The licensing landscape for VMware ESXi changed significantly following Broadcom's acquisition. In February 2024, VMware announced the discontinuation of general availability for the free vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 7.x and 8.x). Previously registered users could download ESXi and obtain a free license key with usage restrictions, but these download pages and free license options have been removed from the user centers for many users.

: ESXi 7.0 Update 3 ("U3") has received numerous patches. VMware only provides full ISO images for some releases. For example, versions like 7.0U3n and 7.0U3i were released as installable ISO files, while others like 7.0U3q and 7.0U3o may only be available as patch ZIP files.

Mount the downloaded ESXi 7.0.3 ISO directly from your local computer.

Accept the terms and conditions, then click the download button next to the desired file format (ISO for fresh installations, or ZIP for upgrades).

: At least 4 GB to boot, but 8 GB is the recommended minimum to run actual virtual machines. Storage : At least 8 GB of disk space for the installation.

You need a valid Broadcom account. Registration is free, but profile completion requires company information if you are accessing enterprise licenses.