VMware Workstation Professional Obtain Free – 26H1

VMware Workstation Professional helps you to run Home windows, Linux, and BSD digital machines on a single Home windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Professional is nice for builders and system admins, for software program improvement, testing and deployment.

Construct, take a look at and demo software program throughout an array of various units, platforms and clouds.

IT professionals, builders and companies depend on Workstation Professional every single day to assist their initiatives and clients. Workstation Professional makes it straightforward to run advanced native digital environments to simulate working techniques, platforms and clouds, all from the identical desktop PC.

Is Workstation Professional a paid product or is it free now?

The licensing mannequin modified in 2024 and Workstation Professional turned free for all: industrial, academic, and for private use. You may obtain VMware Workstation without cost, with no license key required.

What are the totally different editions of VMware Workstation?

The VMware Workstation product line consists of two merchandise: Workstation Professional and Workstation Participant. Collectively they’re known as ‘VMware Workstation,’ and when there are variations, they’re known as out.

What are the variations between Workstation Professional and Workstation Participant?

Workstation Professional and Workstation Participant share the identical hypervisor expertise, however with distinctive consumer interfaces for various kinds of use.

Workstation Professional is designed for IT professionals and builders, offering a extra absolutely featured interface with capabilities for working a number of digital machines on the similar time. Workstation Professional can present and configure digital networking, create clones, connect with vSphere, present a number of VMs on the similar time in a tabbed UI and extra.

Workstation Participant is designed for a single graphical VM operation, or for command line operation with ‘vmrun’ for working a unique working system in a safe remoted sandbox on a PC.

Do I have to twin boot or repartition the disk?

No, VMware Workstation makes use of your laptop’s file system and creates recordsdata that map to a digital machine’s disk drives, so there isn’t any have to create a partition for every working system. If you have already got one other OS with twin boot put in in your laptop, you should utilize VMware Workstation to run the opposite OS in a digital machine in your host working system.

As a substitute of twin booting, you’ll be able to run each working techniques concurrently and seamlessly swap from one to a different with a click on of your mouse.

What’s the easiest way to maneuver a VM from one host to a different?

You may merely copy the whole VM folder (together with the .vmx and .vmdk recordsdata) to the brand new host and open it utilizing VMware Workstation Professional. Be sure that each techniques use suitable variations and contemplate selecting “I moved it” somewhat than “I copied it” when prompted, to protect MAC addresses and settings.

What’s an excellent technique for sizing digital CPUs and cores per socket when making a VM?

Most advocate utilizing a single digital CPU “socket” after which assigning a number of cores to it (e.g. 1 × 4 cores) somewhat than splitting throughout many sockets, until particular software program licensing dictate in any other case.

Why does my VM run slowly, and the way can I enhance efficiency?

Frequent causes embody inadequate host assets (RAM, CPU), lack of virtualization assist (VT-x/AMD-V not enabled), or working a number of intensive VMs concurrently. Efficiency can typically be improved by allocating extra assets, putting in VMware Instruments, enabling {hardware} virtualization in BIOS, and utilizing SSD storage.

Are snapshots an alternative to backups?

No, a snapshot solely data the modifications made to a VM because the snapshot was taken, so it is not a self-contained copy of the whole digital machine. Snapshots are finest used as short-term security nets – for instance, earlier than making use of an replace or testing a configuration change. For precise backup, copy the whole VM folder to a separate location whereas the VM is powered off, or use devoted backup software program.

What’s VMware Instruments and do I would like to put in it?

VMware Instruments is a package deal of drivers and utilities that installs contained in the visitor working system – not on the host. It considerably improves the VM expertise: enabling larger display screen resolutions, smoother mouse integration, clipboard sharing between host and visitor, drag-and-drop file switch, and higher general efficiency.

Options

Run VMs and Containers on a Single PC

Deploy native OCI containers and Kubernetes clusters with VM isolation, digital networking and digital useful resource choices by the brand new vctl CLI instrument.

Develop and Check for Any Platform

Repair extra bugs and ship high quality code on time utilizing Workstation Professional in improvement and testing. Virtualize almost any x86 working system accessible right this moment on a desktop PC.

