Disclaimer: This blog post was written by AI because I am too lazy, but don’t worry – you’ll still get a basic understanding of how to get VisUAL running on your Mac (ARM Chip).

If you're working with ARM-based architecture and need a reliable emulator for learning or experimenting with ARM assembly, VisUAL is a great choice. However, if you’re on a Mac with an ARM chip (like an M1 or M3), you might have run into some trouble getting it up and running. No worries, though! In this post, I’ll walk you through how to set up VisUAL ARM Emulator on your Mac.

So, why do I need VisUAL, you ask? Well, as part of my university course, I was required to work with ARM assembly programming, and VisUAL was the emulator the course used. The thing is, there's actually a "newer" version of VisUAL, called 

, which has been rewritten and updated by other developers. However, for whatever reason (maybe nostalgia or good old tradition), my university still sticks to VisUAL 1.0. So, even though I could’ve used the latest version, I had to stick with the older 1.0 version to match the course requirements.

VisUAL is a graphical ARM emulator that provides a simple and interactive environment for learning ARM assembly programming. It lets you run and test your ARM assembly code without needing a physical ARM device, which is handy for both beginners and advanced users alike.

 to download the original ARM VisUAL program for macOS.

Once downloaded, unzip the file and place the VisUAL app somewhere convenient, like your 

The macOS version of VisUAL requires Java to run properly. Here's how to set it up:

Once the Java 8 version is downloaded, locate the 

 in the VisUAL package with the one you just downloaded.

 and make sure to set the Java path correctly by ensuring this line is included:

This will ensure that VisUAL can use the Java runtime environment correctly.

Step 3: Install Rosetta 2 (If You Haven’t Already)

VisUAL is not natively built for ARM Macs, so it needs to run through Rosetta 2 – Apple’s translation layer that allows Intel-based apps to run on ARM chips. If you haven’t installed Rosetta 2 yet, you can do so by running the following command in Terminal:

This will enable your Mac to run apps built for Intel architecture, like VisUAL.

Now that everything is set up, let’s run VisUAL:

Open the folder where you placed VisUAL and double-click on the app.

If everything is set up correctly, VisUAL should launch without any issues.

If you encounter any issues while running VisUAL, here are a few tips:

: If you see Java-related errors, ensure that you’ve replaced the 

 folder in the correct location, and double-check the Java version you downloaded. It must be Java 8 (x86 64-bit JRE FX).

That’s it! You’ve successfully set up VisUAL on your Mac with an ARM chip. While it may seem like a few steps, once everything’s installed, you’ll have a functional ARM emulator right on your desktop.

In this blog post, I’ll guide you through the process of setting up the VisUAL ARM emulator on a Mac with an ARM chip (like M1 or M2). From downloading the emulator to configuring Java and running the app, this post will help you navigate the steps with ease.

How to run VisUAL ARM Emulator on Mac (arm chip)