Software updates settings control when Workstation Pro downloads software updates to the host system and whether it uses a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update Server.

Table 1. Software Update Preference Settings
Setting Description
Check for product updates on startup Check for new versions of the application and installed components when you start Workstation Pro. This setting is selected by default.
Check for new software components as needed Check for a new version of a component when a component, such as VMware Tools, is required. When this setting is selected, Workstation Pro verifies if a new version is available to download and install.
Download All Components Now Manually download all of the available software components to the host system. Click this button if you are planning to use a virtual machine at a later time when you do not have access to the Internet.
Connection Settings Click this button to configure a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update Server.
Automatically update VMware Tools on virtual machine Install the latest version of VMware Tools when you power on a virtual machine or shut down the guest operating system.

You can override this setting for specific virtual machines.