Workstation Player FAQs
PRODUCT
What is VMware Workstation Player?
VMware Workstation Player (formerly known as Player Pro) is a desktop virtualization application that is available for free for personal use. A Commercial License can be applied to enable Workstation Player to run Restricted Virtual Machines created by VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro.
Can I still use VMware Workstation Player for free?
VMware Workstation Player is free for personal non-commercial use (business and non profit use is considered commercial use). If you would like to learn about virtual machines or use them at home you are welcome to use VMware Workstation Player for free. Students and faculty of accredited educational institutions can use VMware Workstation Player for free if they are members of the VMware Academic Program.
Are there guidelines for using VMware Workstation Player for personal use?
Yes. Please refer to the VMware Workstation Player End-User License Agreement (EULA) for using VMware Workstation Player according to VMware design and licensing guidelines.
How can I get the free version of VMware Workstation Player?
VMware Workstation Player can be downloaded here.
Can I access VMware Workstation Player documentation online for free?
Yes, both English and Japanese language versions are available for download in electronic format from the VMware Workstation Player documentation website.
How does VMware Workstation Player work?
VMware Workstation Player installs like a standard desktop application. Once installed, VMware Workstation Player allows you to install new operating systems and run them as virtual machines in a separate window. VMware Workstation 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 Workstation Player?
Use VMware Workstation Player to create, run, evaluate, and share software running in virtual machines:
- Create: Use VMware Workstation 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 Workstation Player can be used by anyone to run virtual machines on a Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Player makes it quick and easy to take advantage of the security, flexibility, and portability of virtual machines.
- Evaluate: VMware Workstation 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 Workstation 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.
What is the difference between the free and paid editions of VMware Workstation Player?
VMware Workstation Player is a free download, but purchasing and entering a license key entitles the users to the following additional benefits:
- When licensed, VMware Workstation Player is designed to be used commercially. It is licensed for use by employees, training organizations, contractors and can be transferred to partners or potential customers.
- When licensed, VMware Workstation Player is enabled to run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Fusion Pro or VMware Workstation.
- When licensed, VMware Workstation Player better supports mass deployments to thousands of users including installation options and custom configuration settings to run unattended installs using system configuration software and hide unwanted features.
How does VMware Workstation Player compare to VMware Workstation Pro?
VMware Workstation Player enables you to quickly and easily create and run virtual machines. The Workstation Player user interface is designed to be as easy to use as possible. It is intended for people who need to run virtual machines, typically provided to them by their IT organization, system administrator, instructor, software supplier etc.
VMware Workstation Pro is much more advanced and comes with powerful features including snapshots, cloning, remote connections to vSphere or vCloud Air, sharing VMs, advanced Virtual Machines settings and much more. Workstation is designed to be used by technical professionals such as developers, quality assurance engineers, systems engineers, IT administrators, technical support representatives, trainers, etc. More comparison details are available in the Workstation Pro vs Workstation Player comparison table.
Can VMware Workstation Player run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion Pro?
Yes, if you purchase a VMware Workstation Player. This feature is only activated in the licensed version of Workstation Player.
Where can I buy VMware Workstation Player?
VMware Workstation Player is available for purchase on the VMware online store.
INSTALLATION
Can VMware Workstation Player install on the same machine as other VMware products?
No. VMware Workstation Player is not designed to co-install with other VMware products. If an installation of VMware Workstation, VMware Workstation Pro, or VMware Server is detected on a machine where Workstation Player is being installed, the Workstation Player installation will display an error message and abort. However, if you purchase and install Workstation Pro, a version of Workstation Player that will work is included.
What are the minimum PC requirements to install and use VMware Workstation Player?
- For a typical host system, we recommend that you have a 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor (2GHz recommended) and 2GB RAM minimum (4GB RAM recommended). You must have enough memory to run the 64-bit 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.
System Requirements
- 64-bit x86 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor or equivalent, AMD Athlon™ 64 FX Dual Core Processor or equivalent
- 1.3GHz or faster core speed
- 2GB RAM minimum/ 4GB RAM recommended
- Workstation 12 Player installation:
- 300MB of available disk space for the application. Additional hard disk space required for each virtual machine. Please refer to vendors recommended disk space for specific guest operating systems.
NOTE: Workstation 12.5 Player requires a 64-bit host operating system
- Host operating systems* (64-bit):
- Windows 10
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2008
- Ubuntu 8.04 and above
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and above
- CentOS 5.0 and above
- Oracle Linux 5.0 and above
- openSUSE 10.2 and above
- SUSE Linux 10 and above
- For Windows 7 Aero graphics support in a virtual machine
- 3GB RAM (Host PC)
- Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.2GHz and above or AMD Athlon 4200+ and above
- NVIDIA GeForce 9900GT and above or ATI Radeon HD 2600 and above
* Please visit the VMware Compatibility Guide for a current list of supported host and guest operating systems
If you plan to run 64-bit virtual machines with VMware Workstation Player, please refer to the Knowledge Base article on compatible 64-bit CPUs.
Supported Guest Operating Systems
VMware Workstation 12.5 Player supports hundreds of 32-bit and 64-bit guest operating systems from Microsoft DOS through Windows 10, Windows NT Server through Windows Server 2012 R2, Ubuntu 14.10, various other flavors of Linux. Here is a list of popular supported guest operating systems.
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To see a complete list of supported guest and host operating systems, please visit the VMware Compatibility Guide.
