Download for Mac
Free and open sourcemacOS 15 or laterApple silicon

Three systems.
One Mac.

Run macOS, Linux and Windows 11 in native Mac windows. Lend one to an AI agent, within limits you set.

Download for Mac

Native windows.
Your rules.

  1. 1Every VM is a Mac app.It sits in your Dock and opens in its own window.
  2. 2Each one runs on its own.Its own process, so a crash takes down one VM, not VMPane.
  3. 3An agent asks to run a command.claude-code wants sudo apt upgrade -y as administrator.
  4. 4Nothing runs until you say so.Deny is the default, and the answer goes in the activity log.

Three guests.
Each on the right engine.

macOS, from Apple's own restore image.

  • Apple's Virtualization framework
  • Live snapshots that keep memory
  • Clipboard, files and commands with the guest tools
  • Apple allows two macOS VMs running at once per Mac

Set up Windows.
Without touching it.

Pick the edition, an account name and a password. VMPane does the rest in about 10 minutes, with no clicks. No Microsoft account needed.

InstallSetup runs offlineFrom your ISO, with no network, so Windows makes the local account you chose.
EjectThe ISO comes outAt the first restart, so Setup can never start over and wipe the disk.
Sign inGuest tools go inWindows signs in once, removes the stored password and installs VMPane's drivers.
FinishNetwork and displayAdded, then Windows starts again. A quit or a Mac restart never loses your place.about 10 min · 7 on an M4 Pro
AI agents

Agents do the work.
You hold the keys.

Claude Code, Codex and Gemini connect through vmpane mcp. Every VM starts at Off, and you choose how far each one opens.

Agent activity

Refused: claude-code 2.1 (claimed): agent.execOct 12, 2026 at 9:41:20 PM · agent.exec needs policy level admin; this VM allows exec
Allowed: claude-code 2.1 (claimed): agent.execOct 12, 2026 at 9:41:02 PM
Allowed: claude-code 2.1 (claimed): vm.input.pointerOct 12, 2026 at 9:40:31 PM
Allowed: claude-code 2.1 (claimed): vm.screenshotOct 12, 2026 at 9:40:12 PM

Run commands. Agents can also run commands as the logged-in user and copy files in and out.

Try a level, watch the log

Off by default.
Stoppable any time.

One switch stops every agent.

From the menu bar, with ⌃⌥⌘., or vmpane mcp kill without the app. Their commands are killed and their port forwards go down.

Undo the whole session.

VMPane snapshots the VM before an agent's first change.

It asks first.

A command waits for you. Deny is the default, and no answer in a minute is a no.

Every VM starts at Off.

Agents cannot even see a VM until you open it to them. Files move only through ~/VMPane Exchange.

Every call on record.

{"method":"vm_exec",
 "level":"exec",
 "result":"denied"}

Snapshots, ports, folders.
And a command line.

Snapshots

Live with memory for a running VM, disks for a stopped one.

Port forwarding

From this Mac only, unless you let other computers on the network connect.

Shared folders

Your Mac's folders inside the VM, one directory per share.

Import from Parallels

Turn a Parallels Linux or Windows VM into a VMPane VM, converted in a sandbox.

The vmpane command

Start, snapshot, exec, copy and forward ports from your terminal.

Clipboard and drag

Moves only while the VM's window is in front, or when you drop on it.

Good to know

What VMPane
does not do.

Arm guests onlyNo x86 or x86-64 systems. There is no emulation.
2D graphics for WindowsNo DirectX or GPU acceleration, and no Hyper-V or WSL2 inside it.
No USB passthroughNot in 1.0.
Pre-alphaPublic betas come first. Expect rough edges until 1.0.

Common questions.
Short answers.

Is VMPane free?

Yes. It is open source under Apache-2.0. Windows needs your own licence; VMPane installs it from your ISO.

Which Macs does it run on?

Macs with Apple silicon, on macOS 15 or later.

Can I run x86 Windows or Linux?

No. VMPane runs Arm guests only, with no emulation. Windows 11 on Arm runs x64 apps through its own built-in emulation.

Do I need a Microsoft account?

No. Setup runs with no network, so Windows creates the local account you choose.

How do AI agents connect?

Run vmpane mcp config claude (or codex, gemini). The agent starts vmpane mcp and talks to it over stdin and stdout. Nothing listens on the network.

Can an agent reach my Mac's files?

Agents copy files only to and from ~/VMPane Exchange/<vm>/. If a VM shares a folder and you let agents run commands, they can change that folder, and Settings tells you so.

How does it update?

VMPane checks for updates itself and asks before it installs one. With Homebrew, brew upgrade --cask vmpane works too.

Give your Mac
a few more computers.

A notarized DMG on GitHub Releases, with checksums and the source of the bundled QEMU.

Download for MacRead the docs
$ brew install --cask nhtera/tap/vmpane