Run Windows, Linux and BSD virtual machines on a Windows or Linux desktop with VMware Workstation Pro.

Build, test and demo software across an array of different devices, platforms and clouds. IT professionals, developers and businesses rely on Workstation Pro every day to support their projects and customers. Workstation Pro makes it easy to run complex local virtual environments to simulate operating systems, platforms and clouds, all from the same desktop PC.

What are the different editions of VMware Workstation?

The VMware Workstation product line consists of two products: Workstation Pro and Workstation Player. Collectively they are referred to as 'VMware Workstation,' and when there are differences, they are called out.

What are the differences between Workstation Pro and Workstation Player?

Workstation Pro and Workstation Player share the same hypervisor technology, but with unique user interfaces for different types of use.

Workstation Player is designed for a single graphical VM operation, or for command line operation with 'vmrun' or ' for running a different operating system in a secure isolated sandbox on a PC.

Workstation Pro is designed for IT professionals and developers, providing a more fully featured interface with capabilities for running multiple virtual machines at the same time. Workstation Pro can provide and configure virtual networking, create clones, connect to vSphere, show multiple VMs at the same time in a tabbed UI and more.

Do I need to dual boot or repartition the disk?

No, VMware Workstation uses your computer's file system and creates files that map to a virtual machine's disk drives, so there is no need to create a partition for each operating system. If you already have another OS with dual boot installed on your computer, you can use VMware Workstation to run the other OS in a virtual machine on your host operating system.

Instead of dual booting, you can run both operating systems simultaneously and seamlessly switch from one operating system to another with a click of your mouse.

Features

Run VMs and Containers on a Single PC

Deploy local OCI containers and Kubernetes clusters with VM isolation, virtual networking and virtual resource options through the new vctl CLI tool.

Develop and Test for Any Platform

Fix more bugs and ship quality code on time using Workstation Pro in development and testing. Virtualize nearly any x86 operating system available today on a desktop PC.

Enjoy Baked-In vSphere and ESXi Support

Run ESXi and vCenter as virtual machines on the desktop, and connect to a remote vSphere environment for quick VM access and basic management tasks.

Run Secure and Isolated Desktops

Run a secure second desktop with different privacy settings, tools and networking configurations for online protection, or to take "snapshots" that can be restored later.

Expand the Power of Your PC with Virtualization

Discover the true power and flexibility of your desktop or laptop computer with VMware Workstation. Reduce hardware costs by 50% or more by running multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC. Automate and streamline tasks to save time and improve productivity. Join the millions worldwide who use Workstation to:

  • Host legacy applications and overcome platform migration issues
  • Configure & test new software or patches in an isolated environment
  • Automate tasks for software development and testing
  • Demonstrate multi-tier configurations on a single PC

Use Multiple Operating Systems Concurrently on the Same PC

VMware Workstation makes it simple to create and run multiple virtual machines on your desktop or laptop computer. You can convert an existing physical PC into a VMware virtual machine, or create a new virtual machine from scratch. Each virtual machine represents a complete PC, including the processor, memory, network connections and peripheral ports.

VMware Workstation lets you use your virtual machines to run Windows, Linux and a host of other operating systems side-by-side on the same computer. You can switch between operating systems instantly with a click of a mouse, share files between virtual machines with drag-and-drop functionality and access all the peripheral devices you rely on.

Take Snapshots & Videos of your Virtual Machines

With Workstation, you can take a "snapshot" that preserves the state of a virtual machine so you can return to it at any time. Snapshots are useful when you need to revert your virtual machine to a prior, stable system state. Workstation displays thumbnails of all your snapshots on a single screen, making it easy for you to track and revert to a previously saved snapshot.

You can even use Workstation 6 to record and play video files that capture all changes to a virtual machine over a period of time. This function is exclusive to VMware Workstation and is incredibly useful for software debugging, Help Desk forensics, sales demonstrations and training.

Run an Entire Multi-tier System on a Single Host Computer

Run multi-tier enterprise applications on a single piece of hardware by managing network-connected virtual machines with the Teams feature of Workstation 6. Teams let you create virtual network environments that include client, server and database virtual machines.

With Workstation Teams, you can turn an entire multi-tier environment on and off with a single click of the mouse button. Workstation displays live thumbnails of all connected virtual machines, enabling you to easily identify and switch between the virtual machines associated with a team.

Clone your Virtual Machines to Accelerate Deployment

Installing operating systems and applications can be time consuming. With clones, you can make many copies of a virtual machine from a single installation and configuration process. This capability makes it fast and simple to distribute standardized computing environments to employees and students, or to create a baseline configuration for testing.

Take Your Virtual Machines With You

New to Workstation is the ability to create and deploy secure virtual machines (called ACEs) with the ACE Option Pack. Mobility is one of the primary benefits of this option pack, as it enables users to securely take their desktops with them on portable media devices such as USB thumb drives.

What's New

  • This release introduces product enhancements to support a new commercial subscription and personal use license model. For more information, see Learn Subscription.
  • This release resolves CVE-2024-22267, CVE-2024-22268, CVE-2024-22269, and CVE-2024-22270. For more information on these vulnerabilities and their impact on VMware products, see VMSA-2024-0010.
  • This release contains security and bug fixes.

Product Support Notices

  • Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are now available free for personal use. By default, each product is licensed only for Personal Use. A license key for personal use is no longer required.
  • Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro require a commercial subscription and associated license key for use in any commercial setting.
  • Commercial subscriptions for both Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro are now offered through a single Desktop Hypervisor Pro product SKU.

Known Issues

  • The multi-monitor feature might not work correctly in specific topologies
  • In specific situations, based on different hardware and topologies, the multi-monitor feature does not work as expected. You might see issues like reverting the topology to a single screen, or not cycling through monitors.
    • Workaround: None.

Resolved Issues

  • VMware NAT Service uses high CPU even with no virtual machine running
  • On Workstation Pro 17.5.0 and 17.5.1, vmnat.exe might have high CPU utilization even when no virtual machine is running.
    • This issue is resolved.

Security Issues

  • OpenSSL, which is consumed by OVF Tool, is updated to version 1.0.2zj.