VMware Fusion

Overview:

With VMware Fusion, run the most demanding Mac and Windows applications side-by-side at maximum speeds without rebooting. With over 50 new features and a new ultra-fast Migration Assistant for Windows, it’s never been easier to run Windows on your Mac.

Run the Apps You Need on the Mac You Love

Using a Mac doesn’t mean abandoning your Windows applications and devices. Ditch your PC and safely run your favorite Windows programs alongside Mac applications, and keep using your Windows-only devices on your Mac. Also optimized to offer the best Windows applications performance without impacting the power of your Mac, VMware Fusion delivers best-in class graphics support for Windows, including the latest Aero animations in Windows 7 and advanced 3D graphics for avid gamers.

Run Windows with Mac Simplicity

Run Windows. The Mac way. Run Windows applications just like Mac applications, with seamless copy-­and-­paste, drag-­and-­drop, and printing functionality that "just works" with no additional setup required. You can even view Windows applications in Exposé and Spaces or access Windows apps from the Apple menu bar, in just a click. VMware Fusion 3 provides convenient new ways to experience Windows applications like Mac apps.

Move Your PC to a Mac, No Cable Required

Bringing your entire PC to your Mac has never been easier, thanks to the ultra-fast Migration Assistant for Windows. Install an app on your PC, connect it to your Mac with a cable or wirelessly, and VMware Fusion will guide you through the rest. It’s that easy! You can also graduate from Boot Camp, Parallels, or Virtual PC in a snap—importing your existing partitions or virtual machines with just a few clicks.

Why Choose VMware Fusion?

 

Macworld Editors' Choice Award

PC World Top 100 Products of 2008

Macworld UK Editors' Choice Award

Amazon's Best of 2008 "Most-Loved" Software

Award-winning — VMware Fusion is the best way to run Windows on the Mac with more than a dozen awards for its unparalleled excellence, including the industry-acclaimed Macworld Editor’s Choice award, PC World’s Top 100 Products for 2008, and Editors Choice Awards from Macworld UK, PC Pro UK, Redmond Magazine and many others.

The Company You Trust — Brought to you by the undisputed virtualization industry leader, VMware Fusion is backed by over a decade of proven engineering and trusted by millions of users worldwide.

Windows Devices that “Just Work” — VMware Fusion lets you continue using your Windows-only devices with your Mac.

Displays Galore — Display Windows and Mac OS X apps any way you want: side-by-side on your main display, in full screen, or across multiple displays connected to your Mac.

We’ve Got You Covered — Automatic snapshots allow you to roll Windows back to a safe state if something goes wrong. For added protection, we’ve included 18 months of free email support and a 12-month complimentary subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus.

Even More to Love:

With over 50 new features, VMware Fusion 3 offers full support for Windows 7 and Snow Leopard, with a 64-bit optimized engine to deliver even faster performance and advanced 3D graphics for the ultimate Windows experience on the Mac.

Ultimate Windows Experience

Get the ultimate Windows experience on the Mac with the new WDDM 1.0 driver, and make the most of Windows 7 with Windows Aero and Flip 3D animations. New animated transitions to and from full-screen view and expanded third party application support deliver convenient new ways to fully appreciate Windows on your Mac. From the simple installation of Windows to its everyday use, VMware Fusion 3 was designed to give you the ultimate Windows Experience on the Mac.

More Mac-like Than Ever

Designed from the ground up for the latest Mac OS X releases—Snow Leopard and Leopard—VMware Fusion comes preloaded with new powerful built-in features to help you run Windows applications even more like Mac applications. The new always-on applications menu lets you access your Windows apps directly from the Apple menu bar, and the new resizable preview window lets you keep an eye on your virtual machines. The new full screen menu bar gives you complete control over your virtual machine and can be moved to any side of the screen to make guest user interfaces—such as taskbars and menu bars—more accessible.

Windows Powerhouse

Optimized to offer the best Windows performance without impacting the power of your Mac, VMware Fusion delivers best-in class graphics support for Windows and advanced 3D graphics for avid gamers. With a highly optimized 64-bit engine, advanced memory, and CPU management technology, VMware Fusion turns your Mac into a Windows powerhouse and lets you run the most demanding Mac and Windows applications side-by-side at maximum speeds. Play Full HD videos and run your favorite 3D Windows games better than ever with best in class OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 graphics support—all without rebooting.

