VMware Player is a free desktop application that enables users to simultaneously run multiple operating systems on one computer or laptop. The program boasts an easy, straightforward user interface for maximum convenience.
VMware Player is an ideal option for home users needing basic virtualization features; however, it has some restrictions compared to VMware Workstation Pro.
It allows you to create virtual machines
VMware virtualization applications enable users to run multiple operating systems on one computer or laptop at once. Each sandboxed application is completely separated from its host system, protecting against malware that might infiltrate and corrupt VMs while providing users with all of the same applications they would have access to normally on regular PCs.
VMware Player, the free version of VMware, does have some drawbacks compared to Workstation Pro; for instance, snapshotting and encrypting virtual machines cannot be done using this version of VMware.
VMware Player also requires a processor compatible with Intel VT-x or AMD-V and 64-bit architecture, though Workstation Pro provides more detailed graphical user interface with additional options and details.
It allows you to run multiple virtual machines
VMware Player makes it possible to host multiple virtual machines (VMs) on one host computer, running them across x86-based hardware with 64-bit host operating systems like Microsoft Windows, Linux or OS X. Furthermore, it supports PAE (physical address extension), so more than 4 GB of memory can be utilized by each VM.
VMware Workstation Pro gives users access to advanced features not available in its free counterpart, including cloning and sharing virtual machines (VMs). You can also connect with vCenter servers and ESXi hosts, providing more access to advanced settings.
VMware Workstation Pro makes taking snapshots and reverting them to any one of them easier than ever, pausing and resume running VMs, creating snapshot trees like tree structures with branches; you can even manually copy all files for creating full clones which you can later rename if required to prevent confusion.
It allows you to manage your virtual machines
VMware Player is a free tool for managing virtual machines, yet it lacks some features found in commercial products. For example, VMware Player does not support snapshots – these create differencing virtual disks to save the current state of a VM if needed to revert it back. They can also help create new VMs without losing data!
VMware Workstation Pro and Player both allow you to utilize raw device mapping (RDM) so as to bind virtual machines (VMs) directly to physical disks on the host machine without having to copy their contents across. This feature enables VMs to use disks without being copied somewhere else on their host system first.
VMware Player also features various management tools that make virtualization management simpler, such as changing memory allocation to virtual machines or connecting or disconnecting preconfigured devices in a VM, connecting or disconnecting them, copying text or images between guest operating systems and host operating systems, etc.
It allows you to clone virtual machines
VMware Player is a free virtualization tool that enables you to create and run multiple operating systems on one computer at the same time, as well as create and clone virtual machines for testing software or hardware. Cloning virtual machines save time and effort while making testing applications much faster and simpler.
There are two kinds of virtual machine (VM) clones: linked clones and full clones. With linked clones, data from their parent VM is replicated exactly. Any changes made to it are written out to a differencing virtual disk to prevent corruption or out of sync results from changing in either its parent VM or its linked copy.
Full clones are complete copies of virtual machines (VMs) which can be utilized by other VMs and stored either locally or remotely on a network. Please be aware, however, that a full clone cannot be created on either a Boot Camp virtual machine or encrypted VMs.