VMware Player FAQs: Free Virtualization to Run a Virtual PC on Linux or Windows

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VMware Player is the easiest way to run multiple operating systems at the same time on your PC. With its user-friendly interface, VMware Player makes it effortless for anyone to try out Windows 8, Windows 7, Chrome OS, the latest Linux releases, or create isolated virtual machines to safely test new software. VMware Player is free for personal use. VMware Player is now available for commercial use with support offerings as a component of VMware Fusion Professional.

VMware Player FAQs

What is VMware Player?

VMware Player is software that enables users to easily create and run virtual machines on a Windows or Linux PC. VMware Player can create virtual machines in addition to running virtual machines created by VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, VMware Fusion Professional, and VMware vSphere.

What does it cost?

VMware Player is free for personal non-commercial use. VMware Player is available for commercial use as part of VMware Fusion Professional . VMware Fusion Professional provides a commercial license that can be used with VMware Fusion on the Mac or with VMware Player on Windows or Linux. VMware Support and Subscription offerings are available for VMware Fusion Professional.

Can I OEM/redistribute VMware Player?

VMware Player is distributable with written permission from VMware. Please apply here to request a distribution agreement.

Can I run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion in VMware Player?

Yes, if you purchase a VMware Fusion Professional license to enable this features in VMware Player.

Do I need another VMware product to use VMware Player?

No. VMware Player enables you to create and run virtual machines.

How does VMware Player work?

VMware Player installs like a standard desktop application. Once installed, VMware Player runs virtual machines in a separate window. VMware Player includes features that enable users to create and configure their own virtual machines for optimal performance and access any devices connected to their PC.

What can I do with VMware Player?

Use VMware Player to create, run, evaluate, and share software running in virtual machines:

Create: Use VMware Player to create virtual machines with the latest 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Linux operating systems. With Easy Install it’s easier than installing them directly on your PC.
Run: VMware Player can be used by anyone to run virtual machines on a Windows or Linux PC. VMware Player makes it quick and easy to take advantage of the security, flexibility, and portability of virtual machines.
Evaluate: VMware Player is ideal for safely evaluating software distributed as a virtual appliance. Virtual appliances are pre-built, pre-configured and ready-to-run enterprise software applications packaged along with an operating system in a virtual machine. With VMware Player, anyone can quickly and easily experience the benefits of preconfigured products without any installation or configuration hassles. Run over 900 virtual appliances from leading software vendors available from the VMware Solution Exchange.
Share: VMware Player can be used by anyone to run a virtual machine shared by a colleague or friend. For example, customer support and development teams can share a customer scenario encapsulated within a virtual machine.

How can I get VMware Player?

VMware Player is available as a free download for personal use.

What are the minimum PC requirements to install and use VMware Player?

For a typical host system, we recommend that you have a 1 GHz or faster processor (2GHz recommended) and 1GB RAM minimum (2GB RAM recommended). You must have enough memory to run the host operating system, plus the memory required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest. See your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements. VMware Player requires approximately 150MB of disk space to install the application. For more details on minimum PC requirements, see the VMware Player Documentation.

How does VMware Player compare to VMware Workstation?

VMware Player enables you to quickly and easily create and run virtual machines. However, VMware Player lacks many powerful features, remote connections to vSphere, drag and drop upload to vSphere, multiple Snapshots and Clones, and much more.

Are there guidelines for using VMware Player?

Yes. Please refer to the VMware Player End-User License Agreement (EULA) for using VMware Player according to VMware design and licensing guidelines.

Can VMware Player install on the same machine as other VMware products?

No. VMware Player is not designed to co-install with other VMware products. If an installation of VMware Workstation or VMware Server is detected on a machine where VMware Player is being installed, the VMware Player installation will display an error message and abort. However, if you purchase and install VMware Workstation 9, a version of VMware Player that will work is included.

Is VMware Player localized in Japanese or other languages?

No. VMware Player is available in English only.

Is Support and Subscription available for commercial use of VMware Player?

Yes, if you purchase a minimum of 10 license of VMware Fusion Professional. VMware Fusion Professional includes a commercial license for VMware Player.

What self-help is available for VMware Player?

VMware Player Documentation — Getting Started product documentation
VMware Player Discussion Forums — Users can share their information and experiences with others