How to use CopyTrans programs on macOS

There’s no official CopyTrans for Mac version. CopyTrans programs were specifically designed for Windows operating systems, but there’s a way to use them on your Mac.

To run CopyTrans programs on a Mac, you’ll need a virtual machine. Virtual machines emulate the Windows operating system on a Mac. This guide demonstrates how to install VirtualBox and Parallels Desktop, which are the two most common virtual machines on macOS.

This guide explains the only way to run CopyTrans programs on macOS.

Running CopyTrans on your Mac using VirtualBox

A. Installing VirtualBox (freeware) on your Mac

1. First, download the Windows image file (.iso) from the Microsoft website (you can use any version of Windows; however, Windows 10 is recommended).

2. Download VirtualBox on your Mac. Make sure to select the latest Mac version from the list available for download and then install it.

3. Open VirtualBox and click on the New button to create a new virtual machine. Type in the new system name in Machine Name. Select Microsoft Windows as the OS type. Finally, select the OS version (in this case, Windows 7) and click Continue.

4. Next, you will need to allocate the amount of RAM for your new virtual PC (512-1024 Mb for Windows 7 and 1518-2048 Mb for Windows 10 is enough). Click Continue.

5. Choose Create a virtual hard drive now and click Continue. After that, choose VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) and click Continue.

   Now, select Dynamically allocated and click Continue. Finally, type a name for the new virtual hard drive and select the size (20-25 GB is sufficient). Click on the Create button.

6. Next, you will need to download and install the latest version of the VirtualBox Extension Pack from the VirtualBox binaries list. Once you have the Virtual Manager window open, click on the virtual machine you just created and click on the Settings button. From the new Settings window, navigate to the Ports tab and tick the Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller option. Click OK. Your virtual PC is now ready.

7. If you have a CD/DVD of the Windows operating system: Insert your Windows installation CD in your Mac. Your Windows system will appear in VirtualBox Manager’s window on the left. Double click on the Windows system entry to run (please ignore any errors you might get during the startup process). Your virtual machine will now boot from the Windows installation CD. Make sure to follow the installation instructions to install Windows.

   If you have the Windows ISO file: Select your newly created virtual machine, click Change. Then go to the Storage tab and click Controller: SATA. To insert the ISO file, click Disk plus sign and select your ISO file. In the tab System set the boot order DVD — “disk” fixed.

   After installing Windows you must configure your internet connection. If your internet connection was not configured automatically, you will need to manually configure it from Windows Control Panel. To do so in Windows, go to Start Menu > Control panel > View network status and tasks. Click on the red cross under “View your basic network information and set up connections”. Windows will now try to configure your network connection.

Once you have your Windows Internet connection up and running, your virtual PC is ready to use.

B. Installing CopyTrans programs in Windows on your Mac

1. Next, you will need to install the iOS drivers for your Windows system to correctly recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. To install the iOS drivers, please read this article Install iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad drivers without installing iTunes.

2. When in Windows on your Mac, open Internet Explorer and follow the CopyTrans installation instructions.

3. At the end of the installation procedure, run the CopyTrans program of your choice.

4. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your Mac using your USB cable and attach it to your virtual Windows machine by navigating to Devices > USB Devices in the VirtualBox VM top menu.

You can now use the CopyTrans programs on your Mac to manage your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

Alternative way: Running CopyTrans on your Mac using Parallels Desktop

This section provides an alternative to VirtualBox which also allows you to run Windows on your Mac computer.

1. Download Windows image file (.iso) from the Microsoft website.

2. Download and install Parallels Desktop.

3. Run Parallels Desktop, select Install Windows or another OS from DVD or image disk. Select the .iso file from the list and continue. Next, click on Like a PC. Leave all further settings as they are by default. Parallels desktop will now install Windows automatically. That’s it, your Windows is now ready for use on your Mac.

4. Then you will need to install the iOS drivers for your Windows system to correctly recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. To install the iOS drivers, please read this article Install iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad drivers without installing iTunes.

5. When in Windows on your Mac, open Internet Explorer and follow the CopyTrans installation instructions.

6. At the end of the installation procedure, run the CopyTrans program of your choice.

7. Connect your iPhone to your Mac and choose Windows in the newly-opened window.

Voilà! You can now use CopyTrans programs from Parallels Desktop.