Installing OVA files with VirtualBox on a Mac

Owned by Le, Thao
Last updated: Nov 15, 2022 by Alannah Barnett

Certain programs such as Microsoft Access and Excel Add-Ons (@Risk, StatTools, other Decision Tools) are not compatible for use on a Mac. Faculty, staff, and students who need their computer to run these types of programs for work or a class will need to install Oracle's VirtualBox onto their Mac computer. VirtualBox allows the MacOS to run a Windows system on top of their computer. This is not permanent and should only be used when the user opens the VirtualBox application to run the restricted programs. VirtualBox is a free virtual machine provided by Oracle that is available for faculty, staff, and students to use.


Attention M1 Mac Users

Currently, VirtualBox DOES NOT WORK on an Mac computers that use the M1 chip. To install a virtual machine with Windows you will need to use UTM instead. Please see our Instructions for Installing UTM on M1 Macs.


Attention Intel Mac Users

This information is DEPRECATED as of Spring 2022. For the new Intel Installations instructions please visit our Instructions for Installing on an Intel Mac.



The following instructions are for the installation of VirtualBox on a Mac:

Prior to installing, make sure you have:

  • ~30 GB of free space
  • ~45 minutes for complete installation


First, install VirtualBox application:

  1. Go to https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
  2. Under "VirtualBox platform packages", click "OS hosts".
    1. This will download the base VirtualBox application
  3. Under "VirtualBox Oracle VM Extension Pack", click "All supported platforms"
    1. This will download the VB extension pack