Students and educators can access VMware software at no cost through:
The most significant change is that for these free versions, you do not need a license key How it Works: vmware license key free download
has been discontinued as a standalone product. Its features are now integrated directly into the fully-featured Pro version. How to Legally Download for Free Students and educators can access VMware software at
Whether you need a type-2 hypervisor for your desktop (Windows, Linux, macOS) or a bare-metal type-1 hypervisor for a home lab server, you can access full-featured versions directly from the official portal without paying a dime. The Big Shift: Why VMware License Keys Are Now Free The Big Shift: Why VMware License Keys Are
Good news: VMware itself offers several products and trial versions.
After briefly being discontinued, the free bare-metal hypervisor was brought back with vSphere ESXi 8.0 Update 3e and above, featuring an embedded license key right inside the installer.