: You can still access a 60-day full-featured trial by navigating to Support > Software Downloads within the Broadcom portal and selecting VMware vSphere Foundation . 2. Is There Still a Free Version?
VMware ESXi is the industry-standard bare-metal hypervisor, designed to be installed directly onto a physical server to partition it into multiple virtual machines (VMs). Since Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, the process for a has changed significantly, moving away from the old VMware Customer Connect portal to the Broadcom Support Portal . 1. Where to Download VMware ESXi (Current 2026)
Official downloads are now centralized. To get the installer, you must use the Broadcom Support Portal .
: Log in to the Broadcom Support Portal, go to "My Downloads," and look for the box labeled "Free Software Downloads available HERE" .
: For specific hardware (like Dell PowerEdge or HPE ProLiant), it is highly recommended to download customized ISOs that include necessary drivers. These can be found on the Dell Support Site or Broadcom’s site under the "Solutions" or "Custom ISOs" section.
: This is the primary source for all ISO releases and patches for versions like ESXi 8.0 and the newer ESXi 9.0.
: This free version has limitations, such as no vCenter support and a limit on the number of physical CPUs it can manage. 3. Step-by-Step Download Process Free ESXi: Restrictions and Limitations - NAKIVO
The "Free ESXi" landscape has been turbulent. While Broadcom initially discontinued the free version in early 2024, they reintroduced as a free hypervisor for home labs and small-scale use.
