VMac
Open source 68k Macintosh emulator
title: "VMac" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["macintosh-platform-emulators", "beos-software", "linux-emulation-software", "classic-mac-os-emulation-software", "windows-emulation-software", "68k-emulators", "android-emulation-software"] description: "Open source 68k Macintosh emulator" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMac" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Open source 68k Macintosh emulator ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| logo | Vmaclogo white.png |
| logo size | 150px |
| screenshot | VMac.png |
| screenshot size | 250px |
| caption | Mini vMac running System Software 7 on Ubuntu |
| developer | Philip Cummins |
| Bill Huey | |
| Weston Pawlowski (Windows) | |
| Yoav Shadmi (DOS) | |
| Richard Bannister (Mac OS) | |
| Michael Hanni (Linux) | |
| David Bacher (OS/2) | |
| Paul C. Pratt (Mini vMac) | |
| latest_release_version | 0.1.9 (vMac), 36.04 (Mini vMac) |
| latest_release_date | (vMac), (Mini vMac) |
| discontinued | 1999 |
| operating_system | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, NeXTSTEP, OS/2, DOS, iOS, Nintendo DS, Android |
| genre | Emulation |
| license | GNU General Public License |
| website | (vMac, outdated) |
| (Mini vMac) | |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the 68k Macintosh emulator ::
| logo = Vmaclogo white.png | logo size = 150px | screenshot = VMac.png | screenshot size = 250px | caption = Mini vMac running System Software 7 on Ubuntu | developer = Philip Cummins Bill Huey Weston Pawlowski (Windows) Yoav Shadmi (DOS) Richard Bannister (Mac OS) Michael Hanni (Linux) David Bacher (OS/2) Paul C. Pratt (Mini vMac) | latest_release_version = 0.1.9 (vMac), 36.04 (Mini vMac) | latest_release_date = (vMac), (Mini vMac) | discontinued = 1999 | operating_system = Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, NeXTSTEP, OS/2, DOS, iOS, Nintendo DS, Android | genre = Emulation | license = GNU General Public License | website = (vMac, outdated) (Mini vMac) ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/VMac-System7.png" caption="vMac 0.1.9 running System 1.1 on [[System 7]].5"] ::
vMac is a free and open-source Macintosh Plus emulator which is able to run versions of System 1.1 to 7.5.5. It is available for Windows, DOS, OS/2, Mac OS, NeXTSTEP, Linux, Unix, and other platforms. Although vMac has been abandoned, Mini vMac, an improved spinoff of vMac, is still actively developed.
vMac and Mini vMac support CPU emulation from Motorola 68000 to 68040, display output, sound, floppy disk insert, HFV image files, and more. Some vMac ports include extra features such as CD-ROM support, basic serial port (SCC) support, Gemulator ROM board support, and various performance improvements. Although the website is still in operation, most vMac development slowed to a halt in 1999, and no official releases have been made since. Many of the developer e-mail addresses listed on the website are not currently working.
Overview
Mini vMac, vMac's spinoff, is still being maintained and developed by Paul C. Pratt. Currently Mini vMac supports Macintosh 128K, 512K, 512Ke, Plus, SE and Classic, with active development for Macintosh II, Macintosh Portable and PowerBook 100 support. Due to complaints about the rarity of the original II, it also accepts Macintosh IIx and Macintosh SE/30 ROM files.
vMac and Mini vMac require a Macintosh Plus ROM file and Macintosh system software to work. Macintosh ROM files are owned by Apple and cannot be legally distributed. However, the Windows and Unix ports of vMac (not Mini vMac) support the Gemulator ROM board from Emulators Inc., which allows users to add genuine MacPlus ROM chips to their x86 machine via an ISA expansion slot. This board can also support ROM chips from other early Macintosh systems, but the publicly released versions of vMac only supported the Macintosh Plus. Macintosh system software is available from Apple's Support Downloads Website.
As mentioned, Mini vMac also requires a specific ROM image for the computer emulation desired. A software application for these 68000 Macs may be downloaded from the Mini vMac website for retrieval of a system's ROM image, along with a complete tutorial for locating an old Mac, retrieving the ROM and working with disk images.
References
References
- Pratt, Paul C.. (12 October 2011). "About Mini vMac".
- (1999). "Platform/Version Status".
- Pratt, Paul C.. (3 June 2015). "Mini vMac Emulated Hardware Reference".
- "Mini vMac".
- Strohl, Adam. (1998). "Color and Video Support".
- Strohl, Adam. (1998). "Disk Images".
- Rinaldo, Tommy. (1998). "Connecting to Internet via FreePPP and MacTCP".
- Mihocka, Darek. (30 November 2008). "Gemulator 9".
- Pawlowski, Weston. (1998). "Most Common Questions and Answers".
- (November 2012). "DOWNLOAD.INFO.APPLE.COM FTP Site".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::