VMware Workstation Pro
Version 17.6.2 · Broadcom Inc. · Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) · ranked #84 in the library
A desktop hypervisor that runs whole other operating systems in windows on your own machine, each one a self contained virtual computer you can snapshot, clone and throw away, which is how you test, isolate or run something without touching the host.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
Workstation Pro runs virtual machines on a desktop. Each one is a complete computer in software, with its own operating system, its own disk and its own network, running in a window on your host while the host carries on as normal. That is the whole tool: a way to run another system, or several, alongside your own without dual booting, wiping anything or risking the machine you actually depend on.
The features that make it more than a curiosity are snapshots and clones. A snapshot freezes the exact state of a virtual machine so you can do something risky, install something you do not trust, test a change, break the system entirely, and roll straight back to where you were. A clone copies a configured machine so you can spin up ten identical test environments from one. Together they turn a virtual machine from a novelty into a working tool for anyone who tests software or needs a disposable environment.
It handles the networking, shared folders, USB passthrough and display acceleration that make a guest usable rather than merely bootable, runs guests of practically any x86 based system, and connects to a wider virtualisation infrastructure if there is one. This build is the Pro edition, activated, so snapshots, clones and the encrypted virtual machine features that the free tier withholds are all present.
What it does
Feature breakdown
Run other systems in windows
Whole operating systems as self contained virtual computers running alongside the host, with no dual boot and no risk to the host.
Snapshots
Freeze the exact state of a machine, do something risky, and roll straight back to where you were.
Clones
Copy a configured machine to spin up several identical environments from one, linked or full.
Hardware passthrough
USB devices, shared folders, networking and accelerated display, so a guest is genuinely usable.
Broad guest support
Runs guests of practically any x86 based system, current and old.
Encrypted virtual machines
Protect a virtual machine with encryption, a Pro feature the free tier withholds.
Changed in this build
Version 17.6.2
- Improved performance on recent host processors.
- Better display scaling for guests on high resolution hosts.
- Updated guest support for current system releases.
- USB passthrough reliability improved for more device classes.
- Snapshot handling made faster on large virtual disks.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Enable hardware virtualisation in the machine firmware if it is not already on.
- Go offline.
- Extract the archive.
- Disable real time protection.
- Run the installer, then apply the included activation step.
- Launch Workstation, confirm it reports the Pro edition, then re-enable protection.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Hardware virtualisation must be enabled in firmware or virtual machines will not start.
- Give the host enough memory to keep its own share. A guest takes what you assign it.
- Virtual disks grow large. Plan storage for the guests as well as the application.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Operating system | Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11, 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | 64-bit with hardware virtualisation enabled in firmware, multicore recommended |
| Memory | 8 GB minimum, 16 GB or more so the guest and host both have room |
| Graphics | GPU with a current driver for accelerated guest display |
| Storage | 2 GB for the application plus a lot of space for virtual disks |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- Do I need virtualisation enabled?
- Yes, it must be turned on in the machine firmware for guests to run.
- What does the Pro edition add over the free one?
- Snapshots, clones and encrypted virtual machines, among others, which the free tier withholds.
- Can it run an old operating system?
- Yes, it runs guests of practically any x86 based system, including old ones.
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