Get pleasure from Baked-In vSphere and ESXi Help

Run ESXi and vCenter as digital machines on the desktop, and connect with a distant vSphere surroundings for fast VM entry and fundamental administration duties.

Run Safe and Remoted Desktops

Run a safe second desktop with totally different privateness settings, instruments and networking configurations for on-line safety, or to take “snapshots” that may be restored later.

Broaden the Energy of Your PC with Virtualization

Uncover the true energy and suppleness of your desktop or laptop computer laptop with VMware Workstation. Scale back {hardware} prices by 50% or extra by working a number of working techniques concurrently on a single PC. Automate and streamline duties to save lots of time and enhance productiveness. Be part of the hundreds of thousands worldwide who use Workstation to:

Host legacy functions and overcome platform migration points
Configure & take a look at new software program or patches in an remoted surroundings
Automate duties for software program improvement and testing
Display multi-tier configurations on a single PC

Use A number of Working Programs Concurrently on the Identical PC

VMware Workstation makes it easy to create and run a number of digital machines in your desktop or laptop computer laptop. You may convert an present bodily PC right into a VMware digital machine, or create a brand new digital machine from scratch. Every digital machine represents a whole PC, together with the processor, reminiscence, community connections and peripheral ports.

VMware Workstation helps you to use your digital machines to run Home windows, Linux and a number of different working techniques side-by-side on the identical laptop. You may swap between working techniques immediately with a click on of a mouse, share recordsdata between digital machines with drag-and-drop performance and entry all of the peripheral units you depend on.

Take Snapshots & Movies of your Digital Machines

With Workstation, you’ll be able to take a “snapshot” that preserves the state of a digital machine so you’ll be able to return to it at any time. Snapshots are helpful when you should revert your digital machine to a previous, secure system state. Workstation shows thumbnails of all of your snapshots on a single display screen, making it straightforward so that you can observe and revert to a beforehand saved snapshot.

You may even use Workstation 6 to report and play video recordsdata that seize all modifications to a digital machine over a time period. This operate is unique to VMware Workstation and is extremely helpful for software program debugging, Assist Desk forensics, gross sales demonstrations and coaching.

Run an Total Multi-tier System on a Single Host Pc

Run multi-tier enterprise functions on a single piece of {hardware} by managing network-connected digital machines with the Groups characteristic of Workstation 6. Groups allow you to create digital community environments that embody consumer, server and database digital machines.

With Workstation Groups, you’ll be able to flip a complete multi-tier surroundings on and off with a single click on of the mouse button. Workstation shows stay thumbnails of all linked digital machines, enabling you to simply establish and swap between the digital machines related to a workforce.

Clone your Digital Machines to Speed up Deployment

Putting in working techniques and functions may be time consuming. With clones, you can also make many copies of a digital machine from a single set up and configuration course of. This functionality makes it quick and easy to distribute standardized computing environments to staff and college students, or to create a baseline configuration for testing.

Take Your Digital Machines With You

New to Workstation is the power to create and deploy safe digital machines (known as ACEs) with the ACE Choice Pack. Mobility is likely one of the major advantages of this feature pack, because it permits customers to securely take their desktops with them on transportable media units akin to USB thumb drives.

What’s New

VMware Fusion Professional 26H1 comprises safety and bug fixes.

Recording and reporting time stamps: You may simply establish digital machines by creation and final powered-on time stamp.
Added assist for distant connections to ARM-based ESX hosts, enabling fundamental digital machine operations.

Added assist for visitor working techniques.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Fedora 43
Fedora 44
SUSE Linux Enterprise 16
openSUSE 16.0
FreeBSD 15.0

This launch resolves CVE-2026-41702. For extra data on this vulnerability and its influence on Broadcom
merchandise, see VMSA-2026-0003.

VMware Fusion Professional 25H2u1 Changelog

Added assist for 64-bit: VMware Workstation Professional for Home windows is now accessible as a 64-bit utility and all binaries, libraries, installer elements, and associated providers are delivered and executed as 64-bit processes.
Recording and reporting time stamps: You may simply establish digital machines digital machines by creation and final powered-on time stamp.
Added assist for distant connections to ARM-based ESX hosts, enabling fundamental digital machine operations.
Displaying digital machine notes in folder tabs.
Up to date the saved credential format: You may simply establish encrypted digital machines and distant server within the credential supervisor of the host platform.
Added assist for visitor and host working techniques.

