Using VMware Fusion - VMware Fusion 13

Using VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion 13

VMware Fusion Pro 13

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Using VMware Fusion

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Contents

Using VMware Fusion 9

1 Getting Started with Fusion 10

Basics About VMware Fusion 10

About VMware Fusion Pro 11

System Requirements for Fusion 11

Install Fusion 13

Start Fusion 14

How-To Videos 14

Take Advantage of Fusion Online Resources 14

2 Understanding Fusion 16

Virtual Machines and What Fusion Can Do 16

What Is a Virtual Machine? 16

Fusion Capabilities 17

Supported Guest Operating Systems 17

Virtual Hardware Specifications 17

Navigating and Taking Action by Using the Fusion Interface 22

VMware Fusion Toolbar 22

Use the Fusion Toolbar to Access the Virtual-Machine Path 22

Default File Location of a Virtual Machine 23

Change the File Location of a Virtual Machine 23

Perform Actions on Your Virtual Machines from the Virtual Machine Library Window 24

Using the Home Pane to Create a Virtual Machine or Obtain One from Another Source 25

Using the Fusion Applications Menus 26

Using Different Views in the Fusion Interface 30

Resize the Virtual Machine Display to Fit 36

Using Multiple Displays 37

Configuring

Fusion 38

Setting Fusion Preferences 38

Set General Preferences 38

Select a Keyboard and Mouse Profile 39

Set Key Mappings on the Keyboard and Mouse Preferences Pane 40

Set Mouse Shortcuts on the Keyboard and Mouse Preference Pane 41

Activate or Deactivate Mac Host Shortcuts on the Keyboard and Mouse Preference Pane

Activate Fusion Shortcuts on the Keyboard and Mouse Preference Pane 42

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Set Fusion Display Resolution Preferences 42

Set Default Applications Preferences 43

Creating Custom Networks 44

Enable Jumbo Frames 47

Enable Dictation 48

Join or Leave the Customer Experience Improvement Program 49

Customizing the Fusion Display 49

Show or Hide the Fusion Toolbar 49

Customize the Fusion Toolbar 50

Resize the Fusion Display and Resolution 50

Keep a Windows Application in the Mac Dock on the Intel-based Mac 50

Set a Virtual Machine Application to Open When You Log in to Your Mac 51

Contents of the Virtual Machine Package 51

Work with Virtual Machine Packages 52

4 Creating Virtual Machines 53

Create a Virtual Machine 53

Creating a Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine 54

Download and Install Windows 11 as Guest Operating System on Apple Silicon Mac 61

Download and Generate Windows 11 ISO Using the Command-line Interface 67

Creating a Linux Virtual Machine in Fusion 68

Creating a macOS Virtual Machine in Fusion 71

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine in Fusion 72

Create a Virtual Machine from a Mac Recovery Partition 72

Create a Virtual Machine on a Remote Server 73

Create a Virtual Machine for Any Supported Operating System 75

Power On the Boot Camp Partition as a Virtual Machine 76

Activate Windows in a Virtual Machine 77

Upload a Virtual Machine to a Remote Server 78

Download a Virtual Machine from a Remote Server 79

Importing Windows Virtual Machines 79

Supported Guest Operating Systems for Import 80

How Importing Affects Settings 80

Import a Parallels Virtual Machine 81

Import the Boot Camp Partition 82

Import an Open Virtualization Format Virtual Machine on Intel-based Mac 82

Export a Virtual Machine to OVF Format on Intel-based Mac 83

Export a Virtual Machine with vTPM to OVF Format on Intel-based Mac 84

Installing and Using VMware Tools 86

Installing or Upgrading VMware Tools 87

Repair or Change Modules in Windows Virtual Machines 93

Using VMware Fusion

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Uninstalling VMware Tools 93

Cloning Virtual Machines with Fusion Pro 94

Using Linked Clones 94

Using Full Clones 95

Clone a Virtual Machine 95

5 Working with Your Virtual Machines 97

Scan for Virtual Machines to Add to the Virtual Machine Library 97

Running Fusion and Virtual Machines 98

Open an Existing Virtual Machine 98

Browse for a Virtual Machine 99

Open a Virtual Machine From the Finder 99

Start a Virtual Machine's Operating System 100

Open a Virtual Machine Without Powering On 100

Shut Down a Virtual Machine's Operating System 100

Suspend and Resume a Virtual Machine in Fusion 101

Cancel a Resume Command 101

Power on a Virtual Machine to Firmware in Fusion Pro 101

Pause a Virtual Machine 102

Restart a Virtual Machine 102

Reset a Virtual Machine 102

Uninstall a Virtual Machine by Using the Finder 103

Uninstall a Virtual Machine by Using the Virtual Machine Library 103

Configure SSH Login on a Linux Virtual Machine 104

Edit or Delete the SSH Login Configuration for a Linux Virtual Machine 105

Send the Ctrl-Alt-Delete Command to a Virtual Machine 106

Send Special Key Commands to a Windows or Linux Virtual Machine 106

Special Key Commands 106

Switch Power Commands from the Default Options 107

Options for Fusion Power Commands 108

Open a Windows Application While You Are in Unity View on Intel-based Mac 110

Open a Windows Application from the Applications Menus on Intel-based Mac 111

Moving and Sharing Files with Your Mac 111

Moving and Copying Files and Text Between Virtual Machines and Your Mac 112

View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest by Using Windows Explorer 113

View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest by Mapping Them as a Drive 113

View Shared Folders in a Linux Guest 114

View Shared Folders in a macOS Guest 114

Sharing Applications Between Your Mac and Your Windows Virtual Machines 114

Open a File in a Virtual Machine with an Application on Your Mac 114

Open a File on Your Mac with an Application in a Virtual Machine 115

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Keep a Windows Application in the Mac Dock on the Intel-based Mac 116

Switch Between Virtual Machines That Are Powered On 116

Using Mac Input Devices in a Virtual Machine 116

Enable the Secondary Button in an Apple Mighty Mouse 117

Using Mac Keyboards in a Virtual Machine 117

Force Virtual Machines to Grab Keyboard and Mouse Input 118

6 Sharing Files Between Windows and Your Intel-based Mac 119

Guest Operating Systems That Support Shared Folders 119

Guest Operating Systems That Support Mirrored Folders 120

Enable Shared Folders or Mirrored Folders for a Virtual Machine 121

Add or Remove a Mirrored Folder 121

Add a Shared Folder 121

Remove a Shared Folder 122

7 Protecting Your Virtual Machines 123

Snapshots 123

View Snapshots for a Virtual Machine 123

Take a Snapshot 124

Restore a Virtual Machine to the State in a Snapshot 124

Delete a Snapshot 125

AutoProtect 125

Set Up Automatic Snapshots with AutoProtect 126

Prevent the Deletion of an AutoProtect Snapshot 126

Copy a Virtual Machine to External Media 127

Using Time Machine When You Have Fusion on Your Mac 127

Exclude a Virtual Machine From Time Machine 128

Use Shared and Mirrored Folders If You Back Up Your Mac With Time Machine 128

8 Configuring Your Virtual Machines 130

Fusion General System Settings 130

Set a Virtual Machine to Start When Fusion Starts 131

Setting Virtual Processors and Memory 132

Set the Number of Virtual Processors 132

Set the Amount of Virtual Memory 133

Set Advanced Processor Options 133

Enable Default Applications 134

App Nap Support 135

Configuring Keyboard and Mouse Profiles 135

Enable a CD/DVD Drive on a Remote Virtual Machine 136

Enable a Floppy Drive on a Remote Virtual Machine 137

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View the Status of a Server or Remote Virtual Machine 137

Configuring Display Resolution Settings 138

Enable Accelerated 3D Graphics 138

Enable External GPU 139

Enable Retina Display Support 139

Configure Resolution Settings for Virtual Machine Display 140

Enable Hot Keys for Virtual Machines 141

Configure Discrete Graphics Management 142

Add a Device 143

Configuring the Network Connection 143

Managing Virtual Hard Disks 148

Configuring the CD/DVD Drive 155

Configuring a Floppy Device 158

Configuring the Sound Card 161

Add a Camera to a Virtual Machine 162

Configuring the USB Controller and Connecting USB Devices 163

Add a Parallel Port 167

Add a Serial Port 168

Sharing Bluetooth Devices with a Virtual Machine 168

Configuring a Trusted Platform Module Device 170

Select a Startup Device 171

Encrypting a Virtual Machine 171

Encrypt a Virtual Machine 172

Change the Password for an Encrypted Virtual Machine 173

Remove Encryption from a Virtual Machine 173

Store the Password for an Encrypted Virtual Machine in Keychain 174

Virtual Machine Compatibility 174

Change the Hardware Compatibility of a Virtual Machine 175

Choose the Hardware Version for a Virtual Machine 176

Configuring Guest Isolation Options for a Virtual Machine 176

Managing Advanced Settings 177

Configure Time Synchronization Between Guest and Host Operating Systems 177

Show the Mac Power Supply Status in the Virtual Machine 178

Troubleshooting Your Virtual Machine 178

Change Hard Disk Buffering 179

Set Password Requirement for Opening a Boot Camp Virtual Machine 180

Enable a VNC Client to Access the Virtual Machine Remotely 180

Configure Virtual Machine Power Options 182

Enable Verbose USB Debugging 183

Enable Dark Mode Synchronization 184

Enable Microsoft Virtualization-Based Security 184

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Configure a Firmware Type 185

