VMware ThinApp
Application virtualisation software
title: "VMware ThinApp" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["vmware", "virtualization-software", "utility-software-for-windows"] description: "Application virtualisation software" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware_ThinApp" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Application virtualisation software ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | VMware ThinApp |
| logo | VMware ThinApp v4.0 icon.png |
| author | Jitit Inc. |
| developer | VMware |
| latest release version | 2212 |
| latest release date | {{Cite web |
| url | https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-ThinApp/2212/rn/vmware-thinapp-2212-release-notes/index.html |
| title | VMware ThinApp 2212 Release Notes |
| publisher | VMware, Inc |
| date | January 12, 2023 |
| access-date | May 20, 2023 |
| operating system | Windows Vista and later |
| Windows Server 2008 and later | |
| (previously Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) | |
| size | 18 MB |
| genre | Application virtualization |
| Portable application creator | |
| license | Shareware |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = VMware ThinApp | logo = VMware ThinApp v4.0 icon.png | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | author = Jitit Inc. | developer = VMware | released = | latest release version = 2212 | latest release date = {{Cite web |url = https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-ThinApp/2212/rn/vmware-thinapp-2212-release-notes/index.html |title = VMware ThinApp 2212 Release Notes |publisher = VMware, Inc |date = January 12, 2023 |access-date = May 20, 2023 | latest preview version = | latest preview date = | programming language = | operating system = Windows Vista and later Windows Server 2008 and later (previously Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) | platform = | size = 18 MB | language = | genre = Application virtualization Portable application creator | license = Shareware | website =
VMware ThinApp (formerly Thinstall) is an application virtualization and portable application creator suite by VMware that can package conventional Windows applications
History
ThinApp (previously known as Thinstall) was originally developed by Jitit Inc. and was acquired by VMware on January 15, 2008. VMware later used the code name VMware Project North Star while the product was in beta. On June 10, 2008, VMware announced that the final name for the product was going to be VMware ThinApp. The trial version of Thinstall was initially available only to corporations, then VMware offered a public trial version.
Technology
VMware ThinApp provides application virtualization. ThinApp is able to execute applications without them being installed in the traditional sense by virtualizing resources such as environment variables, files and Windows Registry keys. The virtual environment shown to the client combines both physical and virtual resources, making it appear to the application as if it were fully installed and running. ThinApp does not have any pre-installed components and does not require the installation of device drivers allowing applications to run from USB flash drives or network shares without ever requiring Administrator rights. ThinApp converts standard application installers such as .msi files into self-contained EXE files, which includes everything required to run. Also it is able to scan a system before and after an application's installation and create a portable executable based upon changes made to the systems files and registry. Unlike self-extracting ZIP files, ThinApp does not extract files to disk or require system registry changes in order to run applications. ThinApp versions released after 5.2.3 drop support Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 and later.
Editions
The most "basic" version of ThinApp is "VMware ThinApp Starter Edition", offered for free with any purchase of VMware Workstation, while the most "advanced" version is "VMware ThinApp Enterprise Edition", which adds support for AppSync updating, Active Directory integration and allows usage by multiple users (both for the ThinApp Packager and ThinApp Client).
References
References
- "vFILTERS: VMware Thinapp history and basic work... - VMware Communities". vmware.com.
- "Top 10 Questions on ThinApp". vmware.com.
- (January 15, 2008). "VMware to Expand Desktop Virtualization Solution with Acquisition of Thinstall". [[VMware]].
- (June 10, 2008). "VMware ThinApp (Project North Star/Thinstall) Release Candidate". [[VMware]].
- (June 10, 2008). "VMware Launches ThinApp 4.0 to Run Virtually Any Application on Any Windows Operating System without Conflict by raju". [[VMware]].
- "VMware ThinApp Application Virtualization Platform: IT Management Solutions". Thinstall.com.
- "Evaluate VMware ThinApp". [[VMware]].
- (2008-06-26). "Introduction to VMware ThinApp". [[VMware]].
- (10 December 2014). "ThinApp User's Guide: ThinApp 5.1". [[VMware]].
- "VMware Workstation Pro".
- "Buy VMware Workstation 7, Get VMware ThinApp Starter Edition For Free!". vmware.com.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::