Upon first launch, you will be prompted for a license key.
| Feature | Build 7535481 (Top) | Workstation 17 Pro | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | License Cost | Perpetual (One-time) | Subscription (Yearly) | | Windows 11 Guest | Manual TPM Bypass needed | Native TPM 2.0 support | | DirectX Support | DirectX 10 | DirectX 12 & Vulkan | | Dark Mode | No | Yes | | Resource Overhead | Low (150MB RAM idle) | High (400MB+ RAM idle) | | Compatibility | Win 7 host | Win 10/11 host only | | Release "Top" Status | Verified stable | N/A | full vmware workstation pro 1259 build 7535481 x64 top
Newer versions of Workstation consume more RAM and CPU for their UI rendering (Electron-based in v16+). Version 12.5.9 uses the classic Win32 GUI, resulting in a lighter host footprint. On a host with 8GB of RAM, v12 can comfortably run 3-4 VMs, whereas v17 struggles with two. Upon first launch, you will be prompted for a license key