Older vCenter versions or ESXi hosts use licmgr . Available via SSH on ESXi or through vCLI:
: You are trying to apply an ESXi host license key to a vCenter instance, or mixing vSphere 7.x keys with vSphere 8.x environments. vcenter license key command line
vcenter.license.replace --license <OLD_KEY> --new-license <NEW_KEY> Older vCenter versions or ESXi hosts use licmgr
Remove-VMwareLicense -LicenseKey "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" In the context of vSphere, licenses are applied
This is a critical distinction: . In the context of vSphere, licenses are applied to individual ESXi hypervisors to enable specific features (e.g., vMotion, HA, DRS). vCenter Server, on the other hand, is a centralized management platform that requires its own license key to manage all vSphere hosts. Think of it this way: vSphere licenses unlock the capabilities of your ESXi hosts, while a vCenter license enables the central management pane that controls those hosts.
Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser