VMware Workstation Pro Guides

Step-by-step how-to guides for VMware Workstation Pro 26H1. Each guide covers a specific task with full instructions, structured data for rich results, and troubleshooting tips.

Which guide do I need?

New to virtual machines, or starting from scratch? Start with Create a New Virtual Machine — it walks through the VM Wizard from a blank install disc to a running guest OS.

Already have a VM file — from an old install, a colleague, a downloaded appliance, or another hypervisor like VirtualBox or Hyper-V? Go to Open and Import an Existing VM instead; there's nothing to build, just point Workstation Pro at the file.

Need to manage VMs on a company or lab server rather than your own machine? Connect to a Remote ESXi or vCenter Server covers connecting Workstation Pro to that infrastructure directly, so you can manage datacenter VMs without opening the vSphere Web Client.

Getting started

• Create a New Virtual Machine — VM Wizard walkthrough, hardware config (CPU, RAM, TPM), Easy Install, and VMware Tools setup.
• Open and Import an Existing VM — Open .vmx files, import from VirtualBox or Hyper-V, open .ova/.ovf packages, and enable shared folders.
• Connect to a Remote ESXi or vCenter Server — Connect Workstation Pro to ESXi 7/8/9 or vCenter, manage remote VMs, and transfer VM files between local and datacenter.