9 Using vctl Command to Manage Containers and Run Kubernetes Cluster on Intel-

based Mac 187

Using the vctl Utility 188

Enabling KIND to Use vctl Container as Nodes to Run Kubernetes Clusters 188

Running vctl Commands 190

Syntax of vctl Commands 190

Examples of vctl Commands 193

Cleaning Up Residual Environment Data 195

Changes/Enhancements to the vctl Utility 195

10 Using the vmrun Command to Control Virtual Machines 197

Use the vmrun Utility 199

Syntax of the vmrun Command 199

Using Authentication Flags in vmrun Commands 199

Running vmrun Commands 200

Path to VMX File 200

Deactivate Dialog Boxes 200

Syntax of vmrun Commands 201

Examples of vmrun Commands 208

11 Using vmcli to Control Virtual Machines 213

12 Using VMware Fusion REST API 218

Use the VMware Fusion REST API Service 218

Using VMware Fusion REST API Service to Manage Power Options of Encrypted Virtual

Machines 220

13 Upgrading Fusion 222

Upgrade Fusion with Autoupdate 222

Upgrade Fusion From a Download 223

Upgrading VMware Tools 224

Uninstalling Fusion 224

Uninstall Fusion 224

Force Virtual Machine Processes to Quit 225

Using VMware Fusion

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Using VMware Fusion

describes how to use VMware Fusion

to create, use, and manage virtual

machines. It also describes how to install, configure, upgrade, and uninstall Fusion.

Intended Audience

This information is intended for anyone who wants to install, upgrade, or use Fusion.

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Getting Started with Fusion

With Fusion, you can run personal computer (PC) applications and devices on all supported Mac.

Designed for the Mac user, Fusion takes advantage of the security, flexibility, and portability of

virtual machines to run Windows and other operating systems at the same time as macOS.

Read the following topics next:

n Basics About VMware Fusion

n About VMware Fusion Pro

n System Requirements for Fusion

n Install Fusion

n Start Fusion

n How-To Videos

n Take Advantage of Fusion Online Resources

Basics About VMware Fusion

Take a quick look at what Fusion does and how it works.

What Fusion Does

Fusion enables you to run your Windows applications and PC-only devices on all supported Mac.

You can run multiple operating systems and applications at the same time, along with your Mac

applications. The operating systems and applications are isolated in secure virtual machines.

How Fusion Works

Fusion maps the physical hardware resources to the virtual machine’s resources, so each virtual

machine has its own processor, memory, disks, I/O devices and so on. Each virtual machine is

the full equivalent of a standard x86/ARM computer, although it is represented in a single file

package on the Mac.

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After you install Fusion and create a virtual machine, you can install and run complete,

unmodified operating systems, and associated application software in the virtual machine, just

as on a physical PC. Operating systems you can use include Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Fusion offers the benefits of having a second PC without its added expense, physical setup,

and maintenance.

The operating system of the computer on which you run Fusion is called the host. Mac OS X, Mac

OS X Server, OS X, and macOS are the only hosts supported for Fusion. The virtualized operating

system you run inside Fusion is called the guest.

About VMware Fusion Pro

Fusion Pro provides advanced virtualization features for managing the virtual machines on your

Mac.

Fusion Pro provides the following virtualization features:

n Clone a virtual machine

n Ability to power on a virtual machine to firmware

n Export a virtual machine to OVF format

n Set a keyboard shortcut for a virtual machine

n Create advanced custom networking configurations

n Connect to a remote server

n Obtain information from the Virtual Machine Library window, such as processor, memory,

network, and disk information for a virtual machine

n Set bandwidth, packet loss, and latency for a virtual network adapter to simulate various

network environments

n Set the firmware type

n Enable UEFI Secure Boot

n Enable VBS (virtualization-based security) for a Windows 10 and later virtual machine

n Use Rest API

System Requirements for Fusion

Verify that you have the minimum system requirements for installing and using Fusion.

Fusion 12.1.2 and earlier

n The following processors are supported.

n Processors on all Macs launched in 2011 or later except for the Intel® Xeon® W3565

processor when used on the 2012 Mac Pro Quad Core

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n Processors on 2010 Mac Pro Six Core, Eight Core, and Twelve Core

n The following Metal host graphics rendering engine requirements apply.

n Hardware Requirements

n MacBook, Early 2015 or later

n MacBook Air, Mid 2012 or later

n MacBook Pro, Mid 2012 or later

n Mac Mini, Late 2012 or later

n iMac, Late 2012 or later

n Mac Pro, Late 2013 or later

See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205073 for information about Mac support of

Metal.

n Software Requirements

n macOS 10.12.5 or later

n macOS 10.15 Catalina and newer versions for the host OS.

n Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines. Windows

operating systems are available separately from Microsoft and other retailers.

Important Fusion does not provide any operating systems for installation on virtual

machines that you create with Fusion. You must provide the operating system installation

media.

n 4 GB of memory, 8 GB recommended.

n 750 MB of free disk space for Fusion, and at least 5 GB of free disk space for each virtual

machine.

Note You must have enough memory to run macOS, plus the memory required for each

guest operating system and for applications on the Mac and in the virtual machines.

Fusion 12.2.0 and later

n Any Intel-based Mac that officially supports macOS 11 Big Sur or later.

n Minimum 8 GB of memory. 16 GB or more recommended for running multiple virtual machines.

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n Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines. Windows

operating systems are available separately from Microsoft and other retailers.

Important Fusion does not provide any operating systems for installation on virtual

machines that you create with Fusion. You must provide the operating system installation

media.

n 750 MB of free disk space for Fusion, and at least 5 GB of free disk space for each virtual

machine.

Note You must have enough memory to run macOS, plus the memory required for each

guest operating system and for applications on the Mac and in the virtual machines.

Fusion 13.0.0 and later

n Any Mac that officially supports macOS 12 Monterey or later.

n Minimum 8 GB of memory. 16 GB or more recommended for running multiple virtual machines.

n Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines. Windows

operating systems are available separately from Microsoft and other retailers.

Important Fusion does not provide any operating systems for installation on virtual

machines that you create with Fusion. You must provide the operating system installation

media.

n 1.5 GB of free disk space for Fusion, and at least 5 GB of free disk space for each virtual

machine.

Note You must have enough memory to run macOS, and in addition to that the memory

required for each guest operating system, and for applications on the Mac and in the virtual

machines.

Install Fusion

Fusion 13.0 installer package is transitioned to universal binary. You install Fusion in the same way

you install other macOS applications.

Installation of Fusion does not modify existing virtual machines.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you have the administrator password for your Mac.

n Download the Fusion installer file to your Mac. You can obtain the Fusion installer file from the

VMware website.

n Verify that you have the appropriate license key. For example, if you are using VMware

Fusion Pro, you must provide a Fusion Pro license key to activate the Fusion Pro features.

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Procedure

1 Double-click the Fusion installer dmg file to open it.

The contents of the disk image appear in the Fusion Finder window.

2 In the Finder window, double-click the click to install Fusion icon.

3 When prompted, type your administrator user name and password.

Fusion is installed in the Applications folder on your Mac.

Start Fusion

Start using Fusion.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have the administrator password for your Mac.

Procedure

1 In the Applications folder, double-click VMware Fusion.

The Virtual Machine Library window appears. From this window, you can start working with

virtual machines.

2 (Optional) To save Fusion in the Mac Dock, right-click the icon, and select Options > Keep in

Dock.

How-To Videos

Watch online videos about using Fusion.

If you are new to Fusion, watch some how-to videos to become familiar with Fusion features.

Procedure

u In Fusion, click Help > Video Tutorials to access a wide variety of topics that help you get

started with Fusion.

