This post shows students and new users how to install VMware Workstation Pro on Ubuntu Linux. VMware Workstation Pro is a stable and mature virtualization solution that allows anyone to simultaneously run multiple isolated virtual guest machines on a single host computer.
These guest machines can then be configured to run multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS in an isolated environment. VMware Workstation Pro is not free or open-source software. You’ll need a purchase a license to use it, whether for personal or commercial use.
If you’re looking for virtualization software that’s free to use anywhere, you may want to look at VirtualBox.
If you’re a student or new user learning Linux, Ubuntu Linux is the easiest place to start learning. Ubuntu is the modern, open-source Linux operating system for desktops, servers, and other devices.
To get started with installing VMware Workstation Pro on Ubuntu Linux, follow the steps below:
How to install packages on Ubuntu Linux
To install VMware Workstation Pro on Ubuntu, you must install supporting packages and build dependencies.
To do that, run the commands below:
sudo apt update sudo apt install wget gcc build-essential linux-headers-generic linux-headers-$(uname -r)
How to download and install VMware Pro on Ubuntu Linux
After installing the packages above, go and download VMware Workstation Pro from its download page and install it. The link below gets you there.
https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-linux
Alternatively, run the commands below to download the latest version of VMware Workstation Player on the terminal console.
At the time of this writing, the latest version of VMware Workstation Pro is 16.1.2.
cd /tmp wget https://download3.vmware.com/software/wkst/file/VMware-Workstation-Full-16.1.2-17966106.x86_64.bundle
After downloading the above, run the commands below to make the package executable and install VMware Workstation Pro.
sudo chmod +x VMware-Workstation-*.bundle sudo ./VMware-Workstation-*.bundle
In Ubuntu, the installation will be run non-interactively. This means you won’t have to complete an installation wizard.
After a brief moment, the installation should complete with a success message similar to the one below. Once you see the message below, you’re done.
Extracting VMware Installer…done. Installing VMware Workstation 16.1.2 Configuring… [######################################################################] 100% Installation was successful.
After the installation above, launch VMware Workstation Pro from the Activities Dashboard. Click the Show Application button at the bottom left.
On the app’s dashboard, search for and select VMware Workstation.
Once you click on the app, it will open its Welcome wizard. Accept the license terms to continue.
Accept to check for product updates on startup and continue
Skip the license key page for a 30-day trial period. After the 30-day trial period, you’ll be forced to purchase a license to use after that time.
Finally, click Install to begin the installation.
When you finish the wizard, VMware Workstation Home should open up.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
This post showed you how to install and use VMware Workstation Pro on Ubuntu Linux. Please use the comment form below if you find any errors above or have something to add.
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