New Virtual Machine Library — Get easy access to common tasks with the new Home view: install guest operating systems, migrate physical PCs, set up Boot Camp virtual machine, or download virtual appliances. Discover and import virtual machines created by Parallels Desktop or Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac.

Automatic Updates — New built-in software updater that checks, downloads, and installs VMware Fusion updates.

140+ OSes — More than 140 guest operating systems supported, including Windows XP through Microsoft Windows 7, Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server and Ubuntu 9.0.4.

Migration Assistant for Windows — It’s never been easier to move your entire PC to your Mac. Install a simple App on your PC, connect it to your Mac with a cable or wirelessly, and VMware Fusion will guide you through the rest.

50+ — More than 50 new features help make VMware Fusion 3 the best way to run Windows on your Mac.

New Features:

VMware Fusion 3 is packed with more than 50 new features and enhancements

Optimized for Snow Leopard

• Support for both 32-bit and 64-bit Snow Leopard kernels
• New 64-bit native core engine leverages power of 64-bit Snow Leopard
• Leverage K64 kernel performance improvements for reduced overhead
• Leverage Snow Leopard changes for optimized disk and graphics performance

Effortless Migration from Windows PCs to Mac

• Integrated Migration Assistant helps you move your entire PC to a virtual machine on your Mac in a few simple steps
• Connect your PC to your Mac with a simple Ethernet cable – no additional setup required
• Automatically discover your Windows PC on the same network as your Mac using Apple’s Bonjour technology
• Works just like Apple’s Migration Assistant on the Mac

Ultimate Experience for Windows 7 Guests

• Support for Windows Easy Install
• First virtualization product to support Windows Aero, including Flip 3D and Aero Peek
• Support for DirectX 9.0EX with OpenGL 1.4 with new WDDM graphics driver
• Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 on Boot Camp partitions

3D Graphics Now Supports More Applications and Games

• Support for Windows Aero with WDDM driver for Windows 7 and Windows Vista
• DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3 support for Windows virtual machines
• OpenGL 2.1 support for Windows XP virtual machines

Performance. Finely Tuned.

• New 64-bit native core engine maximizes overall performance for all Macs with 64-bit processors. Works on Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard
• Full support for 4-way SMP
• Virtual SMP is now multi-core aware, providing multi-core CPUs to your virtual machines. This allows Home and Starter versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 to use all enabled virtual processors instead of being limited to two.
• Greatly reduced memory usage when using all Windows Vista and Windows 7 virtual machines. (Applies to Windows XP VMs created in VMware Fusion 3)
• Improved 2D drawing and interactive performance in Unity, single window, and full screen views
• Faster typing in Windows applications within Unity view
• Improved responsiveness of remapped keyboard shortcuts
• Faster disk and graphics performance on Snow Leopard host
• Multiple-display full screen view with much better performance for monitor layouts larger than 4096 pixels wide or 4096 pixels high on most Macs.

Unity More Mac-Like Than Ever

• Leave the “Start Menu” behind with the new “Always-on” Applications Menu
• Search for Windows apps like Mac apps
• Use a hot key to bring up the Applications Menu at any time
• Find and launch Windows apps even if Fusion isn’t running and they will launch Fusion automatically for you.
• Pin favorite Windows apps to the Application menu in any order you choose
• Access recently opened documents by Windows applications
• Access Computer, Documents, Control Panel, Run, and Power Commands
• Control your virtual machine while in Unity including hardware settings and power states from Applications menu
• Windows applications work more like Mac applications
• Work with application-specific Exposé and Dock Exposé for a specific Windows app.
• Use “command tilde” (`) to switch between multiple open documents in a Windows application
• Quit a specific Windows app with “command Q”
• Access to Windows taskbar tray items in Unity view in the Mac menu bar.
• Run 3D games and play 1080p video in Unity view.
• Preview window allows you to monitor your virtual machine desktop and resize the window, even in Unity view.

Virtual Machine Library

• Redesigned to make actions more discoverable
• Home pane is an easy to use launching point what you need to do:
• Install guest operating systems
• Migrate physical PCs
• Use a Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine
• Download a Windows trial virtual machine
• Easily find and import virtual machines that were created by Parallels Desktop or Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac.
• Live view makes it easy to see what is happening in your VMs and easily switch between all VMs for a quick status
• Much faster to open when multiple virtual machines are in the Virtual Machine Library

Full Screen View Improvements

• New Full Screen view menu bar gives you full control of your virtual machine, including choosing when the menu bar appears in Full Screen view.
• Move the full screen view menu bar to any side of the screen to avoid blocking guest user interface elements such as taskbars in Windows, the desktop menu in Linux, or the menu bar in Mac OS X Server guests.
• Smooth animated transition when entering and exiting Full Screen view.

