VMWare and Parallels will be temporarily unavailable for download
Starting on July 15.
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Microsoft is temporarily stopping access to the free Windows 11 virtual machines, especially Parallels (macOS) and VMware (multi-platform), starting July 15. This was announced in a short note in the latest blog post on the Developer’s site.
Due to ongoing technical issues, downloads for VMWare and Parallels will be temporarily unavailable starting July 15, 2024.
Microsoft
This could be a bit troublesome for managers and developers. Here’s why. Currently, the Windows Development Environment virtual machines are available in four types: VMware, Hyper-V Gen 2, Parallels Desktop, and VirtualBox. Microsoft usually updates these virtual machines every month after the Patch Tuesday updates. However, they did not provide an update in June, so the latest Windows Development Environment virtual machines are still on version 2404.
Version 2404, however, is set to expire on July 15th, 2024. After this date, Windows 11 will give you activation prompts. The interesting part is that you cannot activate Windows Development Environment using a real key. This puts users in a tough situation where they either wait patiently for Microsoft to provide an updated version for VMware or Parallels or temporarily switch to another virtualization software.
However, the official Windows 11 virtual machines still have value. They are equipped with Windows 11 Enterprise and provide a complete set of development tools, such as Visual Studio, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Terminal, developer mode, and more.
Therefore, if you want to start exploring the Windows app development field, these virtual machines can be seen as your sandbox. Remember, for now, you might need to navigate some temporary roadblocks.
