Vcenter License Key Command Line May 2026

The vCLI suite includes utilities that can connect to vCenter Server or individual ESXi hosts. For license assignment, the most relevant command is esxcli system license. However, note that esxcli run locally on an ESXi host manages only that host’s license. To manage licenses across multiple hosts via vCenter, you typically use the vicfg-* commands or PowerCLI.

Example using esxcli against a host (not vCenter):

esxcli system license set --key XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

This command applies a new license key to the target ESXi host. But when managing vCenter itself or assigning licenses to hosts through vCenter, you need a different approach.

vCLI is the classic command-line suite. Install it on a jump box, then use vicfg-cfgbackup not for licensing directly, but the vmware-cmd equivalents. However, for licensing, the nested license commands are better. vcenter license key command line

List license details via vCLI:

vifs --server vcenter.example.com --username administrator@vsphere.local --list /vmfs/volumes/

(Not directly useful – prefer PowerCLI)

Before we dive into syntax, let’s explore why you would choose the command line over the standard GUI. The vCLI suite includes utilities that can connect

Only works if the license is not assigned to any asset.

vcenter.license.remove --key <LICENSE_KEY>

Remove a license from a specific asset without deleting the license key:

vcenter.license.unassign --asset Host --asset-id <Host_UUID>

Find a host’s UUID:

vcenter.host.list

PowerCLI is a powerful tool for automating and managing VMware environments, especially when it comes to vCenter.

This is a complete review of managing vCenter license keys via the command line.