What to do next

On the Fusion Support Center page, you can find support and troubleshooting information

for running Windows and Linux on the Mac, such as Windows activation issues, sharing data,

working with virtual disks, and many other topics. See the Fusion Support Center at https://

www.vmware.com/support/fusion.html.

Take Advantage of Fusion Online Resources

Go to the Fusion Support Center for product news, FAQs, more resources, and the online

community.

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To learn about available Fusion support offerings, registering a product, or creating a

technical support request, see the Fusion Support Center at https://www.vmware.com/support/

fusion.html.

You can also find information about using Fusion at the following self-help sources:

n Join the VMware Fusion Community at https://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/

fusion. The VMware Fusion Community is where Fusion users can exchange information,

questions, and comments to get the most out of Fusion.

n The VMware Knowledge Base provides troubleshooting information, solutions to error

messages, and some best practice information for most VMware products. To find

information on a specific problem you encounter in Fusion, select VMware Fusion in the

product list and search for your problem by key word at http://kb.vmware.com.

n For answers to frequently asked questions about Fusion, go to http://www.vmware.com/

products/fusion/faqs.html.

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Understanding Fusion

Fusion harnesses virtualization to give you a powerful tool to run PC applications and devices on

your Mac.

Read the following topics next:

n Virtual Machines and What Fusion Can Do

n Navigating and Taking Action by Using the Fusion Interface

Virtual Machines and What Fusion Can Do

With Fusion, you can run virtual machines inside your Mac, which gives you access to a wide

range of Windows and other operating systems and applications.

What Is a Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine is a software computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system

and applications.

A virtual machine typically contains a display, a hard disk or disks, one or more processors,

memory, a CD/DVD drive, a network adapter, and a USB controller. All of these components are

virtualized. That is, these elements of a virtual machine are all created by software and stored in

files on your Mac.

The virtual machine runs in a window on all supported Mac. You install an operating system

and applications in the virtual machine and operate it as you would a physical computer. An

operating system cannot distinguish between a virtual machine and a physical machine, nor can

applications or other computers on a network. What you can do with a physical machine (install

software, save files, add additional drives, and so on) you can do with a virtual machine.

Virtual machines are fully supported by Fusion with the underlying physical hardware. For

example, you can configure a virtual machine with virtual components that are completely

different from the physical components that are present on the underlying hardware. Virtual

machines on the same physical host can run different kinds of operating systems (Windows,

Linux, macOS, and others).

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Fusion Capabilities

With Fusion, you can create, open, and run VMware virtual machines, and use PC-specific

hardware with a Mac.

With Fusion, you can perform the following tasks:

n Run x86 operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and others, on macOS without

rebooting.

n Run ARM operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and others on macOS without

rebooting.

n Run Windows and Linux applications on all supported Mac.

n Run most Windows 3D applications that require DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1 or DirectX

11 on your Intel-based Mac.

n Import virtual machines created with Parallels Desktop or virtual machines that use the OVF

(Open Virtualization Format) standard on Intel-based Mac.

n Access USB devices, such as video cameras and high-speed disks, from a virtual machine.

n Drag files between your Intel-based macOS host machine and virtual machines running other

x86 operating systems.

n Fusion works with VMware virtual machines created with different VMware products. For

more information, see Virtual Machine Compatibility

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Fusion supports more than 100 guest operating systems, including most versions of Windows,

Linux, Mac OS X, OS X, and macOS.

For guest operating system support, visit http://www.vmware.com/go/hcl

You can also go to the VMware Web site and click the Support tab. Under Support Resources,

click the Compatibility Guides link.

Virtual Hardware Specifications

Each virtual machine has a standard virtual hardware configuration for chip set, BIOS, ports, and

so on. The amount of memory and number of processors depends on your Mac.

Processor

n One virtual processor on a host system with one or more logical processors

n Up to 32 virtual processors, depending on the available processors on your Mac, virtual

machine hardware version, and guest operating system support

n The following configurations have two logical processors:

n A multiprocessor Mac with two or more physical CPUs

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n A single-processor Mac with a multicore CPU

Chip Set

n Intel 440BX-based motherboard

n NS338 SIO

n 82093AA IOAPIC

n Apple Silicon

BIOS

n PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS

Memory

n Up to 128 GB, depending on the available memory on your Mac, virtual machine hardware

version, and guest operating system support

n Total memory available for all virtual machines is limited only by the amount of memory on

the Mac

Note If you assign too much memory to your virtual machines and have them all running

at the same time, your Mac might slow down because of heavy disk swapping. As a best

practice, make sure the total memory that Fusion and all running virtual machines use stays

below 70 percent of your total Mac memory.

Graphics

n VGA

n SVGA

n 128 MB 3D accelerated video with DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 for

Windows XP as the guest OS

n 256 MB 3D accelerated video with DirectX 9.0EX with Aero and OpenGL 2.1 for Windows

Vista and later as the guest operating system

n 3D accelerated video with DirectX 11 with OpenGL 4.3 for Windows 7 and later as the guest

operating system. DirectX 11 requires macOS 10.15 or later on the host and hardware version

18 and later. OpenGL 4.3 requires hardware version 20 and later. You can enable DirectX 11 on

the following Mac models

n MacPro 2013 and later

n iMac 27-inch 2014 and later

n MacBook Pro 13-inch 2015 and later

n MacBook Pro 15-inch 2015 with dual graphics and later

n MacBook Air 2015 and later

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n MacBook 2015 and later

n iMac 21-inch 2015 and later

n iMac Pro 2017 and later

n MacMini 2018 and later

n To use the GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc and GL_S3_s3tc Open Graphics Library

(OpenGL) extensions in a Windows XP or Windows 7 or later guest operating system, you

must install Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime in the guest operating system. OpenGL is an

application program interface that is used to define 2D and 3D computer graphics. You can

download Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime from the Microsoft Download Center website.

IDE Devices

n Up to four devices. Any of these devices can be a virtual hard disk or CD/DVD drive

n IDE virtual disks up to 8 TB

n CD/DVD drive can be a physical device on the host or client system, or an ISO image file or a

DMG image file

SATA Devices

n Up to 120 SATA devices: 4 controllers and 30 devices per controller

n SATA virtual disks up to 8 TB

SCSI Devices

n Up to 60 devices. Any of these devices can be a virtual hard disk or CD/DVD drive

n SCSI virtual disks up to 8 TB

n LSI Logic LSI53C10xx Ultra320 SCSI I/O controller. For Windows XP guest systems, this

controller requires an add-on driver from the LSI Logic website. On the website, select

Support & Downloads, click the link for downloading drivers, and select the controller in the

drop-down menu to find the driver to download.

n Mylex (BusLogic) BT-958 compatible host bus adapter. For Windows XP and Windows Server

2003 guest systems, this requires an add-on driver from the VMware Web site. See http://

www.vmware.com/download/fusion/drivers_tools.html.

NVMe Devices

n Up to 256 NVMe devices: 4 controllers and 64 devices per controller. This feature is

supported in hardware version 21 and above

n The following guest operating systems do not support virtual NVMe hard disks by default.

n Windows operating systems prior to Windows 8.1

n Mac operating systems prior to macOS 10.13

n Some Linux operating systems

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Several Linux operating systems support NVMe while others do not. Check with the

operating system vendor.

n Support for NVMe 1.3 in the following guest operating systems:

n Microsoft Windows 11

n Microsoft Windows Server 2022

Floppy Drives

n Up to two 1.44 MB floppy devices

n Virtual floppy devices use floppy image files only

Serial (COM) Ports

n Up to four serial (COM) ports

n Virtual serial ports support only output to a file

Parallel (LPT) Ports

n Up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports

n Virtual parallel ports support only output to a file

USB Ports

n Supports high-speed USB 2.0 and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SuperSpeed Plus USB 3.1

n Supports most devices, including USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives, memory

card readers and digital cameras, as well as streaming devices such as webcams, speakers,

and microphones

Keyboard

n 104-key Windows 95/98 enhanced

Mouse and Drawing Tablets

n PS/2 mouse

n USB mouse

n USB drawing tablets

Ethernet Card

n Up to 10 virtual Ethernet cards are supported.

Virtual Networking

n Three virtual hubs are configured by default for bridged, host-only, and NAT networking.

n Support for most Ethernet-based protocols, including TCP/IP v4, Microsoft Networking,

Samba, Novell NetWare, and Network File System.

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n Built-in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP v4, FTP, DNS, HTTP, WINS, and Telnet,

including VPN support for PPTP over NAT.

n Create additional virtual networks to create isolated logical networks. This feature is available

only with Fusion Pro.

n Support for IPv6 for NAT only applies to additional virtual networks, and is available only with

Fusion Pro.

