Supported
macOS
Apple Virtualization, an Apple Silicon IPSW with a one-click download of the latest restore image, Mac trackpad and keyboard devices. Default 4 CPU, 8 GiB RAM, 2,560×1,600.
Lumen VM — by MrZaKaRiA
Lumen VM: native virtual machines for Apple Silicon
Lumen VM runs macOS, Linux and Windows 11 ARM virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs, in a translucent SwiftUI library with disks that only grow as you use them. Each machine gets its own Retina window and Dock icon. Free and MIT-licensed; v27.1.0 adds Rosetta, nested virtualization and hardening.
SCROLL
Apple Silicon
M1 or later with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
Zero KB
A brand-new machine costs your SSD almost nothing: disks are sparse and grow only as the guest writes.
A Dock icon per VM
macOS and Linux guests run in their own app process with their own tile.
Free & MIT
Open source, built with Swift and SwiftUI. Bring your own installer images.
The app
A space for every OS
A calm, translucent library holds your machines: OS, CPU, RAM, resolution and real disk use at a glance. Drag an ISO or IPSW onto the library, or press Command-N, to create one. Start, pause and resume one machine, or Start All at once. The footer shows honest numbers: host SSD use, the VM RAM budget and the memory reserved for macOS.
- Per-machine settings: display, sound, microphone, shared folders and login helpers
- A window per VM, sized for Retina, with native full screen
- The library picture is the visual preview published on lumen.mrzakaria.com
Sparse storage
Capacity is a limit, not a reservation
Lumen's disks are sparse: blocks are allocated only when the guest writes them, so a new 64 GB disk costs your SSD almost nothing. The library shows real use, stopped disks can grow later, and Linux guests give space back through fstrim.timer.
- Zero KB for a brand-new machine
- Grow stopped disks any time
- TRIM through fstrim.timer in Linux guests
Guests
macOS, Linux, and Windows too.
macOS and ARM64 Linux run on Apple's own Virtualization framework. Windows 11 ARM runs on QEMU with HVF acceleration. Bring your own installer; Lumen does the rest.
Supported
Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora
ARM64 Linux on Apple Virtualization, with one-click Linux guest tools for the clipboard and shared folders.
Tested
Void and Abyss Linux
The guest tools also set up Void and runit services, so Abyss Linux runs as a guest out of the box.
Experimental
Windows 11 ARM
QEMU with HVF acceleration and automatic driver setup. A VirtIO 2D display with Retina presets; no Direct3D or Metal acceleration yet.
Not supported
Android and ChromeOS
Not supported as guests, and Intel Macs are not supported as hosts.
Notes
Compatibility
Host and guest versions that were checked are listed in the compatibility notes on GitHub.
Built on the Mac's own pieces.
What Lumen uses under the translucent library.
- Apple Virtualization
- SwiftUI
- Rosetta
- VirtioFS
- SPICE
- QEMU + HVF
- Retina
- Touch ID
- swtpm
Features
Feels at home on your Mac.
Seven things Lumen does that a generic VM manager does not.
A Dock icon for every VM
macOS and Linux guests run in separate app processes, each with its own OS tile. Close the window and the VM keeps running; click its tile to bring it back.
Rosetta inside Linux
Opt in and x86-64 Linux binaries run in ARM64 guests. The guest tools register Rosetta with binfmt for you.
Nested virtualization
Run a hypervisor inside your guest on M3 or later with macOS 15 or later.
Retina, for real
Configurable resolution, automatic resizing where the guest supports it, and native full screen.
Share only what you pick
Choose Mac folders one by one, each with its own read-only switch. VirtioFS for Linux, private SMB2 for Windows.
Linux guest tools, one click
Lumen types the setup into the guest terminal: SPICE text clipboard, shared folders, X11 desktop startup and Void/runit services.
Hardened by default
Hardened runtime, a sealed QEMU helper, SHA-256-pinned driver media and per-user Windows credentials, with optional Keychain and Touch ID login helpers.
Your first VM
From ISO to desktop in four steps.
Guest disks live in ~/Library/Application Support/Lumen/Machines/. Shut a guest down before changing its hardware; everything else can happen while it runs.
01
New machine
Press Command-N, pick an OS and an installer, or drop an ISO or IPSW onto the library.
02
Size it
Set CPU, RAM and the maximum disk capacity. Add only the Mac folders the guest should see.
03
Install the OS
Create the machine and run the guest's own installer in a native window.
04
Add guest tools
Linux: Install / Repair Linux Guest Tools for clipboard and folders. Windows: automatic driver setup.
Build from source
v27.1.0 ships as source: your own Lumen.app.
Download the source zip (5.7 MB) or clone the repository, install the Homebrew dependencies (qemu, swtpm, python@3.14, sevenzip) and run bash scripts/build.sh. The script fetches pinned, checksummed drivers and guest tools, compiles a release build and signs it on your Mac with the virtualization entitlements. No installer and no account.
- An Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 14 or later.
- Swift 5.9 or later, from Xcode or the Command Line Tools.
- Homebrew, for QEMU and the tools Windows guests need.
- Verify the download with shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS, next to the archive.
Good to know
What Lumen does not do today.
Builds are ad-hoc signed on your own Mac, not Developer ID signed or notarized, and a notarized installer is not published yet. Intel Macs are not supported, and neither are Android or ChromeOS guests. You bring your own ISO or IPSW: OS images and licences are not included.
Windows 11 ARM is experimental: it needs Homebrew QEMU, swtpm and Python 3.14, and uses a VirtIO 2D display. Direct3D and Metal acceleration, snapshots and clones are not implemented in this release. Lumen is not affiliated with Apple or Microsoft.
FAQ
Lumen VM: questions, answered.
Short answers, taken from the project's own site.
Lumen (Lumens VM) is a native SwiftUI virtual machine manager for Apple Silicon Macs. It runs macOS and ARM64 Linux through Apple's Virtualization framework and Windows 11 ARM64 through QEMU with HVF, each in its own window with its own Dock icon.
2
Is Lumen free?
Yes. Lumen is free and open source under the MIT license. Guest operating systems keep their own licenses, and you supply your own installer images.
3
Which Macs can run Lumen?
Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later) with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs are not supported. Nested virtualization needs an M3 or later with macOS 15.
4
Does a virtual disk take its full size on my SSD?
No. Lumen disks are sparse: the capacity is a limit, not space reserved upfront. A 64 GB disk only uses what the guest has actually written, and stopped disks can be grown later.
5
Can Linux guests run x86-64 apps?
Yes, with opt-in Rosetta. Lumen's Linux guest tools register Rosetta with binfmt so x86-64 Linux binaries run inside ARM64 Linux guests.
6
Does it run Abyss Linux?
Yes. Abyss Linux, the systemd-free desktop on Void Linux by the same author, is a tested guest, and Lumen's guest tools set up its runit services.
Ready when you are
Step into the light.
Download the v27.1.0 source, build your own Lumen.app in six commands, and create your first machine. The full tour and the guides are on lumen.mrzakaria.com and GitHub.
Related
Lumen and Abyss Linux.
Lumen's sister project is Abyss Linux, a minimalist, systemd-free desktop on Void Linux that runs as a Lumen guest. For Linux servers rather than desktops, see Linux server management, or get in touch about a project.
