How to install VMware Workstation on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

Objective

The objective is to install VMware Workstation on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

Operating System and Software Versions

  • Operating System: – Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver
  • Software: – VMware Workstation 14 PRO or higher

Requirements

Privileged access to your Ubuntu System as root or via sudo command is required.

Conventions

  • # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
  • $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Other Versions of this Tutorial

Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa)

Instructions

Download VMware workstation

The first step is to download the VMware workstation installation binary. navigate your browser to the official VMware download page and download the latest bundle. When finished you will end up with bundle file similar to the one below in your home directory. Please note you version might be different:

$ ls
VMware-Workstation-Full-15.5.1-15018445.x86_64.bundle

Install Prerequisites

Next, install VMware workstation prerequisites:

$ sudo apt install build-essential


VMware workstation installation

The previous wget command downloaded the VMware workstation installation binary into a file called vmware.bin. Execute the following linux command to start VMware workstation installation wizard:

$ sudo bash VMware-Workstation-Full-15.5.1-15018445.x86_64.bundle

Follow the installation wizard to complete the installation. Enter the VMware serial number if you have any or leave blank for trial.

Start VMware

Use the start menu to search for VMware’s products installed on your system. Click to start:

Launch VMware - Ubuntu 18.04

Launch VMware Workstation by searching Activities menu.

VMware Workstation PRO on Ubuntu 18.04

VMware Workstation PRO on Ubuntu 18.04