Sound

n Sound output and input using the Mac default input and output settings.

n Emulates Creative Labs Sound Blaster ES1371 AudioPCI sound card. MIDI input, game

controllers, and joysticks are not supported.

n HDAudio

Solid-State Drives

If your host machine has a physical solid-state drive (SSD), the host informs guest operating

systems they are running on an SSD.

This allows the guest operating systems to optimize behavior. How the virtual machines

recognize SSD and use this information depends on the guest operating system and the disk

type of the virtual disk (SCSI, SATA, IDE, or NVMe).

n On Windows 8, Windows 10, Ubuntu, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux virtual machines, all drive

types can report their virtual disks as SSD drives.

Note

n NVMe virtual hard disks are natively supported for Windows 8.1 and later.

n To create a new a virtual machine with a Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2 guest

operating system using NVMe as the virtual hard disk, apply the appropriate Windows

hot fix. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2990941.

n Several Linux operating systems support NVMe while others do not. Check with the

operating system vendor.

n On Windows 7 virtual machines, only IDE and SATA virtual disks can report their virtual

disks as SSD. SCSI virtual disks only report as SSD when used as a system drive in a virtual

machine, or as a mechanical drive when used as a data drive inside a virtual machine.

n On Mac virtual machines, only SATA and NVMe virtual disks are reported as SSD. IDE and

SCSI virtual disks are reported as mechanical drives.

Note NVMe virtual hard disks are supported for macOS 10.13 and later.

Use the virtual machine operating system to verify your virtual machine is using SSD as its virtual

disk.

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Navigating and Taking Action by Using the Fusion Interface

With Fusion interface elements, you can access your virtual machines and manage Fusion.

VMware Fusion Toolbar

You can use icons on the toolbar to initiate actions or change settings.

You can use the Fusion toolbar to change the state of the virtual machine (for example, power

on, suspend, reboot), access its snapshots, or view and change settings for the virtual machine.

With the Virtual Machine Path item in the toolbar, you can navigate the virtual-machine path and

easily view the full path in a text file or terminal window on the Mac host. See Use the Fusion

Toolbar to Access the Virtual-Machine Path.

You can see the toolbar in the virtual machine window in Single Window view and in the Virtual

Machine Library based on your selection to show or hide the toolbar in the View menu. See Show

or Hide the Fusion Toolbar.

You can customize the toolbar. See Customize the Fusion Toolbar

Use the Fusion Toolbar to Access the Virtual-Machine Path

You can use the Virtual Machine Path item in the virtual-machine toolbar to navigate the virtual-

machine path and quickly view the full path in a text file or terminal window on the Mac host.

The Virtual Machine Path item consists of an icon coupled with the name of the virtual machine.

The path leads to the location of the virtual machine, which Fusion stores as a single package.

Prerequisites

n If not already added, add the Virtual Machine Path item to the toolbar of the virtual machine.

See Customize the Fusion Toolbar.

Procedure

u Navigate to a location on the virtual-machine path.

Command-click the name portion of Virtual Machine Path item and select a location.

The location opens in the Finder on your Mac host.

u Create a file on the Mac host that contains the full path of a virtual machine.

In Single Window view, click the icon portion of the Virtual Machine Path item and drag it to

the Mac host.

Open the file to see the full path to the virtual machine.

u Copy the full path of a virtual machine into a text file or terminal window on the Mac host.

In Single Window view, click the icon portion of the Virtual Machine Path item and drag it to

the text file or terminal window on the Mac host.

The full path to the virtual machine appears in the text file or terminal window.

Using VMware Fusion

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Default File Location of a Virtual Machine

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location.

The possible default file locations for newly created virtual machines are as follows.

n your home directory/Virtual Machines, the default virtual-machine folder for new

installations of Fusion 11 or later.

n your home directory/Documents/Virtual Machines, the default virtual-machine folder for

installations of Fusion earlier than Fusion 11 and Fusion 11 and later installations that were

upgraded from a version of Fusion earlier than Fusion 11.

n The last location to which you saved a virtual machine.

When you use Fusion to create a virtual machine and you specify a virtual-machine location,

instead of accepting the default, your specified location becomes the default the next time

you create a virtual machine with Fusion.

For information about determining the file location of virtual machines available in the Virtual

Machine Library, see Perform Actions on Your Virtual Machines from the Virtual Machine Library

Window.

For information about changing the file location of virtual machines, see Change the File Location

of a Virtual Machine.

Change the File Location of a Virtual Machine

You can change the location to which a virtual machine file is stored.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Regardless of where the virtual machine package is stored, you can move the file to another

location.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine that you want to move.

Procedure

1 Select Window > Virtual Machine Library.

2 To determine the file location of the virtual machine, in the Virtual Machine Library window,

control-click the virtual machine, release the control button, and select Show in Finder.

You need the file location to access the virtual machine package again.

3 In the Virtual Machine Library window, control-click the virtual machine, and select Delete.

The Remove Virtual Machine dialog box appears.

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4 Click Keep File.

5 Use the Finder to navigate back to the virtual machine package and move it to another

folder.

6 Double-click the virtual machine package in the Finder window.

A dialog box appears.

7 Click I Moved It.

The virtual machine starts up and appears in the Virtual Machine Library.

Perform Actions on Your Virtual Machines from the Virtual Machine

Library Window

The Virtual Machine Library window shows the virtual machines you created or powered on in

Fusion.

Procedure

1 To access the Virtual Machine Library window, select Window > Virtual Machine Library .

2 To perform an action with an existing virtual machine or to create a virtual machine, follow

the appropriate instruction.

Option

Action

Start a virtual machine Click the play button on the thumbnail image of the virtual machine.

Suspend a virtual machine Select the thumbnail image of the virtual machine and click the suspend

button in the toolbar.

Add notes about a virtual machine Select the virtual machine and click Virtual Machine > Get Info. Type notes in

the Notes text box of the General settings for the virtual machine.

Obtain specific information about

the virtual machine (Fusion Pro only)

The following information is available in the Virtual Machine Library window.

n Virtual machine processor and memory information.

To access the Processors & Memory settings window, click the

information icon.

n Network information appears when the virtual machine is connected to a

network and powered on with VMware Tools installed.

To obtain more detailed network information, click the information icon.

n Hard disk, snapshot, and reclaimable information.

Reclaimable information is listed for Windows virtual machines only.

Click the Refresh disk space icon to update the hard disk, snapshot,

and reclaimable information and to prompt the Clean Up Recommended

message to appear, if applicable.

Clean up a virtual machine (Fusion

Pro only)

The Clean Up Recommended message appears for a virtual machine when

the virtual machine is powered off and a significant amount of virtual

machine space is available to be freed.

To initiate the cleanup, click the message. The General settings dialog box

appears, which includes cleanup options you can select.

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Option Action

Rename a virtual machine a Control-click the virtual machine.

b Select Rename.

c Type a new name and press Enter.

Determine the location of a virtual

machine's files

a Control-click the virtual machine.

b Release the control button.

c Select Show in Finder.

Change the settings for a virtual

machine

To open the Settings window for that virtual machine, select Virtual Machine

> Settings. Some settings can be changed only when the virtual machine is

powered off.

Add virtual machines to the Virtual

Machine Library window

You can add one or more virtual machines at a time to the Virtual Machine

Library window

Manual Drag the virtual machine package icons or the virtual

machines' .vmx files to the window.

Automated 1 Select File > Scan for Virtual Machines.

2 Click +.

3 Select a folder.

4 Click Open.

5 Click Scan.

Remove a virtual machine from the

Virtual Machine Library window

a Shut down or power off the virtual machine.

b Control-click the virtual machine.

c Select Delete.

Removing a virtual machine from the Virtual Machine Library window is not

the same as deleting the virtual machine from your hard disk.

Create a new virtual machine, import

a virtual machine, or migrate a

physical computer

Use the File menu to create a new virtual machine, import a virtual machine,

or migrate a PC.

Using the Home Pane to Create a Virtual Machine or Obtain One

from Another Source

You can create a virtual machine, or migrate a physical PC.

Power On the Boot Camp Partition as a Virtual Machine

You can use the contents of your Boot Camp partition at the same time that you are running your

Mac operating system. To do so, you use Fusion to power on the Boot Camp partition as a virtual

machine.

