vD vDan VMware · VCF · NSX · K8S

ESXi Version History with Release Notes

Short answer: this ESXi version history lists every ESXi and ESX release from Broadcom KB 316595. The order is the order of the KB: line by line, newest first within a line. Each release shows its release name, version, release date and build number, and whether it shipped as an ISO or as a patch. Each release also links to the official release notes on Broadcom TechDocs. For the 8.0, 9.0 and 9.1 releases the tool adds the What’s New, Resolved Issues and Known Issues of the release notes. So you get from a version or a build number to what changed in two keystrokes. Type a version (8.0U3e, ESX 9.1.1.0), a release name or a build number (24674464) to identify it. Then open the table to sort and export, or pick two releases in Upgrade path to read everything that changed between them. The data comes from KB 316595 and from the ESXi release notes on Broadcom TechDocs. Releases before 7.0 have no release-notes link in the KB. The vCenter side of the same lookup is the vCenter version history with release notes.

Prefer a full window? Open the tool full screen →

How to use the ESXi version history

  • Look up a release. Type what you have: a short version such as 8.0U3e or 7.0 Update 3w, a release name, a KB version such as ESXi 8.0.3 P05, or a build number. An exact hit is explained above the list, for example “24674464 is the build number of ESXi 8.0 Update 3e”. The release-notes button sits next to it. From three characters the search also looks inside the What’s New and the issue lists.
  • Releases. One card per release in the order of the KB, with a heading per line (ESX 9.1, ESX 9.0, ESXi 8.0 and so on). A card shows the release name and KB version, the build, the date, the line, ISO or patch, and the image profiles and CVEs of the notes. Below them, What’s New, Resolved Issues, Known Issues and Known Issues from previous releases are collapsible blocks. The Line chips narrow the list to one release line. Only keeps ISO releases, the releases with a notes extract or the releases with a release-notes link. Show picks the sections.
  • Table. The KB rows as a sortable table: line, release name, version, date, build, available as and release-notes link. The CSV download and the Markdown button export the current rows. A release name opens its card.
  • Upgrade path. Pick the release you run and the release you go to. Every release of the target line in between is listed with its notes open, so you read in one pass what the upgrade brings. Markdown of this range copies it for a change ticket.
  • Deep links. ?version=8.0U3e or ?build=24674464 on this page opens the tool on that release. The Link button on a card copies such a link.

How to read the ESXi versions and build numbers

  • Release name vs. version. The release name is what the release notes are called, for example ESXi 8.0 Update 3e. The version is the KB’s shorthand with the patch type, for example ESXi 8.0.3 P05 (P: a rollup patch, EP: an express patch). ESX 9.x releases carry a four-part number such as 9.1.1.0100, which is the same in both columns.
  • Build number. The number vmware -v, the vSphere Client and esxcli system version get report. A few old patch rows list two builds, the full and the security-only bulletin, and both are searchable. Security-only image profiles of 8.0, for example ESXi 8.0 U3se, appear as image profiles on the card of the full release.
  • Notes extract. Taken from the release notes of the 8.0 and 9.x releases on Broadcom TechDocs. The GA releases of 9.0 and 9.1 carry the ESX known and resolved issues of the VCF GA notes. Releases without an extract still have the release-notes link from the KB. Releases before 7.0 have no link in the KB at all.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the build number of my ESXi host?

In the vSphere Client, select the host and read the Summary tab: it shows the version and the build. On the host shell, vmware -v or esxcli system version get prints the same build. Then type that build into the search box above to get the release name, the date and the release notes.

What is the latest ESXi version?

The tool marks the newest release of the KB with a latest tag. At the time of writing it is ESX 9.1.1.0100, build 25782009, released on 2026-10-12. The tool is regenerated from KB 316595, so the tag moves with the KB.

Why does the KB say ESX for 9.x and ESXi for older releases?

Broadcom renamed the hypervisor from ESXi back to ESX with VCF 9.0. The KB therefore says ESX 9.0 and ESX 9.1, ESXi for 7.0 and 8.0, and ESXi/ESX for the 4.x and 5.x releases that shipped in both forms. The tool keeps the product name of the KB on every card and line heading, and the search accepts both spellings.

What is an image profile, and what does the “s” in ESXi 8.0 U3se mean?

An image profile is the name of a patch image in the depot, for example ESXi-8.0U3se-24659227-standard. The “s” marks the security-only rollup that ships next to the full patch. The KB lists the full patch; the tool shows the security-only profile and its build on the same card, and the build is searchable.

Where are the ESXi release notes?

On Broadcom TechDocs. The 8.0 and 7.0 notes live under the vSphere release notes, the 9.x notes under the VMware Cloud Foundation release notes. Every card above links to its notes, and the 8.0 and 9.x cards carry the extract. Most 7.0 notes are PDFs. For 6.7 and older the KB links no release notes.

Sources