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Help & Info about VMware Player for Windows

  • What is VMware Player?

    VMware Player, also called VMware Workstation Player, is a free virtualization software suite that allows its users to run a virtual version of an operating system on emulated hardware: essentially, it allows the user to run a second computer and set of software on their device.

  • What is VMWare Player used for?

    Virtualization software can be used to test unknown applications to determine if they contain malware (such as viruses), as well as to test applications the user has made to ensure they work on different operating systems. It can also be used to try the features of an operating system without installing it on the host computer.

  • Is VMware Player safe?

    VMware Player itself is safe to use. Certain features, such as file and folder sharing, should be disabled if you are running potentially unsafe software on the virtual machine.

  • What guest operating systems are supported by VMWare Player?

    As of this writing, the latest version of VMWare supports various versions of Windows and Linux. Later versions of VMWare may not support certain guest operating systems: for example, Workstation 11 does not officially support Windows XP or Vista, only Windows 7 and later.

  • What do Virtual Machine Settings represent?

    VMWare Player allows the user to configure the number of processor cores, amount of memory, and display hardware, among other features, that the host machine has. Much older guest operating systems should be given less powerful hardware, while modern guest operating systems often need more memory than the default settings provide.

  • What is a snapshot?

    A snapshot allows you to save the state of a virtual machine's hard disk and memory. It is similar to a "save state" in some emulators. The toolbar includes Snapshot and Revert buttons which can be used to save and load snapshots.

  • How do I remove a snapshot?

    While the virtual machine is powered off, select Snapshot, then Remove Snapshot. While the virtual machine is powered off, you can also disable snapshots (or change how they are handled when you power off the virtual machine) under Edit -> Virtual Machine Settings -> Options -> Snapshot.

  • What is Unity Mode?

    Unity Mode allows certain aspects of the guest operating system, such as windows or the Start Menu, to be displayed in the host operating system. It is available on Version 6 or later, and may be incompatible with certain applications or guest operating systems.

  • What is commercial use?

    The free version of VMWare Player is only free for personal use. Those using VMWare Player to test the usability of applications they create on guest operating systems should purchase a licence.

  • What features does a licence unlock?

    Almost all of VMWare Player's features are available free for personal use. A licence simply allows a commercial organization to legally deploy VMWare Player. It also provides compatibility with virtual machines created by VMWare's other enterprise software, and provides a few features to make managing multiple installations simpler.

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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.
Softonic

In Softonic we scan all the files hosted on our platform to assess and avoid any potential harm for your device. Our team performs checks each time a new file is uploaded and periodically reviews files to confirm or update their status. This comprehensive process allows us to set a status for any downloadable file as follows:

Clean

It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.

What does this mean?

We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world's leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.

Warning

This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.

Why is the software program still available?

Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives.

What is a false positive?

It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.

We’d like to highlight that from time to time, we may miss a potentially malicious software program. To continue promising you a malware-free catalog of programs and apps, our team has integrated a Report Software feature in every catalog page that loops your feedback back to us.

Flag any particular issues you may encounter and Softonic will address those concerns as soon as possible.