VMware Workstation Silent Install (How-To Guide)

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VMware Workstation is a hosted hypervisor that enables users to set up virtual machines on a single physical machine and use them simultaneously along with the host machine. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of VMware Workstation from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.

How to Install VMware Workstation Silently

VMware Workstation Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-win
  2. Download the VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  3. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  4. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  5. Enter the following command:
    • VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress
  6. Press Enter

After a minute or so you should see the VMware Workstation Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:VMware Workstation
Vendor:VMware, Inc.
Architecture:x86_x64
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress
Silent Uninstall Switch:See Uninstall Section Below
Download Link:https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-win
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/vmware-workstation-install-and-uninstall-powershell/

VMware Workstation Silent Install (MSI)

  1. Navigate to: https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-win
  2. Download the EXE to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  3. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  4. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  5. Extract the MSI by entering the following command:
    • VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /x /v”/qn”
  6. Press Enter
  7. Navigate to: “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\{3B4AC506-4C3C-45F0-91C3-38790CE8BFEB}~setup” (GUID may vary)
  8. Copy the vcredist_x86.exe, vcredist_x64.exe, and VMwareWorkstation.msi to “C:\Downloads”
  9. Enter the following commands:
vcredist_x86.exe /install /quiet /norestart
vcredist_x64.exe /install /quiet /norestart
MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

After a minute or so you should see the VMware Workstation Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:VMware Workstation
Vendor:VMware, Inc.
Architecture:x86_x64
Installer Type:MSI
Silent Install Switch (Step 1)vcredist_x86.exe /install /quiet /norestart
Silent Install Switch (Step 2)vcredist_x64.exe /install /quiet /norestart
Silent Install Switch (Step 3)MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn
Silent Uninstall Switch:See Uninstall Section Below
Download Link:https://www.vmware.com/go/getworkstation-win
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/vmware-workstation-install-and-uninstall-powershell/

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.

Additional Configurations

Create an Installation Log File

The MSI installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.

VMware Workstation (MSI) Silent Install with Logging

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\VMWareWorkstation-Install.log"

Change Default Installation Directory

You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing VMware Workstation to “C:\VMware Workstation”

VMware Workstation (EXE)

VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 INSTALLDIR="C:\VMware Workstation" ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress"

VMware Workstation (MSI)

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 INSTALLDIR="C:\VMware Workstation" ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

Enter License Key During VMware Workstation Silent Install

VMware Workstation (EXE) Silent Install with License Key

VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 SERIALNUMBER="xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx" ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress"

VMware Workstation (MSI) Silent Install with License Key

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 SERIALNUMBER="xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx" ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

Exclude Desktop Shortcut During Install

The VMware Workstation installer creates a desktop shortcut by default. If you don’t want the desktop shortcut, then you can run one of the following command line switches to exclude it.

VMware Workstation (EXE) Silent Install Excluding Desktop Shortcut

VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL DESKTOP_SHORTCUT=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress

VMware Workstation (MSI) Silent Install Excluding Desktop Shortcut

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL DESKTOP_SHORTCUT=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

Disable VMware Workstation Automatic Updates

VMware Workstation (EXE) Silent Install with Automatic Updates Disabled

VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress

VMware Workstation (MSI) Silent Install with Automatic Updates Disabled

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

Disable Sending User Experience Information to VMware

VMware Workstation (EXE) Silent Install with Data Collection Disabled

VMware-workstation-full-xx.x.x-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress

VMware Workstation (MSI) Silent Install with Data Collection Disabled

MsiExec.exe /i VMwareWorkstation.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 DATACOLLECTION=0 ADDLOCAL=ALL REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn

How to Uninstall VMware Workstation Silently

Check out the VMware Workstation Install and Uninstall (PowerShell) post for a scripted solution.

  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Enter one of the following commands:
VersionVMware Workstation Silent Uninstall String
16.1.2MsiExec.exe /x {3B4AC506-4C3C-45F0-91C3-38790CE8BFEB} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
16.1.1MsiExec.exe /x {A027926E-C50F-4BFE-B0E8-3ACBAD7766EE} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
16.1.0MsiExec.exe /x {95096479-66A1-454B-9378-234DF3B31727} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
16.0.0MsiExec.exe /x {D51F496C-D02A-4AFA-AB43-F61B94462C9E} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.7MsiExec.exe /x {8738EE5C-09F3-4ACB-A10E-105E4D9A2091} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.6MsiExec.exe /x {EA977A56-9030-471A-B2E1-04E1240E9570} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.5MsiExec.exe /x {7E92D4E3-05FB-4435-B9A2-AE87568D02CA} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.2MsiExec.exe /x {067A1C2B-0B50-4B40-A29A-01FD37620D9D} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.1MsiExec.exe /x {C975449F-C205-4CBF-9911-680F2E5F810B} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.5.0MsiExec.exe /x {95339CED-ADD1-48FA-94DF-72E64B7893D6} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.1.0MsiExec.exe /x {2B5DAA91-E0C9-4307-90B7-5688E910C894} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.0.4MsiExec.exe /x {EB744631-8800-4185-9E00-429A08F2D067} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.0.3MsiExec.exe /x {560E475D-C5B0-4F8C-A21B-522CCC364D5B} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.0.2MsiExec.exe /x {431EEEDD-6D71-4269-8F7F-836CFAF69A17} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.0.1MsiExec.exe /x {EFEE857B-93C3-487C-8AF2-21996DB30927} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL
15.0.0MsiExec.exe /x {A6D7B449-8F4F-4FA9-B80A-101345AA998A} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress REMOVE=ALL

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.