What VMware Tools does and where to find it

VMware Tools is software that runs inside a virtual machine — a computer that exists as a program on your actual computer. It makes that virtual machine run faster and smoother by letting it talk properly to your real computer's hardware. Without it, your virtual machine will work, but slowly, and you won't be able to do things like drag files between your real desktop and the virtual one.

You download VMware Tools from inside the virtual machine itself, not from the internet. The file lives on your VMware software (whether that's VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion on Mac, or ESXi if you're using a server). When you mount the Tools installer, it appears as a disc inside your virtual machine, just like inserting a CD.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're running Windows, Linux, or Mac inside the virtual machine, but the first part — finding and mounting the Tools disc — is the same for all of them.

Key Takeaways

  • VMware Tools is built into your VMware software and you mount it from the menu, not downloaded from a website.
  • On Windows virtual machines, you run the installer file that appears after mounting, then restart the computer.
  • On Linux virtual machines, you extract the Tools files and run a shell script from the terminal.
  • Installation usually takes five to ten minutes and requires administrator or root access on the virtual machine.
  • After installation completes, restart the virtual machine to finish the process.

How to mount VMware Tools on a Windows virtual machine

Start by clicking inside your virtual machine window so it has focus. Then look at the top menu bar of your VMware software. In VMware Workstation on Windows, click VM in the menu, then find and click Install VMware Tools. In VMware Fusion on Mac, click Virtual Machine in the menu, then Install VMware Tools. The exact wording varies slightly, but you're looking for the word "Install" paired with "VMware Tools".

After you click that option, a disc will appear on your virtual machine's desktop or in File Explorer, usually labeled VMware Tools or CDROM. Open that disc by double-clicking it. You'll see a folder with files inside. Look for a file named something like Setup.exe or VMware Tools Setup and double-click it to start the installer.

The installer will open a window and walk you through the steps. You can usually just click Next through each screen and accept the default settings. When it asks where to install the software, leave it at the default location. The installer will copy files to your virtual machine and may ask you to restart — click Yes or Restart when it does.

How to mount and install VMware Tools on a Linux virtual machine

Click inside your virtual machine window, then open the VMware menu and select Install VMware Tools the same way you would on Windows. A disc will appear in your Linux file manager or on your desktop. Open a terminal window — the exact way to do this varies by Linux version, but it's usually right-click on the desktop and select Open Terminal, or look in your applications menu for Terminal.

In the terminal, navigate to the mounted disc. Type cd /media/cdrom or cd /mnt/cdrom depending on your Linux version, then press Enter. Type ls and press Enter to see the files on the disc. You should see a file with a name like VMwareTools-10.3.0-9856827.tar.gz — the numbers will be different depending on the version.

Copy that file to your home directory by typing cp VMwareTools*.tar.gz ~ and pressing Enter. Then navigate to your home directory by typing cd ~ and pressing Enter. Extract the file by typing tar -xzf VMwareTools*.tar.gz and pressing Enter. This creates a folder called vmware-tools-distrib. Navigate into it by typing cd vmware-tools-distrib and pressing Enter.

Now run the installer by typing sudo ./vmware-install.pl and pressing Enter. It will ask for your password — type it and press Enter. The installer will ask several questions; you can press Enter to accept the default answer for each one. When it finishes, type sudo reboot and press Enter to restart your Linux virtual machine.

What to do if the Install option is grayed out or missing

If you click the VM or Virtual Machine menu and the Install VMware Tools option is grayed out or doesn't appear, it usually means one of three things: the virtual machine is turned off, the virtual machine doesn't have a guest operating system installed yet, or your version of VMware is too old to support that virtual machine's operating system.

First, make sure the virtual machine is powered on. Click inside the virtual machine window — if you see a login screen or a desktop, it's on. If the screen is black or says "Power On", click the power button to turn it on and wait for it to finish starting up.

If the virtual machine is on but the option is still grayed out, check whether you're using the latest version of VMware. Open your VMware software and look for a menu option like Help or About. If there's an update available, download and install it, then try again. If you're using an older version of VMware with a very new operating system, you may need to update VMware before Tools will work.

Checking that VMware Tools installed correctly

After the installation finishes and your virtual machine restarts, you can verify that Tools is working. On Windows, right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your screen and look for a small icon that looks like a toolbox or wrench. If you see it, Tools is running. You can also open the system tray (the icons on the far right of the taskbar) and look for a VMware Tools icon there.

On Linux, open a terminal and type vmware-toolbox-cmd -v and press Enter. If Tools is installed, it will show you a version number. If you see an error message instead, the installation didn't complete — try running the installer again.

If Tools didn't install, the most common reason is that you didn't restart the virtual machine after the installer finished. Restart it manually: on Windows, click the Start button and select Restart. On Linux, open a terminal and type sudo reboot. Then check again.

Why your virtual machine is slow even after installing Tools

VMware Tools makes a big difference, but it's not magic. If your virtual machine is still slow after Tools is installed, the problem is usually that you haven't given it enough memory or processor power. When you created the virtual machine, you told VMware how much of your real computer's RAM and CPU it could use. If you set it too low, it will be slow no matter what.

To check this, power off the virtual machine completely. Then right-click the virtual machine in your VMware software and look for Settings or Edit Settings. Look for sections labeled Memory and Processors. If your real computer has 16 GB of RAM, try giving the virtual machine at least 4 GB. If it has 8 processors, try giving the virtual machine 2 or 4. The exact numbers depend on what you're running inside the virtual machine and how much your real computer needs for itself.

After you change the settings, power the virtual machine back on. It should feel noticeably faster. If it's still slow, you may need to give it more resources, or the slowness may be caused by something else entirely — like a full hard drive or malware inside the virtual machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an internet connection to download VMware Tools?

No. VMware Tools comes built into your VMware software, so you mount it from your computer's hard drive. You only need internet if you're updating VMware itself to a newer version.

Can I install VMware Tools on a Mac virtual machine?

Yes. Click Virtual Machine in the menu and select Install VMware Tools. A disc will appear. Open it and run the installer file inside, then restart when prompted.

What happens if I don't install VMware Tools?

Your virtual machine will still work, but it will be noticeably slower. You won't be able to drag files between your real computer and the virtual machine, and the mouse and keyboard won't respond as smoothly.

Do I need administrator access to install VMware Tools?

Yes. On Windows, you need to be logged in as an administrator or have administrator rights. On Linux, you need to use sudo to run the installer. If you don't have these rights, ask whoever manages your computer.

Can I uninstall VMware Tools if I don't want it anymore?

Yes, but it's not recommended. On Windows, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, find VMware Tools, and click Uninstall. On Linux, open a terminal and type sudo /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-tools.pl. Your virtual machine will work without it, but much more slowly.