LitterBox.

A LITTLE HELP FOR YOUR LITTLE BOXES

Room to experiment.
Help when you need it.

LitterBox runs macOS and Ubuntu guests on an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later.

Your first Box

  1. Open LitterBox and choose New Box using the plus button.
  2. Give it a name and choose macOS, Ubuntu Desktop, or Ubuntu Server.
  3. Open Advanced Options to review CPU, memory, disk, display, networking, and persistence. For a macOS guest, you can also choose shared host folders.
  4. Choose Create Box. LitterBox fetches the installation media and starts the setup process. Initial downloads can be several gigabytes.
  5. For macOS, wait for installation and finish the guest's setup assistant. For Ubuntu, complete the interactive installer in the Desktop window. Once installed, use Open Box to access the guest.

A few useful answers

Can I run another copy of macOS?

Yes. LitterBox uses Apple's Virtualization framework to install and run a macOS guest on Apple Silicon. The supported restore image is selected for your Mac; it is not an arbitrary macOS-version picker. The guest OS remains subject to Apple's license terms.

Which Linux systems are included?

The built-in catalog offers Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server from the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release series, using official arm64 installation media. This version has no arbitrary ISO import flow.

Does LitterBox include an AI agent?

No. Set up your preferred development tools or AI agent inside the guest OS. LitterBox provides and manages the virtual machine; it does not connect to a particular AI provider.

How much storage and memory do I need?

The app requires at least 32 GB of available disk space for a Box configuration. Plan for additional space for downloaded install images, clean states, clones, and your work. Leave memory and CPU capacity for the host. Some macOS images require more resources than the initial minimums; LitterBox adjusts installation resources to the supported image's requirements.

Can the guest access my files or network?

Host folders are unshared by default. You can explicitly add shared folders to a macOS Box; look for My Shared Files in the guest. Network Enabled uses NAT and allows outbound connections to reachable services, including host or local-network services. Choose Disabled when the guest should have no network device. A VM is not a guarantee that arbitrary software is harmless.

What do Duplicate Box, Fresh Litter, and Toss Box do?

Duplicate Box copies a stopped Box. Fresh Litter restores its saved clean state and discards later changes. Toss Box deletes the Box and its files. A clean state is saved after installation. Keep separate backups of work you need, including anything stored in shared host folders.

Are Disposable Boxes deleted automatically?

No. Disposable marks a Box as intended for temporary work. Use Toss Box when you are ready to remove it.

The first installation or download is taking a while.

macOS restore images and Ubuntu installers are large downloads. Check free disk space and your connection, then review the progress shown in the Box details or Images. If a download fails, use Retry. Ubuntu installation requires you to complete the steps in the guest's installer.

My Box is stuck stopping.

Give the guest time to finish its shutdown. Force Stop is available when a guest cannot shut down normally, but it may discard unsaved work or interrupt disk writes. Use it only when you accept that risk.

Contact the developer

Direct support contact details will be available here before the app launches.

When reporting a problem, include the LitterBox version, your host macOS version, the guest OS, and the steps that led to it. Share the exact error text if available. Leave passwords, API keys, and private guest files out of the report.

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