Check compatibility
1- Download Mac OS. You can experience the Mac OS right on your computer by installing a Mac OS virtual machine on VirtualBox. Below is the list of Mac OS versions released in recent years: Mac OS Version: Name: Release Date: 10.10: Yosemite: June 2014: 10.11: El Capitan: September 30, 2015: 10.12: Sierra: June 12, 2016: 10.13: High Sierra. Step One: Create a macOS High Sierra ISO File. To start, we’ll need to create an ISO file of macOS.
You can upgrade to macOS High Sierra from OS X Mountain Lion or later on any of the following Mac models. Your Mac also needs at least 2GB of memory and 14.3GB of available storage space.
MacBook introduced in late 2009 or later
MacBook Air introduced in late 2010 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in mid 2010 or later
Mac mini introduced in mid 2010 or later
iMac introduced in late 2009 or later
Mac Pro introduced in mid 2010 or later
MacBook Air introduced in late 2010 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in mid 2010 or later
Mac mini introduced in mid 2010 or later
iMac introduced in late 2009 or later
Mac Pro introduced in mid 2010 or later
To find your Mac model, memory, storage space, and macOS version, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu . If your Mac isn't compatible with macOS High Sierra, the installer will let you know.
Make a backup
Before installing any upgrade, it’s a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Get connected
It takes time to download and install macOS, so make sure that you have a reliable Internet connection. If you're using a Mac notebook computer, plug it into AC power.
Download macOS High Sierra
For the strongest security and latest features, find out whether you can upgrade to macOS Catalina, the latest version of the Mac operating system.
If you still need macOS High Sierra, use this App Store link: Get macOS High Sierra.
Begin installation
After downloading, the installer opens automatically.
Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. You might find it easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.
If the installer asks for permission to install a helper tool, enter the administrator name and password that you use to log in to your Mac, then click Add Helper.
Allow installation to complete
Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart, show a progress bar, or show a blank screen several times as it installs both macOS and related updates to your Mac firmware.
Learn more
- If you have hardware or software that isn't compatible with High Sierra, you might be able to install an earlier macOS, such as Sierra or El Capitan.
- macOS High Sierra won't install on top of a later version of macOS, but you can erase your disk first or install on another disk.
- You can use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS.
During a recent pentest, I needed to throw together a macOS virtual machine. Although there was lots of guides around the web, none seemed to work from start to finish. This post contains the steps I extracted from various resources in order to get a fully working High Sierra install within VirtualBox 5.
Step 1: Download The High Sierra Installer
To do this, you need to be on an existing macOS system. I was unable to find the download within the App Store itself, but following this link opened the App Store at the correct page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12
After opening the aforementioned page in the App Store, start the download, but cancel the installation when it starts.
You can then verify that the installer has been downloaded by checking that
'/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app'
exists.Step 2: Create a Bootable ISO
Next, you need to create an ISO from the installer application that was downloaded in step 1.
Running the below commands will create an ISO on your desktop named
HighSierra.iso
:Step 3: Creating the Virtual Machine
I experimented with a few different settings in regards to the CPU and RAM allocation. I didn’t find a combination that didn’t work, but create a VM with the following things in mind:
- Ensure the name of the VM is
MacOS
(ensure to keep the same casing) - Ensure the type is
Mac OS X
and the version ismacOS 10.12 Sierra (64-bit)
(there is a High Sierra option too, but I chose Sierra by accident and it worked) - Untick
Floppy
inSystem > Motherboard > Boot Order
- Use >= 4096 MB of memory in
System > Motherboard
- Use >= 2 CPUs in
System > Processor
- Use 128 MB of video memory in
Display > Screen
- Optionally enable 3D acceleration in
Display > Screen
- Remove the IDE device in
Storage > Storage Devices
and replace it with a SATA controller - Add a new hard disk device under the SATA controller with >= 60 GB of space
- Ensure an optical drive is present under the SATA controller and mount the previously created ISO to it
- Untick the
Enable Audio
option underAudio
After creating the virtual machine with the above configuration, hit OK and exit the settings screen. Now, a number of extra options need to be set.
If you’re on Windows, you’ll need to
cd
into the appropriate directory under the VirtualBox installation path to run VBoxManage
. For Linux users, this should be in your PATH
variable already:After running the above commands, the VM should be ready to boot!
Mac Os 10.12.0
Step 4: Installation
This is where near enough everything I read stopped, despite there being one more problem in the way - UEFI.
Boot into the VM, go into Disk Utility and erase the virtual disk that you added to the machine.
After erasing the disk, start the installation procedure. After a short amount of time, it will reboot the VM.
Once it reboots, it’s going to boot back off the ISO again, once it’s done this, just shutdown the VM and eject the disk [the ISO] and then start the VM again to boot from disk.
On the next boot, it should boot into the installer that was copied to disk, but instead, you will be presented with a UEFI shell like below:
To continue the macOS installation, follow these steps:
- Type
exit
and hit return - Select
Boot Maintenance Manager
and hit return - Select
Boot From File
and hit return - You will see two partitions, select the second partition and hit return
- Select
macOS Install Data
and hit return - Select
Locked Files
and hit return - Select
Boot Files
and hit return - Select
boot.efi
and hit return
After following these steps, you will boot into the remainder of the macOS installation. From here, just follow the steps as per a regular macOS installation.
The next time you boot your virtual machine, you will not have to go through the UEFI shell; it should work without any further problems.
Mac Os 10.12 Sierra Torrent
Step 5: Tweaking The Resolution
As there is no VirtualBox additions for macOS, the screen resolution won’t automatically change. If you know what resolution you wish to use, however, you can set it manually.
Ensure the virtual machine is powered off, and then run the following command; replacing
1920x1080
with whatever resolution you would like to use:After running the above command, the next time you boot the machine, it will use the resolution specified.
Macos 10.12 Sierra Download For Virtualbox
Now, you should have a fully working macOS virtual machine!
References
Mac Os X 10.12
The information found in this post was pieced together from the following sources: