VM hardware version (virtual machine hardware version)

The VM hardware version (virtual machine hardware version) designates the virtual hardware functions supported by a virtual machine (VM), which relates to the hardware on the host server. Hardware versions add enhancements to VMs that run an older operating system.

When a user creates a VM, they choose the default hardware version or select an earlier version. Choosing a lower version may result in reduced functionality. A VMware product will not be able to power on a VM with a hardware version higher than what it supports. For example, Fusion 5.x can only run a VM on hardware version 9 and lower; to run VMs on hardware version 10, the user would have to use Fusion 6.x.