Feeling the itch to delve into virtualization on your Windows machine? The quest for seamless virtualization is real, and VMware Workstation Player is your ticket to seamless virtual adventures.
Through clear instructions in this tutorial, you will soon wield VMware Workstation Player like a pro, unlocking endless possibilities for your digital playground.
Read on and turn your virtualization aspirations into reality!
Prerequisites
Before you jump into the world of VMware Workstation Player, ensure you have everything lined up for a smooth ride:
- A Windows 7 OS or later – This tutorial uses Windows 11 64-bit.
- Around 40GB for the VMware Workstation Player installation, plus extra space for the VM you plan to run.
- A minimum of 4GB RAM, but the more RAM you have, the better.
- An OS ISO Image to install within VMware Workstation Player – This tutorial uses Ubuntu 20.04 64-bit.
Downloading and Installing the VMware Workstation Player
The ultimate aim is to empower you with the tools you need for efficient VM management. As you envision the enhanced capabilities and flexibility, you must first install the VMware Workstation Player.
VMware Workstation Player offers a seamless solution for creating and managing virtual machines. This tool lets you experiment with different environments without risking your primary system.
To download and install the latest VMware Workstation Player, carry out the following:
1. Open your favorite web browser, and head to VMware Workstation Player’s official download page.
2. Look for the Try Workstation 17 Player for Windows section and click DOWNLOAD NOW to initiate downloading the installer package.
💡 Note: VMware Workstation Player offers a free version. This free version is designed for non-commercial purposes, personal projects, or home use.
3. Right click on the downloaded installer package, and select Run as administrator. Doing so ensures you have the required permissions to install the software.
4. Now, click Next when the installation wizard opens to continue.
5. Read through the license terms, tick the checkbox at the bottom to accept the license agreement, and click Next to confirm.
6. On the next screen, configure the following:
- Select the destination folder for the installation. You may use the default directory or click Change to choose a different one.
- Tick the Enhanced Keyboard Driver box to enable additional functionalities for your keyboard while using VMs.
- Tick the last box to add the necessary tools and executables to your system’s PATH variable.
Once configured, click Next to move forward with the installation process.
7. Click Next twice to keep the defaults and proceed with the installation setup.
8. Now. click Install to initiate the installation against your configurations.
9. Once the installation is finished, click Finish to close the installer.
10. Lastly, click Yes to restart your computer for the changes.
Creating Your First VM in VMware Workstation Player
With VMware Workstation Player installed on your Windows PC, you stand on the threshold of virtualization. You can simulate entire computing systems within your existing hardware in this realm.
Setting up your first VM is like creating a new, self-contained computer that runs its own OS and applications.
To create a VM in the VMware Workstation Player, follow these steps:
1. Launch VMware Workstation Player from your desktop shortcut or through the Start menu.
2. When prompted, select the first option to use the free version of VMware Workstation Player (or choose the second option if you have a license key) and click Continue.
The VMware Workstation Player’s main window appears, as shown below.
3. Next, click Create a New Virtual Machine, which opens a wizard to configure a new VM (step four).
4. Now, select the second option, browse your ISO image file for the OS you wish to install on your VM, and click Next.
5. In the next screen, set the new OS administrator account credentials and click Next to confirm.
6. Provide a meaningful name for your VM (i.e., Ubuntu 20.04), choose a storage path for the VM files, and click Next.
7. Decide on the amount of disk space to allocate to the VM and the maximum size the virtual hard disk can grow to, and click Next.
8. Now, click Finish to create the VM with your chosen settings, or click Customize Hardware to adjust the hardware specifications before finalizing.
9. Ultimately, proceed by following the on-screen prompts to install the OS, replicating the process as if setting up a new computer.
If everything goes according to plan, you now have a fully functioning Ubuntu Linux VM on your Windows PC, as shown below.
Enjoy the versatility of your new virtual machine and the opportunities it offers. Be it for testing, learning, and running different OSes and applications in an isolated and controlled environment.
Fixing the VMware Workstation Compatibility Error
When you are all set to dive into virtualization, a compatibility error can wrench your plans, just like this VMware Workstation and Device/Credential Guard are not compatible error.
