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Exiting VMware Pro in Windows 11
How do I exit VMware Pro? I am using it from time to time to run a Linux VM. My host OS is Windows 11. the VMware version is 25.0.1.25219725. After I finish to work and exit the VM I can see its tray icon. I see no option to end its footprint from the memory but to restart Windows.
Is there a way to exit VMware Pro?
Or is the only way to restart Windows/kill the process?
1 answer
The following users marked this post as Works for me:
| User | Comment | Date |
|---|---|---|
| programAngel | (no comment) | Mar 14, 2026 at 12:44 |
According to the documentation you can configure the Exit behaviour.
There should be a Setting Show tray icon with these options:
If you run virtual machines in the background, use this setting to select how the tray icon appears. The tray icon is represented by three overlapping squares in the notification area in the taskbar on the host system.
- Always
The tray icon appears in the taskbar when no virtual machines are running, even if Workstation Pro is not running.- When a virtual machine is powered on
The tray icon appears in the taskbar only when a virtual machine is powered on.- Never
The tray icon does not appear in the taskbar when a virtual machine is running, even if you restart Workstation Pro
Setting this to Never should at least remove the icon. I have no way of checking if it also ends all processes.

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