We’re excited to announce that Windows Server 2025 is now officially certified on VMware vSphere 7.0 U3, 8.0, 8.0 U1, 8.0 U2, and 8.0 U3. These versions have been tested and validated to provide a stable, high-performance platform for running Windows Server 2025 as a guest operating system on virtual machines. For supported release details, please refer to the Broadcom Compatibility Guide.
What’s New?
VMware vSphere Certified First under Microsoft SVVP Program
VMware vSphere 7.0 U3, 8.0, 8.0 U1, 8.0 U2, and 8.0 U3 are among the first hypervisors certified under Microsoft’s Windows Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP), this SVVP certification provides official Microsoft and VMware support for running Windows Server 2025 in VMware vSphere environments. View the certification on the VMware vSphere SVVP Certification page.
VMware Tools Day-Zero Support for Windows Server 2025
All VMware Tools kernel-mode drivers are fully certified with Windows Server 2025, ensuring high compatibility, stability, and security. For more information, please refer to the blog VMware Tools 12.5.0 is ready for the latest Windows operating systems.
VMware PVSCSI and VMXNET3 Drivers are Native in Windows Server 2025
Since Windows Server 2022 and now extended to Windows Server 2025, VMware Paravirtual SCSI (PVSCSI) disk controller and VMXNET3 network adapter drivers come preinstalled, simplifying the setup process, making efficient deployment of Windows Server VMs with high-performance virtual devices without installing drivers manually.
New VMXNET3 KDNET Extension for Network Kernel Debugging
VMware VMXNET3 KDNET extension plugin specifically for network kernel debugging is contained in Windows Server 2025 now. This enables seamless debugging directly within the virtual environment, providing developers with an efficient and streamlined debugging process. For more information on setting up network kernel debugging, please refer to the Microsoft documentation on network debugging.
Installation of Windows Server 2025 on VMware vSphere
Before deploying Windows Server 2025 virtual machines on vSphere, we recommend consulting the Broadcom Compatibility Guide to confirm compatibility with your hardware and VMware products. The compatibility guide provides essential information on supported hosts, storage devices, network adapters, and more.
For complete installation instructions, please refer to the VMware documentation Windows Server 2025 Installation Guide.
References & Known Issues
For troubleshooting and optimization tips when deploying Windows Server 2025 virtual machines on VMware vSphere, please see below Knowledge Base (KB) articles. These articles cover topics including VMware Tools compatibility, solutions to known issues.
- VMware Tools compatibility with guest operating systems
- Windows Server 2025 Guest OS option is not Available During VMware vSphere ESXi Virtual Machine Creation
- Upgrading guest OS in VMware vSphere ESXi VM from Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022 to Windows Server 2025
- Windows Server 2025 with a virtual NVME boot disk may fail to boot when other disks are on the same NVME controller
- Windows Server 2025 does not recognize virtual NVDIMM devices
Credit to Diane Wang for the above content.
