Unable to license VMware Player for Linux

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• The Enter License Key button does not display in the License Key Entry field when you click Help > Enter License.
• Licensing VMware Player for Linux fails
• Unable to license VMware Player for Linux

Environment

VMware Player 5.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Player 14.x (Linux)
VMware Player 6.x (Linux)
VMware Player 7.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Player 12.x (Linux)
VMware Player Pro 7.x (Linux)

Cause

In some instances, installing from the command line using sudo does not elevate the installation to the correct permissions. As a result, the license key entry field does not display.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must manually invoke the serial number entry.

 

To manually invoke the serial number entry:

1. Open a terminal window. For more information, see Opening a command or shell prompt (1003892).
2. Run this command to open the Enter License Key dialog:
   
   sudo /usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware-enter-serial
    

To ensure this issue does not occur on a new installation, use these best practices:

• When installing VMware Player for Linux, log in as root (and not just using sudo privileges). Logging in as root ensures that the license key entry box displays correctly.
• For Ubuntu, from a console, run sudo su. For other Linux distributions, from a console, run su. Enter your password when prompted, then proceed with the installation of VMware Workstation.

Additional Information

Opening a command or shell prompt