Download
VMware Workstation may be downloaded and used free of charge. You must have a Broadcom account to access the downloads, and will be asked for personally identifying information, such as your full name and address, as part of the download process.
The download procedure could be changed by Broadcom at any time. The following steps are what worked in January 2026.
- Visit VMware's download page.
- Click
[ Download Now ]. - Sign in with your Broadcom account. If you don't have one yet, create one, then restart these steps.
- Click on the link for "Free Software Downloads available HERE".
- Click "VMware Workstation Pro".
- Click "VMware Workstation Pro 25H2 for Linux".
- Click on the "Terms and Conditions" link.
- Check the "I Agree to Terms and Conditions" checkbox.
- Click the Cloud Download icon.
- Provide required verification information if prompted.
Install
Run the downloaded VMware-Workstation-Full*.bundle script to install VMware Workstation. This is most easily done from a Konsole window.
1. Open the Dolphin file manager.
2. Navigate to the directory that contains the script.
3. Right-click in any empty space in the folder.
4. Click Actions > Open Terminal Here.
5. Make the script executable.
chmod +x ./VMware-Workstation-Full*.bundle;
6. Run the script as root.
sudo ./VMware-Workstation-Full*.bundle;
7. Enter your password when prompted. Note that no characters or dots are presented as you type; this is normal. Then press [ENTER] to start the installation.
8. During installation, system notifications may show vmnet network connections activating and deactivating. The message "Installation was successful." will appear when complete.
9. Click Start Menu > System > VMware Workstation to launch the application.
Launch VMware Workstation.
10. When the Broadcom foundation agreement appears, review the license. If it is acceptable, click "I accept the terms in the license agreement.", then click [ Next ].
Accept the Broadcom foundation agreement.
11. When the VMware end user license agreement appears, review the license. If it is acceptable, click "I accept the terms in the license agreement.", then click [ Next ].
Accept the VMware end user license agreement.
11. When offered to join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program, click your desired option, then click [ Finish ].
Choose whether to join the VMware CEIP.
12. When prompted for your password, enter it and click [ OK ].
Enter your password to finish the VMware Workstation setup process.
Uninstall
To uninstall VMware Workstation, open a terminal in the same folder as the VMware-Workstation-Full*.bundle script. Then enter the following:
sudo ./VMware-Workstation-Full*.bundle --uninstall-product=vmware-workstation;
Restart
VMware Workstation installs a background service that handles VM startup, management, and networking. Restarting this background service may fix issues with VMware and system networking in general. To do this, open a terminal and enter the following:
sudo systemctl restart vmware;
Enable & Disable
Disabling the VMware Workstation service prevents VMware from functioning, and prevents vmnet network connections from being activated. This can be undone by re-enabling the service later. To disable VMware, open a terminal and enter the following:
sudo systemctl disable vmware;
sudo systemctl stop vmware;
To re-enable it:
sudo systemctl enable vmware;
sudo systemctl start vmware;
