Although it feels like Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference was just yesterday, the beta release cycle for new operating systems is well underway. Apple released macOS Sequoia developer beta 1 shortly after WWDC 2024, and just seeded developer beta 2 to testers on June 24. These updates include new features like window snapping, presenter previews during video calls, and iPhone Mirroring.

However, since they're developer betas, they can be unstable. You shouldn't install macOS Sequoia developer beta 1 or 2 on your main computer; however, you can try out the new features risk-free with a virtual machine. Here's how it works.

Window tiling in macOS Sequoia.
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Why would you want a VM?

Avoid developer beta bugs by isolating the unstable software

The Parallels website opened in Edge for Windows in macOS Sonoma.

We've covered how Parallels Desktop 19 helps virtualize Windows 11, macOS, and Linux on the best Macs. Through a similar process, Parallels Desktop 19 for Mac can be used to run macOS Sequoia on a virtual machine. That means if things go awry — which they often do in the beta testing stage — problems will be limited to your VM. All your files, data, and processes running on your main install of macOS won't be affected.

This year, there have already been a few critical bugs affecting macOS Sequoia. Users have reported an extraordinarily-high SSD read and write activity after updating, and it appears to be related to an issue with Spotlight indexing. This could cause a few problems if you're running macOS Sequoia on your daily driver. On a virtual machine, you'd be able to immediately suspend the VM if there are problems. That's exactly why it makes sense to try out macOS Sequoia on a VM.

However, there are some limitations. It's not possible to sign into your Apple Account (formerly Apple ID) on a virtual machine. As such, any feature that requires cloud sign-in won't be supported. Additionally, the macOS virtual machine may lose network access at times if the main macOS system uses a VPN. Finally, Parallels says that Snapshots are not working on macOS VMs on Apple silicon Macs.

How to install macOS Sequoia in a VM

Screen sharing preview in macOS Sequoia.
The new screen sharing preview in macOS Sequoia.

If you're familiar with creating and setting up virtual machines, the process of getting started with macOS Sequoia in Parallels is quite easy. It's still fairly simple even for those without much experience. Before proceeding, you'll want to make sure your Apple ID (or, Apple Account, as it's called in macOS Sequoia) is registered as an Apple Developer. It's completely free to do so, and you can register here. You should also ensure that your Mac is updated to macOS 14.5, as it's required to install the Command Line Tools for Xcode 16 beta that are needed to virtualize macOS Sequoia.

  1. Download the Additional Tools for Xcode 16 beta from Apple's Developer Downloads page.
    Xcode Tools on Apple's developer website.
  2. Open the .dmg file and follow the Installer prompts to install the Additional Tools for Xcode 16 beta on a drive with macOS 14.5 or newer.
  3. Download the macOS 15 beta 2 restore image from Apple's Operating Systems Downloads page.
    macOS 15 beta on Apple's operating systems download page.
  4. Start a free trial of Parallels 19 Desktop for Mac, and download the application from this website.
    The Parallels 19 app logo in the installer in macOS.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation of Parallels 19 Desktop for Mac.
    The permissions required to install Parallels 19.
  6. Create a new virtual machine. Navigate to File > New in the menu bar.
    The new VM button in the macOS menu bar.
  7. Select Install Windows, Linux, or macOS from an image file, and finally click Continue.
    Select install from an image file.
  8. Select the macOS 15 beta 2 restore image from your files and click Continue.
    Select the macOS 15 image file.
  9. Create a name for your virtual machine and click Continue when finished.
    Naming the macOS Sequoia virtual machine.

    After this step, you may see a pop-up that says your Mac needs a software update to install the macOS virtual machine. Installing the full Xcode 16 beta, running the app, and installing additional macOS 15 tools directly from Xcode 16 will solve the issue. You can find the Xcode beta installer on Apple's Developer Downloads page.

  10. Wait for the macOS Sequoia installation process to complete. This will probably take a while.
    Waiting for the macOS Sequoia VM to install.
  11. Create a macOS user account and complete the setup process when macOS Sequoia is ready.
    Creating a macOS user account.

Overall, the process is pretty quick and easy. Though Parallels recommends users only download the Additional Tools for Xcode 16 beta, this didn't work for me. Instead, I had to download the full Xcode 16 beta and install the prerequisites there to get the macOS Sequoia beta to install on my virtual machine. If you encounter issues, try this — it'll likely solve the problem.

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A VM is the best way to test macOS Sequoia

I wouldn't dare install the macOS Sequoia developer beta on my daily driver

macOS Sequoia in a VM.

After the installation process, the macOS Sequoia virtual machine runs like it's natively installed on your Mac. It's the best way to test out macOS Sequoia risk-free, because it protects what's on your Mac from being ruined by a wonky developer beta. When I installed the macOS Sequoia developer beta 1, I chose to set it up on a secondary Mac, and I'm glad I did. Some apps didn't open at all after updating. It just goes to show that installing pre-release versions of macOS on your daily driver is a bad idea. But with Parallels, you can try out macOS Sequoia — even if you've only got one Mac.

Unfortunately, the Apple Account sign-in limitation is a big hindrance to the overall experience. It prevents a lot of features from working at all, including the biggest one added to macOS Sequoia developer beta 2: iPhone Mirroring. If you want to get a feel for the operating system and try out features like window snapping and the new Macintosh wallpaper, this VM method will work just fine. But if you were hoping to try out iPhone Mirroring today or Apple Intelligence down the line, you'll be disappointed. It won't work due to the lack of Apple Account support, and you'll have to either wait for a public release or risk installing the macOS Sequoia beta on your main OS.

M3 Max Macbook pro in space black placed on a table
How to install the macOS Sequoia developer beta on your Mac

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