{"id":3868,"date":"2024-08-27T10:58:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T14:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholetomato.com\/blog\/?p=3868"},"modified":"2026-04-23T07:20:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:20:35","slug":"installing-virtual-machines-to-use-visual-studio-on-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholetomato.com\/blog\/installing-virtual-machines-to-use-visual-studio-on-mac\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing Virtual Machines to use Visual Studio on Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"

TL;DR<\/b><\/p>\n

The full version of Visual Studio cannot run natively on macOS, especially after Visual Studio for Mac was discontinued. The most effective solution is to install Windows (ARM version) on a virtual machine and run Visual Studio within that environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

This approach allows Mac users to access all features required for C++, .NET, Unity, and enterprise development. With proper RAM and CPU allocation, performance is close to native, particularly on Apple Silicon Macs.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can further enhance productivity by using extensions that improve code navigation, autocomplete, and refactoring. Overall, using a virtual machine is the most reliable way to run Visual Studio on a Mac.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many options for IDEs for developers who are working on a Mac; however, there may still be use cases and instances where the available options are insufficient. For example some projects and client requirements may dictate the use of Microsoft\u2019s Visual Studio (VS)\u2014which is predominantly designed for the Windows OS.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a workaround for, what most Mac users have done (and is one of Microsoft\u2019s <\/span>recommendations<\/span><\/a>) is to install a Virtual Machine on ARM Macs to emulate a Windows environment and use Visual Studio from there.<\/span><\/p>\n

This guide will walk you through the entire process of installing and using Visual Studio on a Mac, with a special mention of a handy productivity plugin you can add to make its performance closer to a natively-installed app. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

The Different Visual Studios on Mac<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before you dive right in, here\u2019s something to consider before you install: there are similarly named versions of Visual Studio\u2014and you need to know which one you are looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first one is the native app \u201cVisual Studio 2022 for Mac\u201d<\/strong> (VS 2022 Mac). The naming scheme is how Visual Studio Code is to Visual Studio\u2014they\u2019re two completely different products that confusingly share a similar name.<\/span><\/p>\n

The native Visual Studio for Mac<\/strong> is largely based on <\/span>Xamarin<\/span><\/a>, another cross-platform framework for building native mobile apps on iOS, Android, and Windows. It is primarily used for C# or .NET development. Consequently, Visual Studio for Mac is also used primarily for C# development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VS 2022 Mac has been discontinued in favor of \u201cVisual Studio Code\u201d (VSC) for Mac. You can <\/span>use Microsoft\u2019s VSC with the new C# Dev Kit and related extensions in lieu of VS 2022 Mac. The caveat is that VSC may not be enough for C++ developers, or for C# developers who rely on VS\u2019s frameworks and libraries for their app or program development needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, if you\u2019re opting for VSC on Mac, it may be good to know that there is less discrepancy between the Windows and Mac versions of VSC\u2014just a few keystroke and shortcut differences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To summarize, here are the Visual Studios that you can use on Mac:<\/p>\n