UTM 5 is now available for Mac, and the headline change is accelerated DirectX graphics for Windows 11 virtual machines. The free virtualization app also adds Vulkan 1.3 for Linux guests, a new Snapshots tab, and USB sharing for macOS guests.
The UTM team announced the release on X on October 18, and the full list of changes is in the project’s GitHub release notes. It follows the UTM 5.0.5 beta, which first brought DirectX 12 to Windows 11 on Mac.
As always UTM 5 is a free update to all–whether you download it from the site or you chose to support our development by purchasing UTM 4 in the App Store (update is still pending review from Apple).
Download: https://t.co/E69kEomBAr
Mac App Store: https://t.co/4E0EFh1vPL— UTM (@UTMapp) October 18, 2026
Windows 11 virtual machines get DirectX 11 and 12 acceleration
UTM 5 supports DirectX 11 and 12 on Windows 11 guests through an experimental graphics driver. The team says game compatibility is still being improved, so results will vary from one title to the next.
On macOS, DirectX 12 runs through the D3DMetal backend. Apple silicon Macs without Rosetta installed fall back to DXMT, a change that arrived in UTM 5.0.8. CrossOver 23 added native DirectX 12 support on macOS for individual Windows apps, while UTM brings DirectX acceleration to a full Windows 11 virtual machine.
Linux guests get Vulkan 1.3 through the VirtIO Venus drivers in Mesa. OpenGL 4.1 is available on macOS through the Apple Core OpenGL backend, although that backend does not support Vulkan or DirectX. Vulkan desktop rendering on Linux does not work yet, so guests that need a full desktop should use the VirGL Gallium driver.
A Snapshots tab and USB sharing arrive in the Mac app
The new Snapshots tab saves a virtual machine at any point and lets you return to that state later. You can save, overwrite, restore, rename, and delete snapshots for both QEMU and Apple Virtualization VMs. QEMU snapshots need macOS Tahoe 26 or later, and Apple Virtualization snapshots need macOS Golden Gate 27.
Anyone with automation scripts will need to update them, because on macOS the snapshot commands from UTM 5.0.5 were replaced with snapshot objects. The utmctl command line tool also gains snapshot and discard-state commands.
USB sharing for macOS guests works with Apple Virtualization VMs on macOS Golden Gate 27. You first assign the device to UTM from the Virtual Machine Accessories item in the menu bar, then pass it through to the guest. It also works through scripting and utmctl.
Apple Virtualization VMs on macOS Golden Gate 27 pick up three more features:
- Secure Boot for Linux guests
- Running a virtual machine without saving changes
- Networking between virtual machines
The iOS app gets faster touch controls with new middle-click, right-drag, and drag-to-scroll options. It also adds iPhone Duo support, where the lower half of the folded screen can act as a keyboard or touchpad.
The Windows graphics driver works best on a fresh install
The experimental driver is selected during the UTM guest tools installation, and a fresh Windows 11 install is recommended. A virtual machine that uses the older display-only driver needs the uninstall script from the guest tools ISO run first. The team warns that the new driver may cause instability.
Shut down every virtual machine before updating. Suspended VMs may not resume correctly after the update. UTM 5 requires macOS 12 or later, and some of the newer features need macOS Tahoe 26 or macOS Golden Gate 27.
Our Take
The DirectX part is experimental and the team itself says game compatibility is still improving, so a spare Windows 11 virtual machine is the right place to try it. Snapshots help here, since you can save a clean state before the driver goes in and roll back if something breaks.
Mac users who only want to play a few Windows games have another route in GameToMac, a Mac app that runs 20 Windows games on Apple silicon. UTM makes more sense if you want a full Windows 11 or Linux environment you can snapshot and script. UTM 5 is a free update for everyone, whether it comes from the website or the Mac App Store.
