If you haven’t updated since 17.5.x, you are missing out on significant changes.

With the release of , we have reached a fascinating crossroads. This is not just another routine maintenance update. This build marks one of the first major releases since Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware—and the historic decision to make Workstation Pro completely free for personal, educational, and commercial use .

VMware Workstation Pro v17.6.1 (Build 24319023), released in October 2024, is a critical update in the software's history, primarily because it marks the transition to a model following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware. Key Features & Enhancements

DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.3 support inside virtual environments Up to 8GB of vRAM allocation per VM for smooth UI rendering