How to locate or remove the license key for VMware Player or VMware Workstation Pro

Products

• VMware Workstation

Issue/Introduction

This article describes steps to locate or delete the license key for VMware Player/Workstation Pro on your host machine.

Cause

If you have licensed VMware Player/Workstation Pro for commercial use but now wish to apply this license on a different device or for any other reason wish to use VMware Player/Workstation Pro for non-commercial use instead, you need to remove the license key.

Resolution

To locate and delete the VMware Player/Workstation Pro license in your Windows Registry, please follow these steps:

Windows Hosts:

1. Ensure that VMware Player/Workstation Pro is not running.
2. Click Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter or use the windows key + R and type regedit.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Wow6432Node > VMware, Inc. >VMware Player > License.x.x > Serial

• The path for Workstation 12 Player is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Wow6432Node > VMware, Inc. >VMware Player > License.player.12.x.x > Serial
• Workstation Pro Keys are located in etc/vmware/player.license.12.x.x" under Linux Hosts

1. If you wish to delete the license key, please right click the serial and choose Delete.
   
   Note: VMware Player/Workstation Pro requires a 64-bit operating system. If you are using an older version on a 32-bit operating system, the path would be HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > VMware, Inc. > VMware Player > License.x.x > Serial

 

Linux Hosts:

On a Linux Host the Player key is in etc/vmware/license-fusion-xx-xx. The particular license file can be deleted to remove the license.