Visitor working techniques

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Fedora 43
Fedora 44
SUSE Linux Enterprise 16
openSUSE 16.0
FreeBSD 15.0

Host working techniques

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
Fedora 43
Fedora 44
SUSE Linux Enterprise 16 GA
openSUSE 16.0

Resolved Points

All assist buttons and URLs within the consumer interface navigate to the Broadcom Technical Documentation house web page as an alternative of the precise Workstation assist web page
Assist buttons and hyperlinks at the moment are mounted to hyperlink to the right places on the Broadcom Technical Documentation website.

Identified Points

After upgrading VMware Workstation Professional on Home windows hosts, ISO recordsdata stay in earlier set up listing
When upgrading VMware Workstation on Home windows from an earlier model, if the brand new set up path is totally different from the previous one, ISO picture recordsdata from the sooner set up aren’t routinely eliminated. These recordsdata stay within the previous set up listing, for instance, C:Program Recordsdata (x86)VMwareVMware Workstationwindows.iso and proceed to eat disk area.
Workaround: Carry out one of many following duties.
Earlier than upgrading, manually uninstall the sooner model of VMware Workstation and choose the choice to save lots of product configuration.
After upgrading, manually navigate to the previous set up listing and delete the ISO picture recordsdata and their containing folders.

VMware Workstation Professional 25H2u1

Re-enabled the Test for updates choice to verify for brand spanking new releases.
This launch resolves CVE-2026-22715, CVE-2026-22716, CVE-2026-22717, and CVE-2026-22722. For extra data on these vulnerabilities and their influence on Broadcom merchandise, see VMSA-2026-0002.

Resolved Points

When working on a Home windows host with Hyper-V enabled, VMs would possibly stop unexpectedly
When working on а Home windows host with Hyper-V enabled, Workstation Professional 25H2 doesn’t assist nested virtualization. Digital machines configured with “vhv.allow = TRUE” would possibly presumably report “unrecoverable error”. This subject is resolved on this launch. When powering on a VM that’s configured to make use of nested virtualization on a number with Hyper-V, an error message is displayed.
On Home windows hosts, visitor working techniques generally seem like gradual and unresponsive to enter
When receiving enter by the visitor working system, VMware Workstation on Home windows hosts would possibly fail to redraw the visitor display screen, creating the notion of the visitor working system being gradual. Due to this fact, when updating visible parts, the visitor working techniques may appear unresponsive to consumer enter or the visitor display screen appears to lag. This subject is mounted on this launch.
When transferring the mouse cursor between displays in full display screen mode, the mouse cursor disappears
When utilizing Workstation Professional on a Home windows host that has focus follows mouse enabled and a digital machine is in full display screen mode with a number of displays, transferring the mouse cursor between displays leads to the mouse cursor disappearing. This subject is resolved on this launch.
Vulkan presentation mode would possibly trigger a number of bugs in some Home windows host {hardware} configurations
VMware Workstation Professional 25H2 enabled a brand new Vulkan presentation mode that exhibited a number of bugs in some host {hardware} configurations, for instance:
When powering on a digital machine, the show of the Home windows host would possibly completely dim till the host is rebooted.
When coming into full display screen mode on a Home windows host, the toolbar is not seen.
This subject is resolved on this launch and the Vulkan and DirectX 12 presentation modes are deactivated by default.
On Home windows hosts, full display screen mode shows a 1 pixel white border across the display screen of the visitor working system

This subject is resolved on this launch.

After rebooting a number, digital machines with Home windows XP or Home windows Vista working techniques which have 3D graphics acceleration enabled show a black display screen or a low-resolution display screen with out full colour assist
This subject is resolved on this launch.
When making an attempt USB pass-through on Home windows hosts, the USB units may not be listed, intermittently disconnect, or fail to attach
When making an attempt USB pass-through on a Home windows host, a sudden disconnection from USBArbitrator would possibly happen and the enumerated system data is just not accessible. This subject is mounted on this launch.

