How to Fix VMware Workstation "The Update Server Could Not Be Resolved" Error Installing VMware Tools
By Corporal Punishmenton 04/27/2025 |
If you've recently been trying to install or update VMware Tools in your VMware Workstation installation, you have likely got the dreaded error:
"The update server could not be resolved. Check your internet settings or contact your system administrator."
Don't panic! It's not your internet, it's not your firewall, and it's definitely not you. It's Broadcom. Their update servers are currently wonky (or borked, as we like to say), which means VMware
Tools can't check for updates like they usually would.
This error started popping up after Broadcom acquired VMware. In the shuffle, the VMware Tools update servers either went offline, changed addresses, or just stopped responding properly. That's why you're seeing the "update server could not be resolved" error even though your internet connection is perfectly fine.
Good news? There's a quick and easy fix.
VMware Workstation is a popular virtualization program that allows you to run full operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, within a window on your primary PC. Think of it as running a second computer inside your existing computer without needing any extra hardware. This is great for testing software or needing to use different working environments, while keeping your Windows OS completely safe.
VMware Tools is a super handy add-on for any Windows virtual machine. It improves performance, adds better video drivers, enhances mouse integration, enables copy-paste functionality between the host and guest, and allows you to resize windows to full screen. Without VMware Tools, your VM can feel clunky and slow, with missing features.
That's why installing VMware Tools and keeping it updated is essential to us VM geeks. But right now, the automatic updater is broken because the Broadcom update servers aren't responding.
You have two choices:
1) Wait for Broadcom to fix their servers (don't hold your breath).
2) Download and install VMware Tools manually (the fast and easy way).
We've got you covered at MajorGeeks. We have found the correct installation file for you, making life easier by avoiding the Broadcom support site which is a bit of a mess right now.
1) Download VMware Tools from MajorGeeks
2) Install VMware Tools manually inside your virtual machine either wih a USB Disk or local
3) Reboot your virtual machine when it's done.
We had the problem with VMware Workstation. However, there are reports that there is the same issue with VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, VMware Fusion (for Mac), and some ESXi deployments. The manual installation process works the same way across all of them.
Yes, it's completely safe, as long as you download VMware Tools from a trusted source like MajorGeeks. VMware Tools is an official package designed by VMware to improve performance and functionality inside your virtual machines. Be sure to get the correct version for your system.
Need? No. Want? Absolutely. If you're running Windows 11 within a virtual machine (VM), VMware Tools helps with graphics acceleration, improved mouse control, drag-and-drop file sharing, and other essential features. Without it, Windows 11 inside your VM might feel laggy and some features won't work properly.
It's hard to say. After Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, a lot of services have changed or been disrupted. While it's possible they'll fix the update servers eventually, it's much faster and easier to manually download and install VMware Tools for now.
While we're all hoping Broadcom sorts out their servers eventually, manually installing VMware Tools is the only way to get the upgrade. Without updated VMware Tools, you may notice sluggish performance, missing features, or annoying glitches within your virtual machine. Therefore, it's definitely worth taking a few minutes to fix it manually.
If you found this helpful, don't forget to bookmark MajorGeeks — we're always here with real solutions when things break.
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"The update server could not be resolved. Check your internet settings or contact your system administrator."
Don't panic! It's not your internet, it's not your firewall, and it's definitely not you. It's Broadcom. Their update servers are currently wonky (or borked, as we like to say), which means VMware
Tools can't check for updates like they usually would.
This error started popping up after Broadcom acquired VMware. In the shuffle, the VMware Tools update servers either went offline, changed addresses, or just stopped responding properly. That's why you're seeing the "update server could not be resolved" error even though your internet connection is perfectly fine.
Good news? There's a quick and easy fix.
What Is VMware Workstation And Why Does VMware Tools Matter?
VMware Workstation is a popular virtualization program that allows you to run full operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, within a window on your primary PC. Think of it as running a second computer inside your existing computer without needing any extra hardware. This is great for testing software or needing to use different working environments, while keeping your Windows OS completely safe.
VMware Tools is a super handy add-on for any Windows virtual machine. It improves performance, adds better video drivers, enhances mouse integration, enables copy-paste functionality between the host and guest, and allows you to resize windows to full screen. Without VMware Tools, your VM can feel clunky and slow, with missing features.
That's why installing VMware Tools and keeping it updated is essential to us VM geeks. But right now, the automatic updater is broken because the Broadcom update servers aren't responding.
▶
How to Fix the VMware Tools Update Server Error
You have two choices:
1) Wait for Broadcom to fix their servers (don't hold your breath).
2) Download and install VMware Tools manually (the fast and easy way).
We've got you covered at MajorGeeks. We have found the correct installation file for you, making life easier by avoiding the Broadcom support site which is a bit of a mess right now.
1) Download VMware Tools from MajorGeeks
2) Install VMware Tools manually inside your virtual machine either wih a USB Disk or local
3) Reboot your virtual machine when it's done.
What Products Are Affected?
We had the problem with VMware Workstation. However, there are reports that there is the same issue with VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, VMware Fusion (for Mac), and some ESXi deployments. The manual installation process works the same way across all of them.
Is it safe to manually install VMware Tools?
Yes, it's completely safe, as long as you download VMware Tools from a trusted source like MajorGeeks. VMware Tools is an official package designed by VMware to improve performance and functionality inside your virtual machines. Be sure to get the correct version for your system.
Do I need VMware Tools for Windows virtual machines?
Need? No. Want? Absolutely. If you're running Windows 11 within a virtual machine (VM), VMware Tools helps with graphics acceleration, improved mouse control, drag-and-drop file sharing, and other essential features. Without it, Windows 11 inside your VM might feel laggy and some features won't work properly.
Will VMware fix the "update server could not be resolved" error?
It's hard to say. After Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, a lot of services have changed or been disrupted. While it's possible they'll fix the update servers eventually, it's much faster and easier to manually download and install VMware Tools for now.
Final Toughts
While we're all hoping Broadcom sorts out their servers eventually, manually installing VMware Tools is the only way to get the upgrade. Without updated VMware Tools, you may notice sluggish performance, missing features, or annoying glitches within your virtual machine. Therefore, it's definitely worth taking a few minutes to fix it manually.
If you found this helpful, don't forget to bookmark MajorGeeks — we're always here with real solutions when things break.
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