Overview
Workstation Pro runs full operating systems as virtual machines on a normal desktop, isolated from the host and from each other. That covers testing an installer without touching the working machine, keeping an old system alive for a legacy application, running several distributions side by side, and building a small lab of networked machines on one box.
Snapshots are the feature that changes how people work. Take a snapshot before an experiment, break the machine completely, and roll back in seconds. Snapshot trees hold multiple branches, so several states can be kept and compared. Linked clones share a base disk so a dozen test machines cost a fraction of the disk space of a dozen full copies.
The networking side is a genuine virtual lab. Multiple virtual networks with host only, bridged and network address translation modes, per-network subnet and address configuration, packet loss and latency simulation on a connection, and virtual machines that can be shared over the network so another machine on the desk connects to them as if they were remote servers.
What it does well
Snapshots and clones
Branching snapshot trees with instant rollback, plus linked clones that share a base disk to save space on large test sets.
Virtual networking
Multiple virtual networks with bridged, host only and address translation modes, and simulated latency and packet loss for testing.
Wide guest support
Runs the current and older desktop and server operating systems as guests, with tools packages for display, clipboard and folder sharing.
Hardware passthrough
USB device passthrough including storage and dongles, GPU accelerated graphics for the guest, and multiple monitor support.
Shared machines
Host a virtual machine as a shared resource so another machine on the network connects to it directly.
Changes in this build
- Guest graphics acceleration improved on current GPUs.
- Faster snapshot creation and deletion on large virtual disks.
- Virtual network editor reworked with clearer subnet configuration.
- USB passthrough handling improved for high speed storage devices.
- Reduced host memory overhead per running machine.
What is in the package
- Workstation Pro installer, 64-bit
- Guest tools packages for the supported operating systems
- Virtual network editor
- Command line management tools
- Multilingual interface files, 6 languages
System requirements
| Processor | 64-bit with hardware virtualisation support enabled in firmware |
| Memory | 8 GB minimum, 32 GB for several machines at once |
| Graphics | GPU with a current driver for accelerated guest graphics |
| Storage | 2 GB for the install plus considerable space for virtual disks |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 minimum |
| System | Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit |
Installation
- Enable hardware virtualisation in the firmware before installing.
- Turn off any competing hypervisor feature on the host.
- Extract the archive and run the installer as an administrator.
- Restart when prompted, the network and storage drivers need it.
- Create a machine, install the guest tools inside it, then take a first snapshot.
Before you start
A competing hypervisor on the host will make guests run extremely slowly, disable it first.
Virtual disks grow, put them on a drive with room rather than the system disk.
Install the guest tools inside every machine, display and clipboard behaviour depends on them.
Questions about this title
Does it need hardware virtualisation?
Yes, and it has to be enabled in the firmware before installing.
Can it run older operating systems?
Yes, guest support goes back a long way, which is the usual reason for keeping it around.
Are snapshots included?
Yes, with branching trees and instant rollback.
Can a machine be shared over the network?
Yes, machines can be hosted as shared resources for other machines to connect to.
About this listing
This entry was checked on a clean install of Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) before it was published, and it is rechecked whenever the package is rebuilt. The figures on this page come from the site index rather than from the publisher, so the download count is what people here have actually pulled.
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