v16 workstation license has disappeared when upgrading to v17

[op_neil]

Hi there,

I have lost my (paid) v16 workstation license when upgrading to v17 and I am no longer able to enter in the old license key.

Has anyone else had this issue?  How do I get my original license to be transferred to the v17 workstation install?

Thanks

Neil

[miladmeh8]

Since old license is not valid anymore you cannot use it in new version

[op_neil]

Thanks for the reply 👍

Does this mean that the commercial license I paid for on version 16, cannot be used with any future version?  So I am limited and have to stay on version 16? 

Surely you do not have to buy a new commercial license every time you want to upgrade to a newer version?

[miladmeh8]

Yes you have to buy new license for new product. it is same for all the VMware products

Please give a kadus or mark it as correct answer if it addressed your problem

[a_p_]

New major versions usually require new licenses.

Depending on when you purchased the license, and whether it's under subscription, you may be able to upgrade the licenses free of charge from your Customer Connect portal. So that's definitely the first place to check.

Other than this, VMware offers updates for these products, which are less expensive than full versions.

André

[op_neil]

Thanks Andre 👍

Yes the issue has come about as the user 'had' version 16 of Workstation Player installed but requires access to a new VM created using version 17 so the application had to be upgraded.

I thought if you had 'paid' for a license this would be honoured if you upgraded, major version or not ☹️

[RDPetruska · Accepted solution]

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@op_neil wrote:

I thought if you had 'paid' for a license this would be honoured if you upgraded, major version or not ☹️

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No, when you pay for a license, it is good forever for THAT major version number, and any updates released to that version (i.e. version 16 license is good for all 16.x versions).  If you want to upgrade to a new major version, it requires a new license.

Now, historically, VMware has allowed a free or deeply discounted upgrade if the license was purchased within a short period before a major release - but only the Sales department would be able to answer that for certain.

Also, note that your license should be available on the VMware website for your existing paid products, as Andre mentioned above.

[a_p_]

In case that the VM does not require any of the features that were added with version 17, you may try to "downgrade" the VM's virtual hardware version to one that's supported by WS16 (see https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1003746)

André

[op_neil]

Thanks for this 👍