VMware Workstation Pro runs several operating systems on one PC, with snapshots, clones and virtual networking. Download link, requirements and install steps inside.
| 1 | Windows 10+ or a mainstream Linux distribution |
|---|---|
| 2 | At least 10 GB of free disk space |
| 3 | CPU with VT-x or AMD-V enabled |
| Version | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | ~600 MB | Stable — official channel |
Yes since May 2024. Register an account and download it; business deployments still need a subscription, so check the vendor licence terms for your case.
Make sure the installer architecture matches your OS, turn off Hyper-V and memory integrity, reboot, then run the installer as administrator.
Enable VT-x and VT-d in the BIOS, disable Hyper-V, WSL2 and core isolation in Windows, then do a full shutdown rather than a restart.
VMware is steadier on 3D acceleration, snapshot chains and USB passthrough; VirtualBox is fully free and open source. For plain Linux labs either works.
Clear the recycle bin and zero free space inside the guest, then use VM settings, disk, compact. Delete unused snapshots as well, since long chains take a lot of space.
It runs on Windows and mainstream Linux hosts and supports most Windows, Linux and BSD guests; macOS guests are limited by Apple licensing.
License: Free for personal use · subscription for business
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| VirtualBox | open source |
|---|---|
| Hyper-V | built into Windows |
| Parallels Desktop | macOS only |
| QEMU | command line, cross-arch |