Typically, this error occurs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems where Device Guard or Credential Guard is enabled. These features often conflict with VMware Workstation, as they use Hyper-V technology that is incompatible with VMware’s default settings.
To fix this compatibility error, you must disable Device Guard or Credential Guard as follows:
1. Launch PowerShell with administrative privileges and execute the bceditcommand below to disable Hyper-V temporarily.
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off 
2. Once disabled, execute the following msconfig command to open the System Configuration window.
3. Disable Hyper-V-related services with the following:
- Navigate to the Services tab to view all services that start with the OS.
- Look for services related to Hyper-V and untick the boxes next to them.
- Click Apply, then OK to save and apply your changes.
4. Now, download the Device Guard and Credential Guard hardware readiness tool from the official Microsoft website and extract the downloaded zip file.
5. Within the extracted files, locate the PowerShell script named DG_Readiness_Tool_v3.6.ps1 (version number may vary).
6. In your PowerShell console, navigate to where you extracted the tool and execute the script to -Disable Device Guard or Credential Guard.
.\\DG_Readiness_Tool_v3.6.ps1 -DisableInput R and press Enter when prompted to continue running the script.
7. Subsequently, execute the same command to attempt disabling Device Guard or Credential Guard.
.\\DG_Readiness_Tool_v3.6.ps1 -ReadyThe output below confirms the script has performed the necessary changes.
8. Finally, restart your computer to ensure all changes take effect, and attempt to start your VM again.
Following the steps correctly fixes the compatibility error, allowing you to use VMware Workstation without Device Guard or Credential Guard interference.
Conclusion
As you wrap up this journey of setting up the VMware Workstation Player on Windows, you have now equipped your PC with a robust platform for delving into virtualization. No longer confined to physical hardware limitations, you have the freedom to explore, develop, and test across various OSes and applications within the safe bounds of VMs.
As you move forward, there are many possibilities and opportunities to explore. Why not automate the creation of VMs? Or integrating with other VMware tools and platforms?
Keep learning, keep growing, and always stay curious. The world of virtualization awaits you!
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This article will teach you how to install VMware Player 16 for Windows or Linux. VMware Workstation Player 16 is free computer-based software that permits you to install and run a virtual version of an additional operating system in a window on the desktop. The virtual operating system itself should be installed from a separate disk image, as VMware Workstation doesn’t come with pre-configured virtual machines. The Player can also assist in running a virtual copy of an old system so that you can reuse the old machines you have saved in your system.
VMware Player permits anyone to test new operating systems without rebooting the computer to switch between them. VMware prepares virtualization software. This software creates a generalization layer over system hardware that permits the hardware elements of single system memory, processors, storage, and more to be split into multiple virtual systems, commonly called virtual machines. Each VM runs its own operating system and acts like an independent system, despite running on a portion of the actual computer hardware. A virtual machine is a software-based image of a physical computer. The operating system running in a virtual machine is called a guest OS.
VMware Player System Requirements
Core i5 or later
8 GB of Memory
250 GB Disk (120 GB for VM)
Download VMware Player
Download VMware Player Windows. Unlike VirtualBox, just open your favorite browser, like Chrome and visit VMware’s official site to download VMware.
Install VMware Player
Go to the download folder and double-click on the installer file.
Select run.
You can see the VMware Player 16 splash screen.
Welcome to the VMware Workstation 16 Player setup wizard. Choose next.
Accept the license agreement, and then choose next.
VMware Player installation: custom setup; select next.
User experience settings, choose next.
Select the boxes “shortcut” and “start menu programs folder. Once you have made your selection, choose next.
Select Install when the VMware Workstation player is ready to install.
Installing VMware Workstation 16 Player
Click on the finish button.
Open the VMware player, click on the player tab, click on help, and then enter a license key.
Please enter your license key, and then click OK.
VMware Workstation Player 16.
Please visit this article to learn more about how to install VMware Workstation Player.
Jamilhttp://jamiltech.com
A Professional Technology Blog Writer | An energetic professional with more than 20+ years of rich experience in Technology, Planning, Designing, Installation, and Networking.