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Boot Camp is Apple software that enables an Intel-based Mac to run Windows operating

systems. Boot Camp requires you to choose between Mac or Windows at boot time. Boot

Camp creates separate Mac and Windows partitions on your hard disk to create a dual-boot

environment. When you use your Windows Boot Camp partition as a Fusion virtual machine, you

can perform the following tasks:

n Use your Boot Camp virtual machine and your Mac without rebooting and switching between

them.

n Share files between your Boot Camp virtual machine and your Mac, through shared folders,

dragging files, or cutting and pasting text.

Note Windows reactivation complications can occur if you do not install VMware Tools. In such

a case, if you reactivate Windows in your Boot Camp virtual machine, and subsequently boot

your Boot Camp partition natively, you will be prompted to reactivate Windows. Reactivating

Windows in your native Boot Camp partition will result in your Boot Camp virtual machine

requiring reactivation the next time you power it on, and so forth. Installing VMware Tools solves

this problem.

Prerequisites

You must have a Boot Camp partition in place before you start this procedure.

You must have administrator privileges to use the Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select Window > Virtual Machine Library.

2 In the Virtual Machine Library window, click the Boot Camp thumbnail in the list of virtual

machines, which identifies the partition that Fusion detected.

3 (Optional) Type your Mac password to access the Boot Camp partition.

Fusion creates a virtual machine that uses your Boot Camp partition and starts Windows.

4 Follow the onscreen instructions and restart your virtual machine when prompted.

After Windows boots from your Boot Camp virtual machine, Fusion starts the installation

of VMware Tools. VMware Tools enables full virtual machine functionality and optimizes

performance for your Boot Camp partition when you use the partition as a virtual machine.

5 When the VMware Tools installation is complete, reboot your computer.

What to do next

The first time you power on your Boot Camp virtual machine after you install VMware Tools, you

must reactivate Windows.

Using the Fusion Applications Menus

The applications menus include the applications menu ( ), available for all virtual machines and

the Unity applications menu ( ), available for virtual machines with Windows guest operating

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systems that support Unity. The applications menus can provide you with quicker access to

virtual machine settings, functionality, and applications.

The following table provides detailed information about the applications menus.

Table 2-1. About the Applications Menus

Application Menu Type Icon Description

The Applications Menu n Accessible from the Mac menu bar or with a keyboard

shortcut.

n Available for all virtual machines.

n Lists all the virtual machines in the Virtual Machine

Library.

You can select a virtual machine in the list to perform

the following operations.

n Access the settings and snapshots of the virtual

machine.

n Change the view mode and power status mode of

the virtual machine.

n For a virtual machine with a Windows guest

operating system, you can also quickly access

applications listed in the applications menu.

n Configurable from the Fusion General Preferences

dialog box. You can perform the following

configurations.

n Show or hide the applications menu in the Mac

menu bar.

n Set up a keyboard shortcut for the applications

menu.

The Unity Applications Menu

n Accessible from the Mac Dock .

The Unity applications menu icon appears in the Mac

Dock when you switch the Windows virtual machine

to Unity view and disappears when you switch the

Windows virtual machine out of Unity view.

The Mac Dock contains a Unity applications menu icon

for each Windows virtual machine that is in Unity view,

allowing multiple Unity applications menus to appear in

the Mac Dock at the same time.

n Available for virtual machines with Windows guest

operating systems that support Unity.

n Lists the Unity applications menu options.

You can perform the following operations.

n Access the settings and snapshots of the virtual

machine.

n Change the view mode and power status mode of

the virtual machine.

n Access the applications installed in the Windows

guest.

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You can also configure the Applications Menu settings. The Applications Menu settings apply to

both the applications menu ( ) and the Unity applications menu ( ), specifically for supported

Windows guests. When you add a Windows application to the application list in the Applications

Menu settings dialog box, Fusion pins the application to the top of the list in the applications

menus.

To set the General Preferences for the applications menu ( ), see Set General Preferences.

To add, remove, or reorder Windows applications in the applications menus, see Set Up the

Applications Menus.

Note The Applications Menu is deprecated in VMware Fusion 13.6 and later.

What to read next

n Set Up the Applications Menus

You can configure the Fusion applications menus for quick access to settings and

applications.

n Find a Windows Guest Application by Using the Applications Menus

For supported Windows guest operating systems, you can find and open any virtual

machine application from the applications menus. The applications menus include the

applications menu ( ), accessible in the Mac menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut, and

the Unity applications menu ( ), accessible from the Mac Dock when the virtual machine is

in Unity view.

Set Up the Applications Menus

You can configure the Fusion applications menus for quick access to settings and applications.

The applications menus include the applications menu ( ), accessible in the Mac menu bar or

with a keyboard shortcut, and the Unity applications menu (

), accessible from the Mac Dock

when the virtual machine is in Unity view.

For supported Windows guest operating systems, the applications menus provide quick access

to applications you add when you configure the applications menu and to applications you

recently opened.

The applications menus also provide access to Fusion functions, such as the power commands

and the views, and certain Windows functions, such as the run command.

Procedure

1 Select Window > Virtual Machine Library.

2 Select a virtual machine in the Virtual Machine Library window and click Settings.

3 Under System Settings in the Settings window, click Applications Menu.

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4 (Optional) Add items to the applications menus.

a To see the applications and other items available in the virtual machine, click the add (+)

button.

b Click, shift-click, or -click the items to appear in the applications menu and click Add.

5 (Optional) Use the mouse to select and move items up or down to reorder them.

6 (Optional) Remove items from the applications menus.

a Select the item in the list to remove.

b Click the remove (-) button.

Find a Windows Guest Application by Using the Applications Menus

For supported Windows guest operating systems, you can find and open any virtual machine

application from the applications menus. The applications menus include the applications menu

(

), accessible in the Mac menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut, and the Unity applications menu

( ), accessible from the Mac Dock when the virtual machine is in Unity view.

For supported Windows guests, the applications menus provide quick access to applications

you add when you configure the applications menus, see Set Up the Applications Menus, and

applications you recently opened.

Prerequisites

n To access the applications menu ( ), configure the applications menu to make it accessible.

See Set General Preferences.

n To access the Unity applications menu ( ), switch the virtual machine to Unity view.

With the virtual machine open in single window or full screen view, switch to Unity view. For

example, select View > Unity.

When you switch to Unity view, the following events occur.

n The virtual machine interface disappears.

n Applications currently open in the virtual machine appear directly on the Mac desktop.

n VMware Unity ( ) appears in the Mac Dock.

Procedure

Open the applications menu ( ) or the Unity applications menu ( ).

To open the applications menu, click the application menu ( ) status item in the Mac

menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut and click the appropriate virtual machine.

To open the Unity applications menu, click VMware Unity ( ) in the Mac Dock.

2 In the list, find the application to open.

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3 (Optional) If the application name does not appear in the list, you can show more

applications.

n Click All Programs.

n Type the name of the application in the search text box.

4 To open the application, click the icon.

Using Different Views in the Fusion Interface

You can view the Fusion interface in Single Window view, Full Screen view, and Unity view. These

views enable you to work with your applications and virtual machines in different ways.

Use Single Window View to Have Your Virtual Machine Appear in a Single

Window on the Mac Desktop

In Single Window view, the virtual machine appears in a single window that you can resize and

move with the mouse.

In Single Window view, you can see and use the VMware Fusion toolbar.

n Switch to Single Window View

To see the Mac desktop and the virtual machine desktop at the same time, switch to Single

Window view.

n Return to Another View from Single Window View

To have the desktop of your virtual machine fill your display or set of displays, or to see a

guest application in a window on the Mac desktop, exit Single Window view.

Switch to Single Window View

To see the Mac desktop and the virtual machine desktop at the same time, switch to Single

Window view.

In Single Window view, the virtual machine appears in a single window that you can resize and

move with the mouse.

Procedure

u Switch to Single Window view.

n In Full Screen view with the Full Screen title bar, select View > Single Window.

n In Full Screen view without the Full Screen Minibar, use the keyboard shortcut

+Control+F to switch to Single Window view.

n In Unity view, use the keyboard shortcut +Shift+U to switch to Single Window view.

Return to Another View from Single Window View

To have the desktop of your virtual machine fill your display or set of displays, or to see a guest

application in a window on the Mac desktop, exit Single Window view.

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Procedure

u To have the desktop of your virtual machine fill your entire display or set of displays, from the

VMware Fusion menu bar, select View > Full Screen.

u To display guest application windows directly on your Mac desktop without seeing the virtual

machine's desktop, select View > Unity.

Use Unity View to Display Guest Applications Directly on a Mac Desktop

To work with your virtual machine applications from the Mac desktop without the Fusion

interface, use Unity view.

