macOS on VirtualBox on WSLg

[myspaghetti]

Here's a sort-of tutorial for compiling the vboxdrv module for WSLg, adapted from the Darling guide and the Hanna J guide.

No support is offered for installing WSLg, compiling a kernel, or compiling and loading the vboxdrv module.

This process can and will break, since WSLg is still in beta. Without further ado:

• Install Windows 11
• Install WSLg, update WSLg, launch WSLg
• On the WSLg command prompt, update the package repository: sudo apt update
• Install the build dependencies: sudo apt install build-essential flex bison libssl-dev libelf-dev git -y
• Clone the 5.10.y kernel branch: git clone --depth 1 --single-branch --branch linux-msft-wsl-5.10.y 'https://github.com/microsoft/WSL2-Linux-Kernel.git' linux-msft-wsl-5.10.y
• cd linux-msft-wsl-5.10.y
• cp Microsoft/config-wsl .config
• sudo make -j $(expr $(nproc) - 1)
• sudo make modules_install
• sudo apt install virtualbox-source
• tar -xf /usr/src/virtualbox.tar.bz2
• cd modules/virtualbox/vboxdrv
• sudo make -C ~/linux-msft-wsl-5.10.y/ M=${PWD}
• sudo insmod vboxdrv.ko

Hooray, now you can run the script, version 0.99.1.0 or higher, and install macOS on VirtualBox on WSLg, super-slowly.

• sudo apt install bash coreutils gzip unzip wget xxd dmg2img virtualbox -y
• mkdir ~/macOS
• cd ~/macOS
• wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/myspaghetti/macos-guest-virtualbox/master/macos-guest-virtualbox.sh
• bash -i macos-guest-virtualbox.sh

Follow the script and you're done. Please mind that in my limited experience, there appears to be some disk I/O issue which slows the VirtualBox VM considerably, so booting macOS takes about ten minutes and installation takes many hours. If you're already compiling kernels and kernel modules, you might as well skip VirtualBox altogether and head directly to OSX-KVM on WSL2/WSLg which is a lot faster.

[myspaghetti]

WSL2 uses Hyper-V which blocks VirtualBox from accessing VT-x/AMD-V. macOS guests on VirtualBox require VT-x/AMD-V. The script only works on WSL2/WSLg if you enable nested virtualization and load the vboxdrv kernel module. No support is offered for running the script on WSL2/WSLg.

[myspaghetti]

Right now I believe Oracle will not support VirtualBox on WSL2/WSLg, and I assume the extremely limited performance is here to stay, so the script isn't officially supported on WSL2/WSLg. I do heartily recommend QEMU/KVM as the performance on WSL2/WSLg is very good.

[jmaldon1]

@myspaghetti Are there any tutorials online to get a mac virtual machine similiar to the one this script creates but on WSL2/WSLg? Or are we on our own?

[myspaghetti]

All the steps are here. When the WSLg kernel is updated you'll have to change the version number from 5.10.y to whichever you're running, but otherwise all the steps are stable. Regardless, VirtualBox is extremely slow on WSL2/WSLg so you'll save time going directly for OSX-KVM.

[tcab]

VirtualBox has steadily improved over time. Version 6.1.3 runs OK under Hyper-V. For example, I am running Ubuntu in VirtualBox under WSLg in Windows 11. Does this fact improve the prospects of this project?

Unfortunately nested VT-x/AMD-V is still not supported - not sure if its just a matter of time or a technological limitation.

P.S. I looked at the OSX-KVM link and its a serious commitment to follow all those steps - we need a script for that!

[myspaghetti]

@tcab mind the difference between VirtualBox on Windows using NEM, and VirtualBox on a WSLg host.

To clear things up:

• VirtualBox under a WSLg Linux host - VT-x/AMD-V available, macOS works (but very slowly)
• VirtualBox under a Windows host when WSLg is enabled - VT-x/AMD-V not available, VirtualBox uses NEM, macOS doesn't work