Does Workstation 12.5 Player still support 32-bit operating systems?
While Workstation 12.5 Player requires a 64 bit operating system on the host PC you can still run your favorite 32-bit Windows and Linux guest operating systems inside a virtual machine on Workstation 12.5 Player.
What if I still need to run Workstation 12.5 Player on a 32-bit Host?
Player 6 Plus is the last version that supports either a 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems running on the host PC. However you can purchase Workstation 12.5 Player and downgrade to Player 6 Plus via the My VMware Portal - please reference knowledge base article "How to downgrade license keys in My VMware"
LICENSING AND UPGRADES
Upgrades
What upgrade options do I have from VMware Player Plus or Player Pro?
Please consult the table below to check your eligibility to purchase an upgrade on the VMware Online Store.
| Currently Licensed Product | Eligible for Paid Upgrade to Workstation 12.5 Player | Eligible for free upgrade to Workstation 12.5 Player |
| Player 6 Plus |  |
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| Player 7 Pro | |
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| Workstation 12 Player | |
How do I purchase Workstation Player upgrades?
VMware Workstation Player upgrades are available for purchase on the VMware online store or through VMware resellers.
Do I get free updates (not upgrades) when I purchase VMware Workstation Player?
Yes. The price of VMware Workstation Player includes an update service that entitles you to product updates and patches, which are new releases of Workstation Player within a given product version (e.g. x.1, and x.1.1, and so forth). VMware Workstation Player will automatically download updates or you may download updates by visiting the Workstation Player Download Page.
NOTE: The price of Workstation Player entitles a customer to free updates, but not free upgrades. Upgrade releases contain functional enhancements or significant extensions and must be purchased separately unless you have an active support and subscription (SnS) contract.
Licensing and Registration
How do I register my copy of VMware Workstation Player with VMware?
If you purchased the product from the VMware Online store, your license key is automatically registered. If you purchased from a reseller, you need to manually register your license key in My VMware. Please consult this KB article for detailed instructions on license key registration.
Can I switch between Windows and Linux versions?
Yes. You can switch between Windows and Linux versions of VMware Workstation Player using the same license key. If you decide to switch host operating systems, you must uninstall Workstation Player from the host operating system you no longer plan to use. If you plan to run VMware Workstation Player on a Linux host and a Windows host at the same time, you need to purchase two licenses.
Are students and professors eligible to receive special academic pricing for a full license of VMware Workstation Player?
Yes. Students and professors can purchase VMware Workstation Player at our standard academic pricing by ordering directly from VMware Academic Store or by contacting VMware Sales at 1-977-4VMWARE (1-977-496-10273) in the United States and Canada, or +1-650-427-5000 elsewhere. Please note that proof of eligibility is required.
DOWNLOADS
Where do I download free "minor" updates?
VMware Workstation Player will prompt you for updates automatically. To manually check for updates, click on the "VMware Workstation Player" drop down menu in VMware Workstation Player and choose "Check for Updates."
How can I download VMware Workstation Player?
You can download VMware Workstation Player software from the Workstation Player Download page for evaluation in a non-commercial environment.
SUPPORT
Create a Support Request
To create a new support request or check on the status of an existing request please sign on to your account through the MyVMware portal.
Support Offerings
Along with our comprehensive web-based support resources such as the Knowledge Base and VMware Communities, the following support offerings are available:
Complimentary Support
Email installation support for VMware Workstation Player is valid for 30 days from product registration. Submit support requests either online or via phone; responses are targeted within one business day.
Learn more about Complimentary Support
Per Incident Support
Purchase support as you need it for VMware Workstation Player. Individual per incident support is conveniently sold in 1, 3 or 5 incident packs. Submit support requests either online or via phone; responses are targeted within one business day.
Learn more about Per Incident Support
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Basic Support
With a minimum quantity of 10 VMware Workstation Player licenses, VMware Basic Support provides access to our global support centers, 12 hours a day, 5 days a week, including unlimited support requests and subscription services for 1 or 3-year periods.
Learn more about Basic Support
Production Support
With a minimum quantity of 10 VMware Workstation Player licenses, VMware Production Support provides access to our global support centers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Severity 1 issues, including unlimited support requests and subscription services for 1 or 3-year periods.
Learn more about Production Support
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Support FAQs
When does complimentary support start?
Complimentary support starts when your VMware Workstation Player license is registered. Registration takes place automatically if you purchase your product from the VMware Online store. If you purchased from a reseller, you need to register your license in My VMware. Please consult this KB article for detailed instructions on license key registration.
How long does complimentary support last?
Complimentary support for VMware Workstation Player is valid for 30 days from product registration.
Can I use a support incident for different versions of Player Pro/Workstation Player, for example Player 7 Pro and Workstation 12 Player?
Yes, you can purchase support incidents and open a support request for any product version that is still officially supported by VMware.
What is the support period for VMware Workstation Player?
VMware Workstation Player follows the Personal Desktop lifecycle policy. Please refer to our lifecycle policies for detailed information and end of support dates.
Are there any free Workstation Player support resources available from VMware?
VMware provides a number of self-help and community supported resources including:
- Workstation Player Documentation — product documentation and manuals
- Knowledge Base — troubleshooting information
- Community Forum — users can share their information and experiences with others (registration required)
- User Groups (VMUGs) — live, local gatherings of VMware users
- Customers are also eligible for complimentary installation support for the first 30 days following product registration.