In Unity view, your virtual machine's window is hidden and VMware Unity appears in the Mac

Dock. When you open virtual machine applications, those applications also appear in the Mac

Dock. You can use the virtual machine applications just as you use your native Mac applications.

Note Unity Mode is deprecated in VMware Fusion 13.6 and later.

n About Unity View

Unity view is supported in several Windows operating systems, and enables you to use

many Mac functions with your guest applications.

n Switch to Unity View

You can switch to Unity view from an application open in another view.

n Use the Waiting for Unity Window to Interact with the Guest Operating System

Some operating system activities that require a response do not appear in Unity view.

Fusion displays the Waiting for Unity window to enable you to respond.

n View the Windows Taskbar and System Tray in Unity View

You can have the Windows taskbar or system tray visible while in Unity view.

n Connect a USB Device in Unity View

You must manually connect USB devices when your virtual machine is running in Unity view.

n Switch to Another View From Unity View

To see the desktop of the virtual machine, you can switch from Unity view to Single Window

view or Full Screen view.

About Unity View

Unity view is supported in several Windows operating systems, and enables you to use many

Mac functions with your guest applications.

Unity view is fully supported in virtual machines running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows

7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. Unity view is experimentally supported in virtual machines

running Windows Server 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit), 2008, 2012, and 2016.

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You can use the + C, + X, and + V Mac keyboard shortcuts to copy, cut, and paste text

between your Mac applications and virtual machine applications displayed in Unity view. You can

also use the Mission Control feature with virtual machine applications in Unity view, and you can

use + Tab to switch between applications.

To use a virtual machine application, click the application in the Mac Dock, which launches Fusion

and opens the application.

The following Mac features are supported with virtual machine applications.

n Keep virtual machine applications in the Mac Dock after you power off your virtual machine

and quit Fusion. See Keep a Windows Application in the Mac Dock on the Intel-based Mac.

n Set virtual machine applications to open when you start up your Mac and log in. See Set a

Virtual Machine Application to Open When You Log in to Your Mac.

Switch to Unity View

You can switch to Unity view from an application open in another view.

Prerequisites

Unity view works only if VMware Tools is installed in the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 In your Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 virtual machine,

open the applications to use in Unity view.

2 Switch to Unity View using one of the following methods:

n From the View menu, select Unity.

n Use the keyboard shortcut +Shift+U.

n Click the Switch to Unity view icon in the tool bar of the virtual machine window.

The virtual machine window is hidden. The open applications are displayed in windows on the

Mac desktop and as icon tiles in the Mac Dock.

What to do next

To exit Unity view, click the Fusion icon in the Mac Dock and select View > Single Window or

View > Full Screen.

Use the Waiting for Unity Window to Interact with the Guest Operating System

Some operating system activities that require a response do not appear in Unity view. Fusion

displays the Waiting for Unity window to enable you to respond.

Procedure

u In the Waiting for Unity window, follow prompts to respond to the dialog boxes.

When you are finished responding, the virtual machine returns to Unity view.

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u Respond to the virtual machine's operating system by exiting Unity view.

a Click Exit Unity.

b Perform any activities that the guest operating system requires.

c To return to Unity view, select View > Unity.

View the Windows Taskbar and System Tray in Unity View

You can have the Windows taskbar or system tray visible while in Unity view.

Procedure

u Show the taskbar by selecting View > Show Taskbar in Unity.

You might have to move the location of the Mac Dock to see the taskbar.

The Hide System Tray menu item is dimmed.

u Hide the taskbar by selecting View > Hide Taskbar in Unity.

u Show the system tray by selecting View > Show System Tray in Unity.

u Hide the system tray by selecting View > Hide System Tray in Unity

Results

When they are set to show, these elements also remain visible when you switch to work in

non-Windows applications.

Connect a USB Device in Unity View

You must manually connect USB devices when your virtual machine is running in Unity view.

Note Fusion does not support USB adapters for connecting displays to your virtual machines.

Procedure

1 Plug the USB device into your Mac.

The selection dialog appears.

2 Select the system to which you want to connect the device.

The action you take depends on how many virtual machines are open.

Option

Description

If you have one virtual machine

powered on

Select Connect to Mac or Connect to

OS of your open virtual machine

If you have two or more virtual

machines powered on

In the pop-up menu, select Connect to your Mac or Connect to

virtual

machine name

for the selected virtual machine. Click OK.

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Switch to Another View From Unity View

To see the desktop of the virtual machine, you can switch from Unity view to Single Window view

or Full Screen view.

Prerequisites

Fusion must be the active application, so that the Fusion menu appears at the top of the display.

Procedure

u Exit Unity view.

Option Action

Have your virtual machine appear in

a single window on the Mac desktop.

From the VMware Fusion menu bar, select View > Single Window.

Have the desktop of your virtual

machine fill your entire display or set

of displays.

From the VMware Fusion menu bar, select View > Full Screen.

Results

The open applications appear in the Fusion virtual machine window.

Use Full Screen View To Make Your Virtual Machine Desktop Fill Your Display

In Full Screen view, Fusion fills your entire display or set of displays with the desktop of your

virtual machine.

In this view you do not see the Mac Dock. You can show or hide the VMware Fusion menu bar.

This view looks as if you are using a machine dedicated to running your guest operating system.

You have access to the toolbar by moving the cursor to the top of the display to reveal the

toolbar. Optionally, a subset of Fusion functions are available via the compact Full Screen Minibar.

n Switch Fusion to Full Screen View

You can switch to Full Screen view from another view.

n Hide the VMware Fusion Menu Bar in Full Screen View

When you are in Full Screen view, the VMware Fusion menu bar hides until you hover the

cursor at the top of the Full Screen display. You can set the VMware Fusion menu bar to

hide all the time.

n Set the Full Screen Minibar

When you are in Full Screen view, you can use the Full Screen Minibar to access some virtual

machine controls such as state change and some Virtual Machine menu options.

n Return to Another View from Full Screen View

To see the Mac desktop and the virtual machine desktop at the same time, or to see a guest

application in a window on the Mac desktop, switch to Unity view or Single Window view.

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Switch Fusion to Full Screen View

You can switch to Full Screen view from another view.

Procedure

u Switch to Full Screen view.

n Click the Enter Full Screen button in the toolbar at the top of the virtual machine window.

n From the View menu, select Full Screen.

n Use the +Control+F keyboard shortcut to switch to Full Screen view.

Results

The Fusion virtual machine window expands to fill the full screen (or screens if you have multiple

displays and have Fusion configured to use them all). When possible, a new space is created for

easy navigation using Mission Control.

Hide the VMware Fusion Menu Bar in Full Screen View

When you are in Full Screen view, the VMware Fusion menu bar hides until you hover the cursor

at the top of the Full Screen display. You can set the VMware Fusion menu bar to hide all the

time.

The Full Screen menu bar behavior applies to running virtual machines.

Procedure

u Set the Hide Menu Bar in Full Screen option.

n Select View > Hide Menu Bar in Full Screen.

n Use the + Shift +M keyboard shortcut to hide or show the VMware Fusion menu bar in

Full Screen view.

Set the Full Screen Minibar

When you are in Full Screen view, you can use the Full Screen Minibar to access some virtual

machine controls such as state change and some Virtual Machine menu options.

In Full Screen view, the virtual machine window expands to fill the full screen, or screens if

you are using multiple displays. In this view you do not see the Mac Dock. However, you can

access some Virtual Machine menu options by using the Full Screen Minibar. The Full Screen

Minibar contains the Fusion suspend and run button for the virtual machine, some virtual machine

options, and the return to Single Window view button.

Procedure

1 Select View > Full Screen.

The virtual machine view changes to Full Screen view and the Full Screen Minibar appears on

the right side of the screen by default.

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2 Select the button in the Minibar with the gear icon and set the Full Screen Minibar behavior

from the Full Screen Minibar menu.

Option Description

Always Show The Full Screen Minibar is always visible.

Automatically Hide and Show For running virtual machines, the Full Screen Minibar is visible if you move

the pointer over its position at the edge of the display. For virtual machines

that are not running, the Full Screen Minibar always appears.

Always Hide The Full Screen Minibar never appears. Use the +Control+F keyboard

shortcut to exit Full Screen view.

Position on Screen Set where the Full Screen Minibar appears: Top, Left, Bottom, or Right edge.

You can also drag and drop the Full Screen Minibar to different positions in

a single display or you can drag it to another display if you have more than

one display.

Note The Full Screen Minibar can be moved to a different side of the display by dragging.

