VMware Tools is a set of utilities that enhances the performance of a Virtual Machine (VM) and improves user experience by enabling:
✅ Better display resolution
✅ Smooth mouse integration
✅ Copy-paste & drag-drop support
✅ Improved network and disk performance
Steps to Install VMware Tools
Step 1: Start the Virtual Machine
- Power on your VM.
- Ensure that the operating system (Windows/Linux) is running.
Step 2: Mount VMware Tools ISO
- In VMware Workstation, go to the top menu.
- Click on “VM” > “Install VMware Tools”.
- This will mount a CD/DVD drive containing VMware Tools inside the VM.
Step 3: Install VMware Tools
For Windows VM
- Open File Explorer and go to This PC.
- You will see VMware Tools CD mounted.
- Open it and double-click setup.exe (or setup64.exe for 64-bit systems).
- Follow the on-screen installation wizard:
- Click Next → Choose Typical installation → Click Install.
- Once installed, restart the VM to apply changes.
For Linux VM (Ubuntu/Debian-based)
Open Terminal inside the Linux VM.
Run the following commands
sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-vm-tools-desktop -y
If the above method does not work, install manually:
cd /media/$USER/VMware\ Tools
sudo cp VMwareTools*.tar.gz /tmp/
cd /tmp/
tar -xvzf VMwareTools*.tar.gz
cd vmware-tools-distrib
sudo ./vmware-install.pl
Follow the installation prompts and press Enter for default options.
Restart the VM for changes to take effect:
sudo reboot
Step 4: Verify VMware Tools Installation
✅ Windows: Open VMware Workstation → Check if VMware Tools is running in the taskbar.
✅ Linux: Run the command:
vmware-toolbox-cmd -v
If installed correctly, it will show the VMware Tools version.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
❌ VMware Tools not mounting?
- Manually mount it:
- Windows: Go to VM > Removable Devices > CD/DVD > Connect
- Linux: Run
sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt cd /mnt ls❌ Copy-Paste Not Working?
- Ensure VMware Tools is installed and enabled.
- Restart both VMware Workstation and the VM.