User Interface Refinements

• Redesigned menus make commands more logically organized
• Integrated status in virtual machine window works better with Spaces
• Cancel resume in case you resumed by mistake
• Live, smooth resize when resizing a virtual machine window.
• Live view in the Virtual Machine settings window gives
• Access the Virtual Machine Library from the VMware Fusion Dock icon.

Try Windows for Free

• Download and import free Windows trials from Microsoft to try Windows before you buy with VHD Test Drive support.

Automatic Updates

• Built-in software updater that automatically checks, downloads, and installs VMware Fusion updates.

Multiple Display Improvements

• Multiple-display Full Screen view with better performance for monitor layouts larger than 4096 pixels wide or 4096 pixels high on most Macs.

Shared Folders and Mirrored Folders Improvements

• Automatically hide common hidden Windows files in a shared folder, for example, Thumbs.db, $RECYCLE.BIN, and so on.
• Open Microsoft Outlook attachments with Mac applications.
• Improved compatibility with third-party applications including Windows Live Writer, Office 2007, and more.

Copy and Paste, Drag and Drop Improvements

• Copy and paste images between a Windows or Linux virtual machine and the Mac.
• Copy and paste formatted text (RTF) between a Linux virtual machine and the Mac.
• Drag Microsoft Outlook attachments from a Windows virtual machine to the Mac.
• Drag files in a virtual machine directly onto Mac applications in the dock.

Full Support for Mac OS X Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server as Guests

• Mac OS X 10.5 Server Guests now full supported
• Support for Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard virtual machines running the 64-bit kernel (K64), even on Macs that can’t boot into the K64 kernel
• New virtual EFI provides maximum compatibility with Mac OS X Server and provides more Mac like experience.

Keyboard Improvements

• Automatically recognizes European keyboards. Sending keys like @, {, }, and others to Windows works just like it does on the Mac.
• Improved responsiveness with remapped keyboard shortcuts

Virtual Hard Disk Improvements

• Mount a suspended virtual machine's virtual disks as read-only Mac volumes.

Networking Improvements

• Select a specific network adapter for bridged networking
• Support for IPv6 in bridged networking
• Override the Ethernet MAC address of the virtual adapter on the UI

Shared Smart Card

• Access supported CAC or PIV smart cards from the Mac and a Windows virtual machine at the same time

Remote Management

• Manage your virtual machines remotely without installing software into the virtual machine by leveraging VMware Fusion’s built in VNC server. Manage using the VNC client you choose

Select Startup Device

• Like the Mac’s Startup Disk, choose the bootable device for your virtual machine in an easy graphical interface

Move to the Mac:

With the new ultra-fast Migration Assistant for Windows, it’s never been easier to bring your PC to your Mac and make the most of your Windows software investment. Install a simple app on your PC, connect it to your Mac with a cable or wirelessly, and VMware Fusion will guide you through the rest. It’s that easy!

The Best Way to Move to a Mac – No Cable Required

Why pay up to 25% more to get a cable you’re going to use once, when you can move your entire PC to your Mac wirelessly? With Apple’s own Bonjour networking technology built-in, VMware Fusion 3 automatically recognizes your Windows PC on any network and includes everything you need to wirelessly move your PC to your Mac. If you don’t have wireless access—or if your wireless connection is too slow—no problem. Simply use an Ethernet cable to connect your PC to your Mac for an even faster migration.

Bring Your Entire PC to Your Mac in a Few Easy Steps

Wouldn’t it be great if you could use your new Mac, yet have access to your old Windows PC, without the clunky hardware? Wouldn’t you like to make the most of your Windows software investment on your new Mac? With the built-in Migration Assistant for Windows, VMware Fusion 3 can convert your entire PC and bring it over to your Mac in a few easy steps, giving you access to your Windows applications, documents and other files—whenever you need them. Just install a simple application on your PC, connect it to your Mac with a cable or wirelessly, and VMware Fusion will guide you through the rest. You can now recycle your old PC and still have access to your old applications and files, directly from the Mac you love.

