AlmaLinux 10 can be installed on VMware Workstation to be able to temporarily test and deploy a stable enterprise Linux system. This keeps your main system unaffected. AlmaLinux is a community-driven OS that is completely free and open source. This has the same architecture as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), meaning it has the same functionality. This was started in 2021 to be a replacement for CentOS. This quickly became a popular enterprise Linux distribution and is used worldwide by system administrators and DevOps, as well as cloud engineering.
This is a step-by-step guide for all users, from a system administrator to a developer, and even for someone new to virtualization.
What is AlmaLinux 10 and VMware Workstation?
AlmaLinux 10 is based on the RHEL 10 codebase. It comes with new kernel versions, better security thanks to SELinux improvements, and long-term support. This makes it great for server workloads, containerized environments using Podman/Docker, and local virtualized development using hypervisors like VMware Workstation Pro.
VMware Workstation is one of the most advanced Type 2 hypervisors for Windows and Linux host systems. It has support for hardware virtualization, snapshot management, and network configuration options that make it great for safely testing enterprise Linux distributions without changing your physical host machine.
Before Installation
- A computer with at least 8 GB of RAM (recommended)
- At least two CPU cores
- There must be at least 15 GB of free disk space.
- Installed VMware Workstation
- ISO file for AlmaLinux 10
Having enough resources makes sure that everything runs smoothly during and after installation.
Step-by-Step Guide to Installing AlmaLinux 10 on VMware Workstation
Installing AlmaLinux 10 on VMware Workstation is easy. It gives you a powerful, production-ready enterprise Linux environment that runs safely inside a virtual machine on your current workstation. This setup gives you a safe, strong sandbox whether you’re an aspiring Linux system administrator getting ready for RHCSA certification, a developer making and testing RHEL-compatible apps, or a DevOps engineer looking at container orchestration workflows.
Step 1: Download the ISO Image of AlmaLinux 10
Getting the official AlmaLinux 10 installation media is the first step in setting up your virtual machine. Go to almalinux.org/get-almalinux and download the DVD ISO, which is about 9 to 10 GB in size. This complete DVD ISO has all the packages you need to set up a minimal server or a graphical desktop environment (GNOME).
You can also choose the Minimal ISO for production or server testing workloads. This version has a small installation footprint and doesn’t have a graphical user interface. For beginners, the DVD ISO is the best choice because it lets you install packages without being connected to the internet during setup.
The ISO file is an image that can be used to start up a computer and install the operating system. The DVD ISO installs everything, while the minimal ISO installs a lightweight system.
Step 2: Create a New Virtual Machine
Launch VMware Workstation Pro and start the New Virtual Machine Wizard by selecting File → New Virtual Machine or pressing Ctrl + N.
Choosing the ISO makes sure that the VM boots right into the installer. This wizard guides you through configuring virtual hardware settings for your AlmaLinux guest machine.
This step makes a virtual space for AlmaLinux to be installed in.
Step 3: Setting VM Resources
For a smooth installation and good VM performance after the installation, it’s important to allocate resources correctly. If you don’t give enough RAM or CPU, the boot times will be slow, and the graphical installer will be hard to use.
Processors: Assign 2 virtual CPU cores. Enable Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT for nested virtualization support if needed.
CD/DVD (SATA): Select “Use ISO image file” and browse to your downloaded AlmaLinux 10 DVD ISO.
Network Adapter: Keep the default NAT setting for internet access through your host, or switch to Bridged if you need the VM to appear as a separate machine on your LAN.
Step 4: Install AlmaLinux 10
Click the Power button on this virtual machine. The attached AlmaLinux 10 ISO will start the VM and show the GRUB boot menu in a few seconds. Press Enter after using the arrow keys to choose “Install AlmaLinux 10.”
The system will load the AlmaLinux installer, which is the graphical installation framework used by all RHEL-family distributions, such as Fedora, CentOS Stream, and AlmaLinux. AlmaLinux uses a hub-and-spoke model, which means you set up each part separately before starting the installation.
Step 5: Configure Installation Settings
When you first open AlmaLinux 10, it asks you to choose a language for the installation. Pick your language and region, then click “Continue” to go to the main installation summary page.
1. Language Selection
Pick the language you want. This sets the language and keyboard layout for the system.
2. Installation Destination
Choose the virtual disk and then choose “automatic partitioning.” This tells the installer where to put AlmaLinux. Beginners should use automatic partitioning.
Click on the Installation Destination. Choose the 18 GB VMware virtual disk that shows up.
3. Software Selection
This is one of the most important steps in the installation process. Click on Software Selection under Software. You will see these choices for the base environment. This tells you what packages and desktop environments will be set up.
4. Network & Hostname
To set up networking during installation, turn on the Ethernet interface under Network & Host Name. This lets AlmaLinux 10 get any updates to packages while it’s being set up. Use the text box at the bottom to set a hostname, like almalinux10.local.
5. User Creation and Root
Make a user and set a strong root password. The root account is the one that controls everything. Making a user instead of using root directly makes the system safer.
Enter your name, username, and password. This follows the security best practice of avoiding direct root login for day-to-day operations.
Step 6: Start Installation
Depending on the speed of your host machine’s CPU, disk I/O performance, and the number of software packages you choose, installation usually takes 10 minutes. A progress bar shows how far along the installation is and what package is being installed right now.
AlmaLinux 10 shows a “Complete!” message when the installation is done. Click on “Reboot System.”
The system installs all of the chosen packages and settings. When you reboot, the installed OS loads from the virtual disk instead of the ISO.
After the reboot, AlmaLinux 10 will load GRUB2 and then start up your new system. When you first start up the computer, the Initial Setup screen (Firstboot) may come up and ask you to read and agree to the License Agreement (EULA).
For AlmaLinux 10, the best way to go is to install open-vm-tools, which is the open-source version of VMware Tools that is kept up to date.
After a successful installation, the first thing any experienced system administrator does is install all the security patches and system updates that are available. AlmaLinux 10 uses DNF5, the next generation of the DNF package manager, as its default package management tool. This replaces the older DNF4 that was used in AlmaLinux 8 and 9. Let’s check the installed version via the/etc/os-release file.
Post-Installation: What to Do Next
Here are some common next steps you can take with a working AlmaLinux 10 virtual machine in VMware Workstation, depending on how you plan to use it:
- To connect to your host terminal from a remote location, enable SSH access by installing and starting OpenSSH: sudo systemctl enable –now sshd.
- Set up a web server by installing Apache httpd or Nginx for local web development and testing.
- Set up firewalld: AlmaLinux 10 uses firewalld as its default tool for managing firewalls. To open ports and manage network zones, use sudo firewall-cmd.
- Set up container workloads by installing Podman, which is the default rootless container runtime on RHEL-compatible systems. This lets you run Docker-compatible container images without a daemon.
- Set up SELinux: By default, AlmaLinux comes with SELinux in Enforcing mode, which means that access controls are required. Learn how to use sestatus, semanage, and audit2allow to control SELinux policies.
Conclusion
AlmaLinux 10 is one of the best options for enterprise Linux virtualization in 2026 and beyond because it has long-term support, is compatible with RHEL binaries, and has an active community. You can now build, break, and rebuild your Linux environments with full confidence thanks to VMware Workstation’s snapshotting, cloning, and advanced network configuration features.
To install AlmaLinux 10 on VMware Workstation, create a virtual machine, and load the ISO for the OS installation into the CD or DVD drive of the virtual machine. To start the AlmaLinux OS 10 installation, power on the virtual machine. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. Select a device for installation.
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