How to Install VMware Workstation Pro 16 (16.1.0) on Windows 10

By Tolga Bagci February 20, 2021 VMware Workstation 0 Comments

In this article, we will examine how to install VMware Workstation 16 Pro (16.1) to set up and run a virtual machine on a Windows 64 Bit PC.

How to Set Up and Run VMware Workstation Pro on Windows 10

VMware Workstation virtualization software is the most powerful, most stable virtual machine program for Windows, Linux, or macOS operating systems.

With this software, you can install and run various virtual operating systems on your physical computer. If you are a software developer, this program will be an indispensable tool for you to test programs on different systems.

If you are working as a system administrator, the VMware Pro program will save you from many solutions. For example, if you have a new FTP server you want to add to your local network, you can install this software on an unused desktop computer and then install a virtual Microsoft Server 2012, Microsoft Server 2016, or Microsoft Server 2019 machine and use this computer as a file server.

16 Pro Innovations

VMware released 16 Pro and Player versions of its virtualization program for Windows and Linux users on November 19, 2020. It also released Fusion Pro/Player 16 version for Mac users.

One of its main features has been added a new CLI (vctl) tool for Containers and Kubernetes support for developers. The Vctl tool is currently valid for the Fusion version that can be used on macOS systems.

Thanks to DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 support, users will now be able to run 3D applications and games on their computers. In order to use 3D support in the virtual machine, it is necessary to set the value in Display / Graphics Memory to 8 GB, but if the amount of 16 GB RAM is not specified for the VM, the 3D feature may not work properly. In short, 16 GB is required for the virtual machine and 8 GB for graphics memory.

Local or remote connections to ESXi servers have been improved by improving vSphere 7 compatibility. A new Dark Mode has been developed for the Workstation user interface, but this feature is available since 2004 versions of Windows 10.

Support for the Vulkan Graphics Rendering Engine for Linux hosts has been developed so that integrated Intel graphics cards virtual machines can offer DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.3. Finally, USB 3.1 support and performance have been improved.

How to Install the VMware Virtual Machine Software

You can install VMware Pro on a PC/Laptop or a virtual machine. For example, you can install it on a virtual machine to test version 16 without modifying your existing structure.

Follow the steps below in order to install the step-by-step virtual machine program on Windows 10.

Step 1

First of all, you need to check whether the processor hardware of your host machine, ie your physical computer, has the virtualization feature. There are two ways to find out:

If you have an Intel or AMD branded processor, you can check the VTx feature by checking the model number on the manufacturer’s web page.
You can control the virtualization feature using “Intel (R) Processor Identification Utility” or “AMD-V with RVI Hyper-V Compatibility Utility” tools.

When you run the Intel (R) Processor Identification Utility program to check virtualization support on a computer with an Intel branded processor, you will be able to see the Intel Virtualization Technology feature in the CPU TECHNOLOGIES section.

If you run AMD software on a computer with an Intel processor, you will see the warning “This utility did not detect an AMD processor.”.

Step 2

After making sure that your processor supports virtualization, visit https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-pro/workstation-pro-evaluation.html to download Workstation Pro and click Download Now in the section added for Windows systems.

Step 3

After downloading the setup file for Windows to your computer, click Right Button / Run as administrator on the file.

Step 4

Wait while the installation files of the latest version of VMware Pro are extracted.

Step 5

Click the Next button to continue the installation in the Workstation Pro Setup window.

Step 6

In the End-User License Agreement window, accept the license agreement of the Workstation software and click on the Next button.

Step 7

It is recommended to install the Enhanced Keyboard Driver when using a virtual machine on the program. Check the checkbox and click the Next button to install the Advanced Keyboard Driver.

Step 8

To automatically check for updates at startup and to join the customer experience program, check the Check for product updates on startup and Join the Customer Experience Improvement Program in the User Experience Settings window and click Next.

Step 9

To create shortcuts on your Windows 10 desktop and in the start menu, check both options in the Shortcuts window and click the Next button.

Step 10

Continue by clicking the Install button to start the installation of the virtual machine program on Windows 10.

Step 11

Wait while copying the necessary files to your system for Workstation Pro and configuring the system settings.

Step 12

After completing the virtual machine program installation steps, click the Finish button.

Step 13

Click the Yes button to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Step 14

After restarting your computer, run the VMware virtual machine program shortcut by double-clicking it.

If you have purchased VMware virtualization software, you can enter your license key in the window below. If you want to try this program for free for 30 days, check the option below and click the Continue button.

Step 15

This window informs you that you can purchase the program from the Online Store after the trial period. Click Finish to close the thank you window after activating the evaluation version of the program.

Step 16

After successfully installing VMware Pro, you can find the version of the program from Help / About.

Video

How to Uninstall VMware Workstation on Windows 10

When you want to uninstall VMware software from your computer, all virtual machines and configurations you have installed will be deleted. If you want to temporarily remove this program from your computer for a certain reason, you must back up the virtual machines you have installed.

There are two simple methods to uninstall VMware Workstation:

Uninstall VMware using Add and Remove Programs on Windows 10.
Uninstalling VMware via Setup file using CMD command prompt.

Step 1

To quickly open the Add and Remove Programs window on your Windows computer, press the Windows Key + R keys together and open Run and execute the control appwiz.cpl command.

control appwiz.cpl

Step 2

Open the Setup Wizard by double-clicking on VMware Workstation in the program removal window and click Next in this step.

Step 3

By clicking the Remove button, you can now remove VMware Workstation Pro from your system. In this window, you can also Repair to fix VMware errors that occur.

Step 4

Another way to uninstall the virtual machine software is to use the CMD command prompt. In order to do this, you must have the exe extension setup file you downloaded to your computer. Because you need to uninstall the program through this file.

To begin the process of deleting the program, first, open the CMD prompt and execute the following command.

VMware-workstation-full-16.1.0-17198959.exe /clean

Step 5

In this step, preparations for the installation of the Workstation software will be made.

Step 6

Likewise, continue with Next in the Setup Wizard window.

Step 7

Click the Remove button in the “Change, repair, or remove installation” window as follows.

Step 8

The Product Configuration and Product License Information options are selected by default. Click Next to confirm the deletion of these configuration settings.