Return to Another View from Full Screen View

To see the Mac desktop and the virtual machine desktop at the same time, or to see a guest

application in a window on the Mac desktop, switch to Unity view or Single Window view.

To have your virtual machine appear in a single window on the Mac desktop, exit to Single

Window view. To display guest application windows directly on your Mac desktop without seeing

the virtual machine's desktop, exit to Unity view.

Procedure

u To exit Full Screen to Single Window view, in the Full Screen title bar, select View > Single

Window, or use the keyboard shortcut +Control+F.

u To exit Full Screen to Unity view, in the Full Screen title bar, select View > Unity, or use the

keyboard shortcut +Shift+U.

Resize the Virtual Machine Display to Fit

You can force the virtual machine display to fit the current screen or window size.

This option is not available when the virtual machine is in Unity view or when the virtual machine

display cannot be resized.

Procedure

u Select View > Resize Virtual Machine to Fit

The virtual machine display is resized to fit the current screen or window.

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Using Multiple Displays

Fusion supports multiple displays. Fusion detects up to ten displays and can automatically adjust

when displays are plugged in or unplugged, and change in resolution and orientation.

Use Multiple Displays in Unity View

Fusion detects multiple displays by default. You can drag a window in Unity view to any available

display without having to change settings.

For multiple displays and virtual machines in Unity view, do not use the display settings within the

guest operating system. Fusion does not support any changes made there.

Use All Displays in Full Screen View

You can set Fusion Full Screen view to use all of the displays attached to your Mac.

Procedure

1 Select View > Use All Displays in Full Screen if Use Single Display in Full Screen Mode is

enabled.

Use All Displays in Full Screen is not supported for Mac OS X guests.

2 Select View > Full Screen if you are in another view.

Move Full Screen View to One of Multiple Displays

When you have multiple displays, you can specify one of them to use Full Screen view for a

Fusion virtual machine.

You can have a virtual machine to run in Full Screen view on a single display out of many,

rather than use all of the displays. You can have different virtual machines in Full Screen view on

different monitors.

Procedure

1 In the menu bar, select View > Single Window if you are in another view.

2 Drag the Fusion virtual machine window to the display you want to use for Full Screen view.

3 (Optional) In the menu bar, select View > Use Single Display in Full Screen if Fusion is set to

use all displays in Full Screen view.

4 In the menu bar, select View > Full Screen.

The Fusion virtual machine window fills the specified display.

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Configuring Fusion

You can configure Fusion so that it looks and works in ways that fit your needs.

Read the following topics next:

n Setting Fusion Preferences

n Customizing the Fusion Display

n Keep a Windows Application in the Mac Dock on the Intel-based Mac

n Set a Virtual Machine Application to Open When You Log in to Your Mac

n Contents of the Virtual Machine Package

n Work with Virtual Machine Packages

Setting Fusion Preferences

You can set preferences that control the behavior of Fusion.

Set General Preferences

You can set how your mouse works, how your virtual machines behave when you quit Fusion,

and other general operations.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences.

2 Click General.

VMware by Broadcom

3 In the When closing a virtual machine section, select how Fusion behaves when you close a

virtual machine.

Option Description

Suspend the virtual machine The virtual machine is suspended when you close the virtual machine

window.

If you close a virtual machine window with this preference selected, when

you next open the virtual machine, it restarts with applications running and

files open. The behavior is similar to when you suspend and resume a laptop

computer.

Power off the virtual machine The virtual machine is powered off when you close the virtual machine

window.

Confirm before closing Fusion opens a dialog box that asks for confirmation before closing the

virtual machine window. To run virtual machines in the background, you

must select this option.

4 In the Gaming section, select a setting that fits how you expect to use your mouse.

Option Description

Auto-detect Mouse for Games Fusion detects when it needs to lock a mouse to a virtual machine window

for correct operation during gaming. If no game is detected, the mouse

works in the normal fashion. This is the default setting.

Never Optimize Mouse for Games Sometimes, the autodetect function detects nongame applications as

games. Use this option to turn autodetect off so that the mouse can work in

the normal fashion for these applications.

Always Optimize Mouse for Games Sometimes, the autodetect function fails to recognize a game. Use this

option to have correct mouse operations for gaming in this instance.

5 In the Applications Menu section, select options for accessing the applications menu.

a Select an option for when the applications menu ( ) icon appears in the Mac menu bar.

b (Optional) To configure a shortcut that displays the applications menu, select Enable

keyboard shortcut and select a keyboard shortcut from the drop-down menu.

When you perform the keyboard shortcut, the applications menu opens.

6 (Optional) In the Updates section, select the Automatically check for updates check box to

have Fusion check for software updates when it starts.

A message alerts you when a new version of Fusion is available to download and install. If

you do not select the Automatically check for updates check box, you can check for updates

manually at any time by selecting VMware Fusion > Check for Updates.

Select a Keyboard and Mouse Profile

Fusion provides standard keyboard and mouse profiles for each language it supports.

You can assign each virtual machine its own profile.

Using VMware Fusion

VMware by Broadcom 39

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 Select a profile from the Keyboard & Mouse Profile drop-down menu.

3 Select Edit Profiles.

4 (Optional) Add or remove a profile using the add (+) button and the delete (-) button.

5 Click Done.

Set Key Mappings on the Keyboard and Mouse Preferences Pane

You can map certain key combinations on your Mac keyboard to keys on your virtual machine.

The following mappings are supported:

n Key to Key

n Set of Modifiers to Modifier

n Set of Modifiers + Key to Key

You cannot stack key mappings. You cannot create one key mapping and include that key

mapping as part of another key mapping.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 Click Key Mappings to go to the Key Mappings pane.

3 Select the Enable Key Mappings check box.

4 (Optional) Select the Enable Language Specific Key Mappings check box if you want to

incorporate key mappings related to the keyboard layout for the language you selected in

the Input Menu (as shown by the flag icon in the menu bar).

When you change the Input Menu to a supported keyboard layout, additional key mappings

are appended to the key mapping list. Fusion supports U.K. English, Belgian, Danish, French,

Swiss French, and German. This feature is not available for Mac OS X Server virtual machines.

5 Change the key mapping settings.

Option

Description

Turn a key mapping on or off Click the check box to the left of the Mac Shortcut.

Edit a key mapping Double-click the Mac Shortcut or Virtual Machine Shortcut to change and

make that change in the Edit Key Mapping dialog.

Add a key mapping Click the add (+) button and define the new key mapping in the Edit Key

Mapping dialog.

Delete a key mapping Select the key mapping and click the remove (-) button.

Restore the default settings Click Restore Defaults.

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Set Mouse Shortcuts on the Keyboard and Mouse Preference Pane

In Fusion, you can use shortcuts to operate a single-button mouse as a two-button or three-

button mouse.

The defaults are Control + primary button to mimic the secondary mouse button (right-click) and

+ primary button to mimic a third button.

You can change the shortcut.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 Click Mouse Shortcuts to go to the Mouse Shortcuts pane.

3 Double-click the mouse shortcut and hold down the keys for the new shortcut.

To restore the defaults, click Restore Defaults.

Activate or Deactivate Mac Host Shortcuts on the Keyboard and

Mouse Preference Pane

By default in Fusion, global keyboard shortcuts that the Mac operating system or third-party

applications have registered are sent to the Mac operating system instead of your virtual

machine.

Examples of global Mac keyboard shortcuts include Command-Tab (switch applications) and F9,

F10, and F11 (Exposé commands). You set these shortcuts and commands in the macOS System

Preferences.

You can use the Mac Host Shortcuts pane to deactivate all these shortcuts while you use Fusion.

This action applies only to Single Window view and Full Screen view. In Unity view, all macOS

shortcuts are always enabled.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 To go to the Mac Host Shortcuts pane, click Mac Host Shortcuts .

3 To activate or deactivate all shortcuts, select or deselect the Enable Mac OS Host Keyboard

Shortcuts check box.

4 To customize how the virtual machine maps the Mac Command key ( ) to the Windows

command key, select the option from the drop-down menu.

Option

Description

Either Command Key Use either Mac Command key to map to the Windows command key.

Left Command Key Use the left Mac Command key to map to the Windows command key.

Right Command Key Use the right Mac Command key to map to the Windows command key.

Using VMware Fusion

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Results

The macOS commands are not editable here. You must change them in the macOS System

Preferences.

Activate Fusion Shortcuts on the Keyboard and Mouse Preference

Pane

Fusion has several keyboard shortcuts for Fusion commands when you are in Single Window

view or Full Screen view. You can activate or deactivate these shortcuts in Fusion Preferences.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 Click Fusion Shortcuts to go to the Fusion shortcuts pane.