The world is moving towards virtualization very fast, so am I. This post will help you install VMware Workstation Player on Windows 10 without any hassle. VMware workstation will make sure that your host operating system is intact if you decide to create VMs on it. Additionally, you have all freedom to play around with new Operating Systems and software. That’s also without spending any penny for a license until you are using it for education purpose.
Video Tutorial
If you don’t like reading, then you can enjoy this quick video. I have covered following topics –
- How to install VMware workstation player on Windows 10
- Removal of VMware workstation player from Windows 10
There are many virtualization software exists like VirtualBox, KVM, Hyper-V, Oracle VM and many more. But VMware workstation player is my personal favourite. I am using it for many years and never found any issues. Even performance is also pretty good compared to other competitors. That’s why I always prefer it.
Let’s deep dive further and check steps to install VMware workstation 16 –
Step 1 – Download VMware Workstation Player 16 for Windows 10
Visit the “VMware website” website. Then click on “Download now” under “Try Workstation 16.0 Player for Windows“. Choose the “save file” option.
Alternatively, you can click here on “Download” and “Save” VMware-Player-16.1.0-17198959.exe file directly.
Step 2 – Visit your Download directory and run VMware Player 16 exe
Once the download completes. Go to your Download directory and double click on VMware-Player-16.1.0-17198959.exe file. This action will start VMware workstation 16 player installation wizard.
Step 3 – Click Next on VMware Workstation 16 player setup welcome screen
Click Next on “Welcome to the VMware workstation 16 player setup wizard” screen to move further.
Step 4 – Accept VMware End User License Agreement (EULA)
Like all other software, You just need to select checkbox for “I accept the terms in the License Agreement”. Then click “Next“.
Step 5 – Select Additional Features
There are two additional features, you can choose on this screen.
- Enhanced Keyboard driver – I will recommend you to enable this feature. It will improve your keyboard interaction with guest VM. Although it will ask to you reboot your computer and will eat up 10MB of extra space on your disk.
- Add VMware workstation console tools into system PATH – Selecting this option will automatically add VMware console tools to your system PATH.
Enable both additional features and click Next .
Step 6 – Select User experience settings for VMware Workstation 16
On the user experience settings, you will again find two options –
- Check for Product updates on startup – VMware checks for new updates while starting. So it’s solely your choice. If you want to keep this option enable or not. I don’t like enabling this personally.
- Join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program – Enabling this option will collect technical logs and send it to VMware for further improvement. Again it’s optional if you want to keep this enabled or not. I will keep this enabled for my setup.
Click Next
Step 7 – Create VMware Player 16 Shortcuts
Keeping these options enabled will create VMware Workstation 16 Player shortcuts on Desktop and Start menu.
Step 8 – Click “install” to start VMware Workstation Player installation
Hit “Install” to begin VMware Workstation player installation. At this time you can also click “Back” to review or change any of your installation settings. Below mentioned action will be taken during installation related to VMware workstation only –
- Installation validation
- Setting up custom registry permissions on VMware Keys
- Removing duplicate files
- Updating registry keys
- Copying new files
- Installation of virtual network drivers
- Cleanup of legacy network drivers
- Installation of VMCI drivers
- Cleanup of installation files
Step 9 – Click Finish and restart your PC to complete VMware Player 16 installation
Click Finish to install VMware workstation player on Windows 10 and reboot your PC.
Step 10 – Launch VMware Workstation 16 player
Once your machine is back online after reboot. Launch VMware Workstation 16. It may ask you for License, select for ” Personal use” {non-commercial}. I am sure you will follow the guidelines of VMware on this.
If you want to use it for commercial purpose, you would need to buy VMware license key.
Hurray!! You have installed VMware Workstation 16 player in your Windows 10 PC. Now you can start creating virtual machine. Click on these buttons to check out interesting tutorials –
How to Uninstall VMware workstation player on Windows 10
If you will notice, I always try to cover the installation and uninstallation of the software. This goes with VMware workstation also. Let’s see how easily we can remove VMware workstation player from your windows 10.
1 – Search and open “Control Panel” from Windows search bar
2 – Click Uninstall a program under “Programs“
3 – Select VMware player from list of Software and click “change“.
4 – Click Next on Welcome screen of VMware workstation setup
5 – Select Remove option from VMware Workstation 16 player setup
Click on Remove to uninstall VMware Workstation Player from Windows 10. Although, you can also repair installation and change VMware workstation features using this wizard.
