How to Enable Copy and Paste in VMware: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s how to enable copy and paste functionality in VMware for seamless file transfer between host and guest operating systems.

Copy and paste is a useful feature that allows you to transfer data between applications on the system easily. If you are using VMware, a virtualization software that allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single physical computer, you might want to enable copy and paste functionality in it. That way, you can copy and paste data from guest to host or host to guest in VMware to streamline your workflow and improve productivity.

Fortunately, enabling copy and paste in VMware is a straightforward process. By the end of this article, you’ll know two ways to enable copy and paste in VMware.

Table of contents:

1. Why you should enable copy and paste in VMware
2. How to enable copy and paste in VMware via VM Settings
3. Modify VMX file to enable copy and paste in VMware
4. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why you should enable copy and paste in VMware

One of the main reasons to enable copy and paste in VMware is to transfer data between guest and host operating systems easily and quickly.

For example, you can copy and paste to transfer a file, folder, or any other clipboard content from guest to host or host to guest in VMware. It’s as easy as pressing the “Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V” shortcuts. No need to go through a complicated process of creating shared folders or network shares.

To put it simply, copy and paste functionality in VMware gives you greater flexibility and a seamless user experience in how you work.

Note: The steps below will work for VMware Player and VMware Workstation.

Note: Ensure the VMware Tools package is installed in the guest operating system.

How to enable copy and paste in VMware via VM Settings

You can modify the individual virtual machine settings to enable copy and paste in VMware.

Here’s how:

1. Open the VMware application.
2. Ensure the VM is fully shut down.
3. Right-click on a virtual machine.
4. Select the “Settings” option.
5. Go to the “Options” tab.
6. Select the “Guest Isolation” setting.
7. Select the “Enable copy and paste” checkbox.
8. Press the “Ok” button.
9. Close the Virtual Machine Settings window.
10. With that, the copy and paste functionality is enabled in VMware for that specific virtual machine.

Steps with more details:

Since we want to access the VM settings, open the VMware application first. After that, ensure that the virtual machine for which you want to enable copy and paste is fully shut down and not in suspended mode.

Next, right-click on the virtual machine and choose the “Settings” option. You can also click the “Edit virtual machine settings” button in the main panel.

Go to the “Options” tab in the Virtual Machine Settings window. Select the “Guest Isolation” settings on the left sidebar.

Now, select the “Enable copy and paste” checkbox. If you want, you can also select the “Enable drag and drop” checkbox too. As the name implies, this option enables the functionality to drag and drop files and folders between guest and host operating systems.

Press the “Ok” button to save changes.

With that, you’ve successfully enabled copy and paste in VMware for that specific virtual machine. If you want the same functionality for other VMs, follow the same steps for them.

Modify VMX file to enable copy and paste in VMware

VMware uses a special “.VMX” configuration file to manage virtual machine settings. We can add a couple of config lines to the VMX file to enable copy and paste in VMware.

Here’s how to modify the virtual machine VMX file to enable copy and paste:

1. Open the VMware application.
2. Ensure the VM is fully shut down.
3. Right-click on the virtual machine.
4. Choose the “Open VM directory” option.
5. Find and right-click on the “.vmx” file.
6. Choose “Open With -> Choose another app.”
7. Select “Notepad” from the list of options.
8. Press the “Just once” button.
9. Add the below lines at the end of the file.
   isolation.tools.copy.disable="FALSE"
isolation.tools.paste.disable="FALSE"
10. Press “Ctrl + S” to save the file.
11. Close the Notepad window.
12. With that, the copy and paste functionality is enabled in VMware for that specific virtual machine.

Steps with more details:

First, launch the VMware application. Next, ensure the virtual machine is fully turned off. After that, right-click on the virtual machine and select the “Open VM directory” option.

The above action will open the virtual machine folder. It contains all the files related to the virtual machine. Here, find and right-click on the “.vmx” file and select “Open with -> Choose another app.”

Select the “Notepad” application from the list and press the “Just once” button.

After opening the file in Notepad, copy and paste the below lines at the end of the file.

isolation.tools.copy.disable="FALSE"
isolation.tools.paste.disable="FALSE"

Next, press the “Ctrl + S” or select “File -> Save” to save the file. After that, close the Notepad window.

With that, you’ve successfully enabled copy and paste in VMware for that specific virtual machine. If you want the same functionality for other VMs, follow the same steps for them.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Here are a few frequently asked questions about copy and paste functionality in VMware:

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That is all. It is that simple to enable copy and paste in VMware virtual machine.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.