Identified Points

After downgrading the {hardware} compatibility of an encrypted digital machine with vTPM from {hardware} model 22, the digital machine fails to start out
Downgrading the {hardware} compatibility of an encrypted digital machine with vTPM, that was created by utilizing VMware Workstation 25H2 and configured with {hardware} model 22 to any decrease model is just not supported. A brand new vTPM model is launched with {hardware} model 22 that’s incompatible with older {hardware} variations. If downgrade is tried, the digital machine fails to start out.
Workaround: None.

VMware Workstation Professional 25H2 Chaneglog

We’re transferring away from conventional model numbers (e.g., Workstation 17.6.x, Fusion 13.6.x) and adopting a brand new naming format – 25H2 – that displays the yr (2025) and the half of the yr (H2). This offers consistency throughout releases and ensures readability for patrons.

The 25H2 launch brings new instruments and capabilities that simplify automation, improve compatibility, and make day-to-day duties quicker and extra dependable.

dictTool (Workstation & Fusion) A brand new command-line utility that enables clients to examine and edit VMware configuration recordsdata (.vmx, preferences). This offers extra flexibility and automation for superior customers – a functionality that was extremely requested by our neighborhood.
USB 3.2 Help (Workstation & Fusion) Quicker information transfers and improved compatibility with trendy USB units.
{Hardware} Model 22 (Workstation & Fusion) Ensures digital machines (VMs) make the most of the most recent {hardware} capabilities for improved efficiency and compatibility.
Hyper-V/WHP Detection (Workstation solely) Helps to establish the VM’s working mode in Workstation by clearly exhibiting Hyper-V/WHP standing.

Expanded CPU and OS Help

Working the most recent workloads and platforms is vital for right this moment’s customers. Workstation and Fusion 25H2 increase CPU, host, and visitor OS compatibility so you’ll be able to confidently virtualize on the latest applied sciences.

New CPU Help (Workstation): Intel Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake, and Meteor Lake.
New Visitor Working Programs:
- Crimson Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Fedora Linux 42
- openSUSE Leap 16.0 (RC)
- SUSE Linux 16 (Beta)
- Debian 13
- Oracle Linux 10
- VMware ESX 9.0 (Workstation: normal, Fusion: Intel techniques solely)
- macOS Tahoe (Fusion: Intel techniques solely)
New Host Working Programs:
- Workstation: RHEL 10, Fedora Linux 42, openSUSE Leap 16.0 (RC), SUSE Linux 16 (Beta), Debian 13
- Fusion: macOS Tahoe (Intel and Apple Silicon)

Bug Fixes and Enhancements

25H2 additionally delivers essential refinements that make the platforms extra secure, safe, and user-friendly. These fixes handle widespread buyer ache factors throughout each Workstation and Fusion.

Safety fixes throughout each Workstation and Fusion.
Accessibility enhancements to enhance usability.
Workstation-specific fixes:
- Resolved UI points on Home windows with resizing and window controls.
- Optimized Linux assist bundles for simpler dealing with.
- Decreased extreme logging by the VMware Authorization Service (vmauthd) in Home windows Occasion Viewer.
- Choice to discard VM droop states.
- Fastened Linux full-screen crash and Intel GPU 3D acceleration points.

VMware Workstation Professional 17.6.4 offers the next new capabilities.

This launch resolves CVE-2025-41236, CVE-2025-41237, CVE-2025-41238, and CVE-2025-41239.

For extra data on these vulnerabilities and their influence on Broadcom merchandise, see VMSA-2025-0013.

This launch resolves CVE-2025-2884.

Broadcom has evaluated the severity of this subject to be within the average severity vary.

The 17.6.3 launch resolves CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22226. For extra data on these vulnerabilities and their influence on Broadcom merchandise, see VMSA-2025-0004.

VMware Workstation Professional not requires a license key and is now free for industrial, academic, and private use.
VMware Workstation Professional 17.6.3 offers varied bug fixes requested by clients.
We’re thrilled to announce a major change that displays our dedication to creating VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation extra accessible than ever. Beginning November 11, 2024, these highly effective desktop hypervisor merchandise might be accessible without cost to everybody – industrial, academic, and private customers alike.