How to Run Linux (Fedora Workstation 32) on an Apple Mac

VMware Fusion* is a desktop virtualization program that lets you run multiple different operating systems on your Mac at the same time. This is great for developers because it allows you to test software on a machine similar to what is used in production. And when using VMware Fusion Pro* you can create snapshots that let you rollback changes, or you can clone existing virtual machines to speed up the deployment of test environments.

In this post, we’ll see how to create a Fedora Workstation 32 VM so that you can run Linux on your Mac without needing extra hardware.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you should have VMware Fusion* installed on your Mac and have downloaded the Fedora Workstation 32 ISO.

Let’s begin.

Create the Fedora Workstation 32 VM

Open VMware Fusion, click + then New…

Click Install from disc or image.

Either drag the Fedora ISO image from finder into the box with the arrow or click the Use another disc or image… button.

The image below shows the dialog box after clicking the Use another disc or image… button.

After selecting the ISO, you should see it in the list of images. Select it, then click Continue.

Click Finish.

Give the VM a name and select a location to store the files, then click Save to create the VM.

Select Start Fedora-Workstation-Live 32 then press Enter

Wait for Fedora to boot then click on Install to Hard Drive.

Select your language then click Continue.

Click Installation Destination, set it to automatic then click Begin Installation.

Wait for Fedora to finish installing.

Once complete, click Finish Installation.

Power the VM down then disconnect the ISO by going to the Virtual Machine Settings screen and unchecking the Connect CD/DVD Drive option.

Power the Fedora VM back on and it should boot from the hard disk.

Setup Fedora

Once the Fedora VM has booted from the hard disk for the first time, you will be asked to setup your user account and privacy settings by completing a setup wizard.

Click Next to get started.

Choose your privacy settings then click Next. In the example below, I have disabled Location Services and Automatic Problem Reporting.

Connect your online accounts or click Skip.

Enter a username then click Next.

Assign a password then click Next.

Install VMware Tools

VMware Tools is required to make the VM run faster and it allows you to copy and paste between the Mac and VM. To install VMware Tools on Fedora, open a Terminal and run the following command:

sudo yum install open-vm-tools-desktop

Conclusion

VMware Fusion* is a great tool for developers when creating software for multiple operating systems. In this tutorial, I showed you how easy it is to get Fedora Workstation running on a Mac as a virtual machine.

It takes more steps than installing Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 because there is no Easy Install option for Fedora. However, it’s still super easy.