VMware Fusion and Workstation are Now Free for All Users ?? How??

[Diego Boscaini]

VMware posted on its blog on November 11 that VMware is free for all users (including commercial use) , link below

VMware Fusion and Workstation are Now Free for All Users - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Blog

But i don't find were download the Vmware Workstation, all the installers need a Licence Key to Comercial Use... anybody can help to download the correct version, or to create a Lisence Key to Comercial Use?

[Technogeezer]

What version of Workstation Pro are you trying to download? I doubt they are going to go back and retro-fit versions prior to 17.5.2 to support free use (they didn't do it when they made the personal use versions).

Broadcom hasn't released any details about how this is going to be implemented in their products. My best advice right now is to use the 17.5.2 or later installers that already support free personal use -- even if you're going to use them for commercial purposes. You may need to fully uninstall an existing Workstation version in order to get a re-installation to offer the free personal use option. 

The installers for 17.5.2 and later are the same for both personal and commercial use. The only thing they seemed to do is create another "personal use" download section to download "Personal Use" versions if you didn't have a support contract. That seems to have gone away as they've removed "Workstation Pro for Personal Use" from their download site. Still can't download versions prior to 17.5.2 if you don't have a support/license entitlement, though -- as those versions didn't have a free license option. 

------------------------------
- Paul (technogeezer)
------------------------------

[Petri Sairanen]

I read same article today. I just chat with broadcom support and they give this link: Download and license VMware Desktop Hypervisor for personal use (Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro) You can use it personal and commericial use.

[Michael Hoffmann]

This Download Has "for Personal Use" written all over.
I - and i guess everybody else in a Company environment needs a Version that clearly states that it can be used for free in a commercial environment.

[Technogeezer]

I - and i guess everybody else in a Company environment needs a Version that clearly states that it can be used for free in a commercial environment.

Agreed. Most corporate clients would need definitive licensing language so that they can prove license compliance and not get sued for software piracy. I suspect that VMware's blog post indicating that the products are available for free commercial use may not be sufficient.

I can't believe that Broadcom has not come out with new versions that have the "free for all" licensing built into the shrink wrap license. They have made a FAQ entry for the Desktop Hypervisor product that says that they're now free for all users, but again I don't think that will satisfy the corporate software compliance folks. 

For a company that supposedly caters to the corporate customer, the blog notice as the only notification is a curious departure from their status quo.

------------------------------
- Paul (technogeezer)
------------------------------

[Srdjan Bosnjak]

I just downloaded 17.6.1 (latest, from Oct 10th), it is still asking for license key for commercial use.

[Michael Hoffmann]

I think Broadcom should do the following:

Put VMWare Workstation back into the Store and sell it for 0$

This Way i could order it and would get a License Key and an Invoice and could officially download the Software and activate it with an official License Key.

What do you think?

[Frank Boeree]

the solution is much easier, skip filling in a license when installing and the installer fills it in for you. 

[WuGeDe]

True.


It looks like the blogpost was published faster than the new software packages are ready.

[Mattias Lund]

Thanks this link was very helpful! I have tried to find a page for download for days, but no luck.

The support pages is not easy at all to navigate.

Thanks again and have a nice day!

[Andy Rude]

Thank you for the link. I had nothing showing up in my download section before. Afterwards I do now.

I downloaded and installed Workstation Pro 17.6.1 and additionally I tried to download Workstation Pro 16.2.5 as an optional alternative for older VMs. But the portal won't let me do another download. Fortunately, my older VMs are currently running in  v17.6.1 anyway. I think those VMs were created varying player versions 14, 15 and 16. 

Neither do I have a site ID. It's just for personal use. Yet earlier, when trying to update my profile to get possible access to more content, I can't continue since my used email is not a company email or domain...I'll slowly spell it then:  P e r s o n a l  U s e  versus  C o m p a n y ?

Some updates to downloads, registration, profiling and licensing, etc are probably no exaggeration. 

Other than that, I'm really happy with the download becoming available for free. Don't want to seem ungrateful. 

Thank you Broadcom.

[Alyn Hockey]

Similar tails of woe.  I downloaded Fusion a week ago, got my old Macmini out and tried to install on it and of course the version of Fusion isn't compatible with High Sierra.  Thought I could just go back and download the one that did work, but 1) struggled to find it (same as previous people no site ID etc...) eventually stumbled on the the only working link so I could at least try to download an older version except 2) you can't seem to download another copy.

So make sure you get it right first time, Broadcom don't permit mistakes.

[RaSystemlord]

There is this "update" page, referred to in many posts, under vmware dot com, where you can download ANY version of VMware. How you browse on that web page, needs perhaps some lateral thinking, but you CAN get to any directory above and download anything.

This might not solve the problem of getting for-free ANY version. I would think that the old non-free versions still want to have a key inserted. How to buy old version keys - probably not kosher to talk about that here.

[Martin Richter]

I came here from Google, realizing that a direct solution never got provided. Finding the download on the Broadcom page is almost impossible, so I'll leave a link for future visitors:
https://support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/productdownloads?subfamily=VMware%20Workstation%20Pro&freeDownloads=true

And now let me show you just how absurd it is to navigate there:
--> Broadcom main website (where you get by clicking the BROADCOM banner on the top left) (https://www.broadcom.com/)
--> top right "Support Portal" --> "Go To Portal"
--> you are now at the Broadcom Support Page (https://support.broadcom.com/)
--> (top left corner) "Software"
--> "My Downloads"
--> click on "HERE" at the notice "Free Software Downloads available HERE"
--> you get to the hidden (!!!) software category "Free Downloads" (https://support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/free-downloads)
--> there you can finally search for "workstation", select "VMware Workstation Pro" and download the software

Cheers!