Downloading legacy software requires navigating the revamped Broadcom support portal. As of 2026, the process is consolidated under Broadcom's support services virten.net Broadcom support portal. Steps to Acquire the ISO
Get-FileHash .\VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.5.0-4564106.x86_64.iso -Algorithm SHA256 Use code with caution. sha256sum VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.5.0-4564106.x86_64.iso Use code with caution. 5. Creating a Bootable USB Installer
While ESXi 6.5 supports a lot of hardware, newer NVMe drives and processors might not have drivers. Always check the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). vmware esxi 6.5 download iso free
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Your ESXi host will now be permanently licensed under the free edition. To verify, look for "vSphere 6 Hypervisor" in the license information. This status will not expire. sha256sum VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6
Are you planning to run this in a or a legacy production environment?
Searching for a download today is a bit of a journey into legacy tech. Since this version reached its End of General Support on October 15, 2022 , finding an official "free" download has become significantly more difficult than it was during its prime. The Official Route (Broadcom Support Portal) Always check the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
and type the IP address you assigned to the host (e.g., https://192.168.1.100 ).
For lab users, the best legal route to obtain ESXi 6.5 and newer versions is through the .
For physical bare-metal hardware deployments, burn the ISO onto a USB flash drive (minimum 8GB capacity) using formatting utilities such as Rufus or BalenaEtcher. Ensure you select the or GPT (UEFI) depending on your target server’s BIOS settings. For home labs running nested hypervisors on platforms like VMware Workstation, simply mount the raw ISO directly to the virtual optical drive. The Installation Process