6 – Click Next on Preserve VMware Workstation 16 player configurations
On this screen, you will get the option to preserve your product configuration and license information. If you are not willing to use this VMware software again in future. You can simply uncheck these options and click Next.
7 – Click Remove to uninstall VMware Workstation 16 Player from Windows 10
8- Finish to complete Uninstallation of VMware Player 16
Conclusion
I hope, now you can easily install VMware workstation player on Windows 10 machine and can start your Virtualization Journey. I am sure, even if you are a novice, it will be a cakewalk for you.
Let me know, if you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement.
This wikiHow teaches you how to install VMware Workstation Player for Windows or Linux. VMware Workstation Player is a free PC-based tool that allows you to install and run a virtual version of another operating system in a window on your desktop. The virtual operating system itself must be installed from a separate disk image, as VMware doesn’t come with pre-configured virtual machines.
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Go to https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html. The VMware Workstation Player download site will appear.
- You should be able to install VMware Workstation Player on your PC if it meets the following requirements: 2GB of RAM (4 or more recommended), 1GHz or faster 64-bit processor, and a CPU launched in 2011 or later.[1]
- The VMware Player requires you to restart your PC early in the install process. If you have any files open that you need to save, save them now before you continue.
- You should be able to install VMware Workstation Player on your PC if it meets the following requirements: 2GB of RAM (4 or more recommended), 1GHz or faster 64-bit processor, and a CPU launched in 2011 or later.[1]
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It’s near the top-right corner of the page.
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It should be the first blue button on the page. This downloads the installer to your computer.
- You may have to click Save or Download to start the download.
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It’s the file with a name similar to VMware-player-1.5.5.0-1465864.exe in your default downloads folder.
- If prompted, click Yes to allow the installer to run.
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Before VMware Player can install, the installer must first install a tool called Microsoft VC Redistributable, which requires restarting the PC. When the PC is finished restarting, move to the next step.
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Once the computer comes back up, double-click the installer again in your default downloads folder to restart the installation.
- If prompted, click Yes to allow the installer to run.
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The next steps will walk you through choosing your desired preferences and accepting the license agreement.
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The installation will take a few moments to complete.
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This option will appear once the installation is complete. You can now launch VMware Workstation Player from the Start menu and click Create a New Virtual Machine to set up your desired operating system.
- If you purchased a license, click License to enter its information before clicking Finish.
- Workstation Player does not come with any other operating systems. To install a virtual operating system, you’ll need an ISO disk image of the desired operating system (e.g., macOS Sierra) already on your computer.
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You can usually do this by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on the keyboard.
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To do so, type the command at the prompt and press ↵ Enter. This installs some extra files necessary to install the Player.[2]
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Go to https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html in a browser. The VMware Workstation Player download site will appear.
- You should be able to install VMware Workstation Player on your PC if it meets the following requirements: 2GB of RAM (4 or more recommended), 1GHz or faster 64-bit processor, and a CPU launched in 2011 or later.
- VMware Workstation Player does not come with any other operating systems. To install a virtual operating system, you’ll need an ISO disk image of the desired operating system (e.g., Windows 10) already on your computer.
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It’s near the top-right corner of the page.
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It should be the second blue button on the page.
- You may have to click OK to save the file.
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The downloaded file, which has a name like VMware-Player-15.0.0.103445.x86_64.bundle, must be made executable before it can be run. You can do this in one of two ways:
- If you’re using a graphical file manager, navigate to the folder where the installer was saved. Right-click the installer, select Properties, click the Permissions tab, and then check the box next to «Execute.»
- If you’d rather use the command prompt, use cd to change to the directory where the installer is saved, and then run the command chmod +x VMware-Player*.
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If you’re using a graphical file manager, you can double-click the installer to run it. If you’re at the command prompt, type sudo VMware-Player* and press ↵ Enter.
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If you’ve purchased a license key, you’ll be prompted to enter it during the installation process. Once the install is complete, you’ll see a success message.
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Now that VMware Workstation Player is installed, you can click its name in your Applications menu to launch the program and create your first virtual machine.
