UTM (software)

UTM is an open-source virtual machine application for macOS and iOS. A version called UTM SE was released on the iOS App Store, which is noted for its slow performance compared to the regular version. UTM has been praised for its ability to run a large number of operating systems for free.

UTM

Developer(s)	Turing Software, LLC[1]
Stable release	v4.6.5[2]
Operating system	macOS, iOS, visionOS
Platform	Apple–Intel architecture, Apple silicon
License	Apache License[3]
Website	mac.getutm.app

Features

UTM functions as either a virtualizer or an emulator. As a virtualizer, UTM runs operating systems that have an underlying architecture compatible with the physical device by directly running the virtual machine code on the host CPU. As an emulator, UTM can run operating systems with a different underlying architecture by running just-in-time compilation on the guest code. UTM can integrate with the built-in hypervisor on macOS for virtualization, and it also supports QEMU as a back-end for both virtualization and emulation. QEMU allows UTM to emulate a wide variety of operating systems. When connected to Apple's built-in hypervisor, UTM can use macOS's Rosetta software to efficiently run x86-64 code on ARM processors.^[4][5]

UTM runs on both Intel and Apple silicon processors.^[6] The UTM mobile app only supports emulation. UTM does not support GPU virtualization, so it cannot use APIs for hardware acceleration, such as DirectX and OpenGL.^[7]

UTM can be freely downloaded from GitHub, although there is a paid version on the Mac App Store that receives automatic updates.^[8][9]

UTM SE

UTM SE is a version of UTM that is modified for the iOS App Store. The original version of UTM can still be installed on iOS through sideloading or an unofficial app store, but it is not on the App Store due to Apple's restrictions on launching executable code.^[4] Released in 2024, UTM SE was the first PC emulator on the iOS App Store.^[10] Prior to its release, the App Store had already allowed console emulators such as Delta.^[4]

UTM SE uses an interpreter instead of just-in-time compilation, bypassing the App Store's restrictions. SE stands for "slow edition", since the lack of compilation drastically slows down performance.^[10]

UTM SE supports the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.^[10]

Reception

Macworld described UTM as "a good, low-cost option that will particularly appeal to developers and users who have a little more technical knowledge", praising its versatility in supporting both virtualization and emulation while criticizing its complex interface.^[6] PCMag described UTM as sluggish when emulating Intel-based systems, and stated that its lack of support for DirectX graphics acceleration makes it a poor choice for gaming.^[8]