SmartVS™ runs on Macs with Apple Silicon. Intelligent Hearing Systems provides a signed SmartVS application that installs and runs directly on macOS. You do not need to purchase a Windows license, install virtualization software, or configure an emulator.
Before you begin
- A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later, late 2020 and newer)
- macOS 13 Ventura or later
- A SmartVS Web License
- An internet connection
Your purchase confirmation email contains everything you need to install: the download link for the Mac application, your VSIM license number, and your WEB PIN. Keep that email. If you cannot find it, contact us and we will resend it.
Not sure which Mac you have? Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and choose About This Mac. If the Chip line reads M1, M2, M3, or M4, you have Apple Silicon.
Installing on Apple Silicon
- Download the SmartVS application using the link in your purchase email.
- Move the downloaded application to your Applications folder, or anywhere else you prefer to keep it.
- Double-click to open it. The first launch takes noticeably longer than later ones, because macOS security checks the application before allowing it to run. This is normal. Give it time and do not force quit.
- macOS may ask whether you are sure you want to open the application. Click Open to continue.
- The License Registration window appears. Enter the VSIM number and WEB PIN from your purchase email, then click Register My Computer.
- Once registration succeeds, click OK. SmartVS is ready to use.
SmartVS verifies your license over the internet each time it starts, so your Mac needs to be online when you launch the software.
Installing on more than one Mac
You can download the application once and copy it to other Macs, but only before it has been registered. Once you run and register SmartVS on a machine, macOS security will prevent a copy of that registered application from opening elsewhere.
For a lab or a shared set of machines, copy the unregistered application to every Mac first, then register each one individually. Each user still requires their own SmartVS license.
Intel-based Macs
Macs built in 2020 and earlier use Intel processors and cannot run the signed SmartVS application. A manual installation procedure is available and works on some Intel Macs, but results vary by model and we cannot guarantee it will run on yours.
Two things to know before you attempt it. The procedure involves entering commands in Terminal, so allow yourself unhurried time to work through it. And unlike the Apple Silicon version, the result cannot be copied to another machine; the full procedure has to be repeated on each Intel Mac.
[SMARTVS WINESKIN INSTRUCTIONS PDF]
Intelligent Hearing Systems provides these instructions as a courtesy and cannot offer support for installations on Intel-based Macs, or for the third-party software they rely on. For questions about Homebrew or WineSkin, contact those projects directly.
Other options
Institutions running SmartVS for a group of students may prefer a cloud or remote desktop setup, which lets Mac, Windows, and Linux users all connect to the same installation. See SmartVS Installation Options for those approaches.