Graduate from BootCamp

Graduating from Boot Camp is a snap with VMware Fusion. You no longer have to choose between Windows and Mac at startup; run your existing Windows partition side-by-side with your Mac. VMware Fusion automatically recognizes your existing Boot Camp partition and quickly lets you run it concurrently with your Mac. And when you’re ready, easily import your Boot Camp partition and reclaim unused space, while taking advantage of great virtual-only features like Snapshots, AutoProtect, and the ability to instantly Suspend and Resume—all without having to wait for Windows to reboot.

Try Windows and VMware Fusion 3 for free
If you’re not ready to commit, VMware Fusion lets you import free trial versions of Windows to your Mac so that you can try it all before you buy. A free trial of Windows—coupled with a free 30-day trial of VMware Fusion—gives you the opportunity to take it for a spin first and make the decision that’s right for you.

Take your Parallels and Virtual PC Instances to the next level
If you have used Parallels Desktop or Microsoft Virtual PC to run Windows on your Mac, VMware Fusion can import your previous Virtual Machines and take them to the next level of desktop virtualization thanks to its unique combination of stability, performance and ease of use.

Windows and Linux Easy Install
Integrated into the installation of VMware Fusion 3, Windows Easy Install and Linux Easy Install makes it easier than ever to install your favorite version of Windows or Linux on your Mac. The tool uses an automated process to accelerate the installation of Windows—eliminating the need to click "OK" every few minutes—freeing up your time to focus on something else.

Windows Devices “Just” Work
VMware Fusion also enables you to bring your PC peripherals along as well. Use the Windows-only USB devices on your Mac—from GPS receivers, to cell phones, to PDAs, and even Apple iSight cameras. And with driverless printing, your printer will “just work” in Windows on your Mac.

Supported Operating Systems:

VMware Fusion 3 supports more than 140 Operating Systems.

Supported 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Fusion supports the following 32-bit guest operating systems:

• Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard and 10.5 Leopard
• Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, Professional, Home Premium, and Home Basic Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP2 Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP1 Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium Editions
• Windows XP Professional SP3, Home Edition SP3
• Windows XP Professional SP2, Home Edition SP2
• Windows 98 SE
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter SP2 Editions
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter Editions
• Windows Server 2003 Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise SP2, and Enterprise R2 Editions
• Windows 2000 Server SP4, Advanced Server SP4, Windows 2000 Professional SP4 (experimental)
• Windows NT 4.0 Server SP6a, Workstation SP6a
• Windows Me, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 SP1, MS-DOS 6.x
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2, 9 SP3
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, 10 SP2
• SUSE Linux 10.1, 9.3
• Novell Netware 6.5 SP7
• Novell Linux Desktop 9 SP2
• Novell Open Enterprise Server SP2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3, 4.7, 3.9, 2.1-stock 2.4.9-e3 (Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, Workstation)
• Red Hat Linux 9.0—stock 2.4.20-8, upgrade 2.4.20-20.9
• Red Hat Linux 7.0—stock 2.2.16-22, upgrade 2.2.17-14
• Solaris 10 on x86 (Update 7)
• Ubuntu Linux 9.04, 8.10, 8.04.3, 7.10, 6.10, 5.10
• Mandriva Linux 2009.1, 2008, 2007, 2006
• FreeBSD 7.2, 7.1, 6.1, 5.5
• Turbolinux Enterprise Server 8
• Turbolinux Desktop 10

Supported 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Fusion supports the following 64-bit guest operating systems:

• Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard and 10.5 Leopard
• Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, Professional, Home Premium, and Home Basic Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP2 Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP1 Editions
• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium Editions
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter SP2 Editions
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter Editions
• Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, Enterprise SP2, and Enterprise R2 Editions
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2, 9 SP3
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, 10 SP2
• SUSE Linux 10.1, 9.3
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3, 4.7, 3.9 (Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, Workstation)
• Solaris 10 on x86 (Update 7)
• Ubuntu Linux 9.04, 8.10, 8.04.3, 7.10, 6.10, 5.10
• Mandriva Linux 2009.1, 2008, 2007, 2006
• FreeBSD 7.2, 6.1, 5.5
• Turbolinux Server 10

Documentation:

VMware Fusion 3 New Features (.PDF)

VMware Fusion 3 Supported Operating Systems (.PDF)