• Windows 11 ARM virtualization
• Linux development environments
• Software development and testing
• QA and application compatibility testing
• Cybersecurity laboratories
• Enterprise IT testing
• Server and infrastructure testing
• Virtual networking laboratories
• VMware/vSphere administration and testing
• Legacy application testing
• Cross-platform application development
• Training and educational environments
• Temporary disposable test environments
• Enterprise Mac/Windows coexistence

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Operating System: A supported macOS release compatible with Fusion 25H2
• Mac Processor: Intel 64-bit processor or Apple Silicon
• RAM: 8 GB recommended for basic virtualization
• Storage: At least several GB for the Fusion application plus the storage allocated to each virtual machine
• Graphics: Metal-capable graphics hardware recommended
• Display: Standard macOS-supported display
• Internet: Required for downloading, licensing, updates, and certain guest OS installation workflows
• Guest OS: Must match the host CPU architecture; Apple Silicon requires ARM64/aarch64 guest operating systems.
• Virtualization: Hardware virtualization support provided by the Mac processor

Important: VMware Fusion does not include Windows. A Windows license and installation media/entitlement must be obtained separately.