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References
About this article
Article SummaryX
1. Go to https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html.
2. Click Download Now.
3. Click Download for your operating system.
4. Run the installer.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 47,329 times.
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In this blog post, I will show you how to install VMware Workstation Player 16.1.0 in Windows 10.
You can also refer to the video I have uploaded on YouTube. Rest of the blog describes the detailed steps required to install VMware Player 16.
About VMware Workstation Player
VMware Workstation Player is the limited capability free (for non-commercial use) version of VMware Workstation Pro. That is, it is just as VMware Workstation Pro with lesser functionality and free for personal use. But what is available is enough for most of the home users.
VMware Workstation Player formally known as VMware Player is a Virtualization software used to run multiple virtual machines on the same hardware. Its available for both Windows and Linux based operating systems. It runs on 64 bit operating system, which means that if you have 32 bit operating system, you will not be able to use it.
Earlier, VMware Player was distinct from VMware Workstation. But now they have been merged. That is to say, VMware Player is now available as VMware Workstation Player which shares the same core as the VMware Workstation. The only difference is that, VMware Workstation provides all the features, where as VMware Workstation Player is a stripped down version of VMware Workstation pro and does not have all the features.
But the good part is that VMware Player is free for non commercial use and provides enough functionality for Home and non commercial users. It provides enough features to be able to run a virtual machine on a home computer.
VMware Workstation Player is not a commercially supported application. That is VMware does not provide support for it. But there are sufficient help available online. Once you start using it, you will see that the way you use it is similar to VMware Workstation pro .
How much does VMware Workstation Player cost
VMware Workstation player is available free of cost. Earlier it was not free, but I see that VMware has made it available for free for non Commercial users. For commercial usage, VMware Workstation Pro is more suitable.
Where is the Download link for VMware Workstation Player
This is the download page for all the VMware products. You will have to scroll down to VMware Player option to see the download link. From here you download any VMware Products. This link will always remain valid even when newer versions of the products are released.
VMware Download page
This is the direct link to download VMware Player 16 for Windows 10. Please note that this is a 64 bit application. VMware no longer supports 32 bit Operating Systems.
In this blog, I will be using VMware Player Version 16.1.0, Installer file name is VMware-player-16.1.0-17198959.exe and is about 220 MB in size.
Lets get the process Started.
Step 1 – Run the installer
Start the installer by double clicking it. You might see User Account Control Warning. Click Yes to continue.
VMware Player 15 – Installation – User Account Control Warning
Then, you will see a splash screen. It will prepare the system for installation and then the installation wizard opens.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Initial Splash Screen
VMware Player 16 Installation – Setup Wizard
Click next and accept the license terms and click next again to move on to the next screen.
VMware Player 16 Installation – End User Agreement
Step 2 – Custom setup – Enhanced Keyboard driver and Installation directory
In this dialog box, please select the folder in which you want to install the application. I leave it as it is. Also check the box Enhanced Keyboard Drivers option. Click next.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Custom Setup
Step 3 – User Experience Settings
Check the options for Check the product update at Startup and Join the VMware Customer Program. I normally leave it as it is. You can unchecked it if you so desire. Click next
VMware Player 16 Installation – User Experience Settings
Step 4 – Select where the shortcuts will be installed
Check the box where the shortcut to run the application will be created. I leave it as it is. Click on next.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Shortcuts
Step 5 – Ready to install
Now the installation wizard is ready to install. Click on install to begin the installation.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Ready to Install
Installation begins, wait for it to complete.
After sometime, you will see installation compete message. You are done.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Installation Complete
Click on Finish to Complete the installation.
You will be asked to restart your system. Click on Yes to restart. Click No, if you want to restart later. But you must restart before using the application, else some features will not work properly.
VMware Player 16 Installation – Reboot Required
Step 6 – License
Now Run the application. You should see a desktop icon. Douple click on that or use the start menu to navigate to VMware Player option.
Once you run the application for the first time, you will be asked for licence. Select the option Use VMware Workstation Player 16 for for free for non commercial use.
Click continue.
VMware Player 16 Installation – License
Click on Finish.
Now you will see VMware Workstation Player 16 ready to be used for free for non-commercial purpose.
VMware Player 16 – Home Screen