Step 3 of 4
Step 3 of 4 — Convert Files

Converting OVA to qcow2

Follow each step carefully. We will open your OVA package, install the tools we need, and then turn your file into a qcow2 format that UTM can use perfectly.

folder_open Part 1 — Prepare Your OVA File
  1. 1

    Download Your OVA File

    Go ahead and download the .ova file you want to use. An OVA file is like a zip bag that contains your whole virtual machine inside it. It usually ends with the letters .ova.

  2. 2

    Find It in Your Downloads Folder

    Once the download is done, your OVA file will be sitting in your Downloads folder. You can find your Downloads folder by clicking the Finder icon (the smiley face icon in your Dock) and then clicking Downloads on the left side.

  3. 3

    Create a New Folder and Move the OVA File Into It

    Inside your Downloads folder, right-click on an empty space and choose New Folder. Give it a simple name like my-vm. Then drag your OVA file into that new folder. This keeps everything nice and tidy!

  4. 4

    Open the Terminal App

    Terminal is a special app where you can type commands to tell your Mac what to do — think of it like talking directly to your Mac! To open it: press Command + Space on your keyboard to open Spotlight Search, type Terminal, and press Enter.

  5. 5

    Go to Your New Folder in Terminal

    In Terminal, type the command below to navigate into your new folder. Replace my-vm with the exact name you gave your folder.

    cd ~/Downloads/my-vm

    Then press Enter. The cd command means "Change Directory" — it moves Terminal into your folder.

  6. 6

    Extract the OVA File

    Now type this command to unpack your OVA file. Replace your-file.ova with the actual name of your file (for example: ubuntu-24.ova).

    tar -xvf your-file.ova

    Press Enter. You will see text scrolling — that means it is working! The tar command is unpacking the OVA bag and taking out everything inside.

    Terminal showing tar extraction command output
    This is what Terminal looks like after extracting the OVA file.
  7. 7

    You Will See 3 New Files — Focus on the .vmdk One!

    After extraction, your folder will have three new files:

    • your-file.ovf — a description file (not needed now)
    • your-file-disk01.vmdk — the actual disk image ⭐ This is the important one!
    • your-file.mf — a checksum file (not needed now)

    star Remember the name of your .vmdk file! You will need it in the next step. It usually looks like your-file-disk01.vmdk.
coffee Part 2 — Install Homebrew (a Tool Shop for Your Mac)

Homebrew is like an app store for special Mac tools that are not in the regular App Store. We need it to install the conversion tool called QEMU. If you already have Homebrew installed, skip to Part 3!

  1. 1

    Open the Homebrew Website (Optional — Just for Reference)

    You can visit https://brew.sh to learn more about Homebrew, but you do not need to download anything from there. We will install it using a command in Terminal.

  2. 2

    Paste This Command Into Terminal and Press Enter

    Copy the entire command below. Click inside Terminal, paste it in, and then press Enter. This command downloads and installs Homebrew automatically!

    /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
    Terminal showing Homebrew installation command
    Paste this command into Terminal — it looks just like this.
  3. 3

    Enter Your Mac Password If Asked

    Terminal might ask for your Mac's password. Go ahead and type it — do not worry if you cannot see the letters appearing; that is normal for passwords in Terminal. Press Enter when done.

    The installation may take a few minutes. Just wait patiently!

  4. 4

    If Brew Is Not Found After Installing — Run These Two Fix Commands

    Sometimes your Mac needs a little nudge to recognise Homebrew. If you type brew and get an error saying it was not found, run these two commands one at a time (replace your_username with your Mac account name):

    echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> /Users/your_username/.zprofile
    eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
    warning Heads up! You only need these two commands if Terminal says it cannot find brew after installation. If everything worked fine, skip this step!
build Part 3 — Install the QEMU Conversion Tool

QEMU is the tool that actually converts your VMDK file into a qcow2 file. Installing it takes just one command!

  1. 1

    Install QEMU Using Homebrew

    In Terminal, type this command and press Enter:

    brew install qemu

    Homebrew will download and install QEMU for you. This might take a minute or two — just wait for it to finish!

    Terminal showing brew install qemu command
    Terminal installing QEMU via Homebrew — this is what it looks like.
sync_alt Part 4 — Convert Your VMDK File to qcow2

Now for the exciting part — turning your VMDK file into a qcow2 file! Make sure Terminal is still inside your folder (from Step 5 in Part 1).

  1. 1

    Run the Conversion Command

    Type this command into Terminal. Replace the parts in [ ] brackets with your actual file names:

    qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 [your-file-disk01.vmdk] [your-output.qcow2]

    For example, if your VMDK file is called ubuntu-24-disk01.vmdk, you would type:

    qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 ubuntu-24-disk01.vmdk ubuntu-24.qcow2
    Terminal showing qemu-img conversion command
    The qemu-img command converting the VMDK file to qcow2 format.
  2. 2

    Wait for the Conversion to Finish

    Terminal will be quiet for a while — that means it is working! Depending on the size of your file, this could take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. When it is done, the cursor will appear again and you can type commands again.

    info After conversion, you will see a new file ending in .qcow2 in your folder. That is your converted file — keep it safe! You can now delete the original .ova, .ovf, and .mf files to save space, but keep the .vmdk and .qcow2 files.
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