Historically, VMware offered a "vSphere Hypervisor Free Edition" which allowed a standalone ESXi host to run with limited features (such as a maximum of 8 vCPUs per VM and no vCenter management). Broadcom officially discontinued the Free ESXi Hypervisor with the release of ESXi 8 Update 2. Standalone free license keys are no longer officially distributed. 3. How to Install and Apply an ESXi 8 License Key

The full enterprise software-defined data center (SDDC) suite, combining ESXi, vSAN, NSX networking, and Aria management tools. 2. The Status of the Free VMware ESXi 8 License

If you apply a license before the evaluation period ends, you can still revert back to evaluation mode (for the remaining evaluation days) to test features you may not have licensed.

Obtaining a VMware ESXi 8 license key is a straightforward process. Here are the steps:

Aimed at smaller environments requiring basic consolidation, high availability, and vMotion, but lacking advanced analytics or software-defined storage features.

To legally use ESXi for free, you must download the specialized free ISO image from Broadcom's support portal. This version has the free license key embedded directly within it, requiring no additional key entry after installation. Alternatively, if you download the standard "Evaluation Mode" ISO, it will operate with all enterprise features for a 60-day trial period. To continue using it after that period without upgrading to a paid subscription, you must assign a free license key, which can be requested after registering on the Broadcom/VMware website.

The Ultimate Guide to VMware ESXi 8 License Keys: Everything You Need to Know

Once logged in, look for a section or notification box labeled "Free Software Downloads available HERE" .

Paid commercial editions require a minimum of 16 Core licenses per physical CPU.

If you're having trouble finding or activating your ESXi 8 license key, I recommend contacting VMware support or checking the VMware Customer Connect portal for assistance.

The upgrade process is completely seamless. You simply assign a new paid license key through the vSphere Host Client—no reinstallation required. Your existing VMs and configurations remain intact. Conversely, if you have a paid license expiring and you want to revert to free, you can assign a free key at any time, though you will lose access to advanced features.

For production environments with multiple hosts, Broadcom recommends managing license keys through vCenter Server. The vSphere Client allows you to: