Mini Virtual Machine

MiniVirtual is a lightweight virtual machine app for Mac that helps you create and run Linux and macOS virtual systems in a clean graphical interface. Build an Ubuntu or Debian development box, test commands in an isolated Linux environment, keep toolchains separate from your main Mac, or boot a compatible macOS VM for experiments.

Built on Apple’s native Virtualization framework, MiniVirtual is designed for efficient CPU, memory and battery use on Apple silicon. It focuses on the essential workflow: choose a system image, configure the hardware, boot, share files, use the network and get back to building.

What you can do:

• Create Linux VMs with popular distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and openSUSE.

• Run compatible macOS virtual machines on supported Macs.

• Install from custom .iso, .dmg and other disk images.

• Configure CPU cores, memory, storage and additional disks.

• Share folders from Downloads, the app sandbox, or folders you choose.

• Copy and paste through clipboard sharing where supported by the guest.

• Connect the guest to the internet through shared NAT networking.

• Use Rosetta inside ARM Linux VMs to run many Intel x86_64 Linux binaries on Apple silicon.

• Export, copy and import VM bundles between Macs with MiniVirtual installed.

• Keep separate VMs for development, testing, package experiments, command-line tools and clean Linux workspaces.

Designed for Apple silicon:

MiniVirtual is best for Macs with M-series chips. Guest systems must support the same CPU architecture as your Mac. On Apple silicon, choose ARM64/AArch64 Linux images or compatible macOS restore images. Intel-only operating system installers cannot be booted as full VMs on Apple silicon through this app. Rosetta support is for running many x86_64 Linux binaries inside an ARM Linux VM, not for booting an x86_64 operating system image.

Current limitations:

• Bridged networking is not available in the current version.

• USB device mounting is not supported.

• Serial port mounting is not supported.

• Existing disks cannot be resized after creation. You can add more disks instead.

• Guest OS support depends on the system image, architecture and drivers provided by that OS.

MiniVirtual is made for developers, students, makers, Linux users and Mac power users who want a focused VM tool without a heavy desktop suite. It is not trying to be everything. It is a small, practical virtual machine command center for running compatible Linux and macOS environments on your Mac.

Disclaimer: macOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Kali, Parrot Security, Rosetta and other system or product names belong to their respective owners. MiniVirtual is not affiliated with or endorsed by those projects or owners.