VMWare Workstation Player is not entitled to download

[Kostya]

VMWare Workstation Player is not entitled to download...

I was using vmware player for over decade. Why it is now not entitled to download?

[a_p_]

Are you using VMwae Player for private, or commercial use?

Please note that VMware Workstation Pro is now free for private use.

André

[Kostya]

Thank you for replying.

Yes, I'd like to use private, at home, nothing commercial.

Best regards.

[msohnius]

There are long discussions elsewhere in this community about what happened to entitlements after the botched integration of VMware into Broadcom.  Summary: it's a disaster!

I initially assumed that they took off the Player 17 versions after making Workstation free for personal use, which SHOULD eliminate the need for a separate Player download (there is a Player as part of Workstation).  BUT:  in contrast to Player, Workstation forces you to tick the "personal use license" button every time it starts up, and to add insult to injury, on Linux it then asks for the root password every time!  That's certainly a way to enforce "personal use only", since in any commercial environment end-users, who may need VMware, usually don't know root passwords.  I consider it a bug:  the fact that the "personal use" button was ticked previously should be remembered and the step be by-passed in later invocations.

In the meantime, I found that I can use the Help -> Software Updates route to perform an update from 17.5.0 to 17.5.2, which was my reason for entering this lions' cage in the first place.  Unfortunately, this does not give the option to download without also installing, thus depriving me of the ability to store the installation file for future use.

There are lots of ways to do this better, my dear VMware engineers!

[Kostya]

All I can ask, please, let us to be able to download the VMware Player player separately. Site ID has no sense for the user at home.

I hope that Broadcom can hear us, and change the policy some how towards the VMware Player.

Wish a best regards.

[Glen Leslie]

This issues still persists in Jan 2025.  There was a December 2024 (17.6.2) release of Workstation Player but it cannot be downloaded.  Workstation PRO of the same version can be downloaded.   

This seems completely backwards -- Minimally Player should be downloadable for everyone ... Pro should now also be downloadable for everyone... why is Player blocked? 

[RaSystemlord]

The answer is pretty simple, but not documented. However, if you browse through similar questions, you will find the exact answer. I think it is well established that broadcom-web-pages are no good.

1.
You can download ANY VERSION (pro, player, fusion) that was ever made, on vmware dot com page that starts with string "softwareupdate". (In reality, this IS the answer).

2.
There is NO reason to download Player, only, because PRO is much better in any respect. And you DO get Player in the process and you DO get a Virtual Network Editor, which may or may not be very important, too. (Just checked downloading Player 15.0 during writing this, just for a quick test of the current functionality).

3.
You can buy perfectly legal licenses, depending on your particular country, for vmware, but that is not something that can be discussed here. This is an international forum and legistlation is different in different countries and thus I need to leave it here. If not obvious, for old versions you do need a license key, if you require Pro functionality (for Virtual Network Editor you don't need a licenced Pro version).

[Kostya]

If this is the case, can Broadcom make the installer option, just to install VMware Player without Workstation Pro? and ditch the VMware Player standalone installer?

Thanks in advance.