3 Select or deselect an item in the list.

Set Fusion Display Resolution Preferences

You can set preferences for how Fusion virtual machines appear in both single window mode and

full screen mode.

These preferences apply by default to all of your virtual machines. You can change these settings

for specific virtual machines. For more information, see Configuring Display Resolution Settings.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences.

2 Select Display.

3 Select the Single Window resolution setting.

This setting specifies how all virtual machines appear in single window mode.

Option

Description

Stretch the virtual machine in the

window

When the virtual machine window is resized, the virtual machine display is

stretched to fill the window with the resolution unchanged.

Resize the virtual machine and the

window

The virtual machine display is resized to fit the single window.

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4 Select the Full Screen resolution setting.

This setting specifies how all virtual machines appear in full screen mode.

Option Description

Center the virtual machine in the

screen

When the virtual machine enters Full Screen view mode, the virtual machine

display is centered on the screen with the resolution unchanged.

Stretch the virtual machine in the

screen

When the virtual machine enters Full Screen view mode, the virtual machine

display is stretched to fill the screen space with the resolution unchanged.

Resize the virtual machine to fit the

screen

The virtual machine display is resized to fit the full screen.

Set Default Applications Preferences

You can set applications from the Mac or the virtual machines to be used to open different

categories of URLs.

You can open the following categories of URLs:

n RSS feeds (feed)

n File transfers (FTP, SFTP)

n Web pages (HTTP, HTTPS)

n Mail (mailto)

n VMRC (VMware Remote Console)

n Newsgroups (news)

n Remote sessions (Telnet, SSH)

If you make a Web browser the default from within a virtual machine, the default setting for how

Fusion handles URLs does not change. The next time you start or resume the virtual machine,

or change the URL preferences, the Fusion settings overwrite the changes that you make in the

guest machine.

Procedure

1 Select Window > Virtual Machine Library.

2 Select a virtual machine in the Virtual Machine Library window and click Settings.

3 Under System Settings in the Settings window, click Default Applications.

4 Click Configure.

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5 Set or change the preference.

Option Description

Add a category of URL to the Default

Applications pane

Click the add (+) button and select a URL category from the pop-up menu.

Set or change an application to use

to open a category of URL

Select an application from the pop-up menu to the right of the appropriate

Open [category] with check box. You can select from all available

applications on your Mac and in your virtual machines.

Remove a URL category Click the remove (-) button to the right of the pop-up menu for the category.

Creating Custom Networks

With Fusion Pro, you can change key networking settings, add and remove virtual custom

networks, create custom virtual networking configurations, and require the virtual machine to

prompt for confirmation before allowing the network adapter to run in promiscuous mode. The

changes that you make affect all virtual machines that connect to the custom network running on

the host system.

You can create custom networks to accomplish the following tasks:

n Add additional NAT configurations for scenarios in which a virtual machine shares the IP

address and MAC address of your Mac.

n Add additional private virtual networks to enable communication between virtual machines

and the host system.

For either type of custom network, you can specify which subnet is used by Fusion and whether

to connect a physical network on the host system to the custom network.

Note While editing a custom network, do not change the MTU, Subnet IP, Subnet Mask, Enable

IPv6 and the IPv6 prefix values in the Advanced Network settings page when the VMs are

connected to the corresponding subnets. Disconnect the VMs before changing and applying the

settings, and then reconnect the VMs.

Add a NAT Configuration

With Fusion Pro, you can add additional NAT configurations for scenarios in which a virtual

machine shares the IP address and MAC address of your Mac.

By default, Fusion provides one Share with my Mac configuration that uses NAT. You can add

additional NAT configurations to perform actions such as turning off the DHCP service or using a

non-default subnet IP or subnet mask.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you know the administrator password.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Network.

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2 Click the lock icon, enter the administrator password, and click OK.

3 Click the plus sign (+) under the list of networks.

4 (Optional) If you want to rename a virtual network, double-click the name, enter a new name,

and press the Return key.

5 Allow virtual machines on the network to use NAT to connect to external networks.

a Select Allow virtual machines on this network to connect to external networks (using

NAT).

Note On Big Sur hosts, the virtual machine gets IPv6 addresses if the host has IPv6

configured. If you use Fusion 12.1.2 or an earlier version with a Mac OS Big Sur host

configured with IPv6, skip step 5.b.

b (Optional) Select the Enable IPv6 check box.

c (Optional) Use the appropriate option to configure the IPv6 Prefix text box.

Option Description

Manual Enter the IPv6 prefix in the text box.

Automatic Leave the text box blank to allow an IPv6 prefix to generate

automatically.

d (Optional) Click the plus sign (+) under the Port Forwarding section for each port-

forwarding configuration you want to add.

e (Optional) For each port-forwarding configuration you add, provide the following

information and click OK.

Host port

A port number available on the Mac host. Verify that the port does not conflict with ports

used by existing port forwarding entries.

Type The appropriate protocol to use.

Virtual Machine IP

address

The IP address of the virtual machine to which you want to forward the incoming requests.

Virtual Machine

Port

The port number to use for requests on the specified virtual machine. The port might be

the standard port, such as 80 for HTTP, or a nonstandard port if software running in the

virtual machine is configured to accept requests on a nonstandard port.

A port-forwarding configuration appears in the list of networks.

6 (Optional) To connect the host system to this private network, select Connect the host Mac

to this network.

Note The Connect the host Mac to this network check box is not available for Fusion 12.1.2

and earlier on MacOS Big Sur hosts.

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7 (Optional) If you enabled IPv6 and want the Mac host to use IPv6 to communicate with virtual

machines, manually add an IPv6 address to the NAT virtual network interface.

Note On Mac systems, the NAT virtual network interface does not automatically accept IPv6

address assignments.

a Open a terminal window on your Mac.

b Enter a command such as the following.

sudo ifconfig VirtualNetworkInterfaceName inet6 IPv6Prefix::1 up

Where

VirtualNetworkInterfaceName

is a placeholder for the name of the virtual network

interface, such as vmnet2, and

IPv6Prefix::1

is a placeholder for the IPv6 prefix, which has

a format such as xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx::1.

8 (Optional) To use a local DHCP service to distribute IP addresses to virtual machines on the

network, select Provide addresses on this network via DHCP.

Note The DHCP check box is not available for Fusion 12.1.2 and earlier on MacOS Big Sur

hosts.

9 (Optional) To change the subnet IP address or subnet mask, modify the addresses in the

Subnet IP and Subnet Mask text boxes.

10 (Optional) To configure jumbo frame, select Custom from the MTU drop-down menu and

enter a value between 72 bytes and 9194 bytes in the text box.

Note The jumbo frame feature is not available for Fusion 12.1.2 and earlier on MacOS Big Sur

hosts.

11 Click Apply.

Results

The network that you configured is now available to the virtual network adapters associated with

virtual machines on your Mac.

Add a Private Network Configuration

With Fusion Pro, you can add additional custom host-only private virtual networks (vmnet)

configurations to only allow communication between virtual machines and the host system.

Multiple virtual machines configured with this type of host-only networking are on the same

network. The VMware DHCP server can provide addresses on the network.

You might want to set up multiple private networks on the same computer in the following

situations:

n To have two virtual machines connected to one private network, and other virtual machines

connected to another private network to isolate the network traffic on each network.

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n To test routing between two virtual networks.

n To test a virtual machine that has multiple network interface cards, without using any physical

network adapters.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you know the administrator password.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Network.

2 Click the lock icon, type the administrator password, and click OK.

3 Click the plus sign (+) under the list of networks.

4 (Optional) If you want to rename a virtual network, double-click the name, enter a new name,

and press the Return key.

5 Verify that the following check box is not selected: Allow virtual machines on this network to

connect to external networks (using NAT).

6 (Optional) To connect a physical network on the host system to this private network, select

Connect the host Mac to this network.

Note The Connect the host Mac to this network check box is not available for Fusion 12.1.2

and earlier on MacOS Big Sur hosts.

7 (Optional) To use a local DHCP service to distribute IP addresses to virtual machines on the

network, select Provide addresses on this network via DHCP.

Note The DHCP check box is not available for Fusion 12.1.2 and earlier on MacOS Big Sur

hosts.

8 (Optional) To change the subnet IP address or subnet mask, modify the addresses in the

Subnet IP and Subnet Mask text boxes.

9 (Optional) To configure jumbo frame, select Custom from the MTU drop-down menu and

enter a value between 72 bytes and 9194 bytes in the text box.

Note The jumbo frame feature is not available for Fusion 12.1.2 and earlier on MacOS Big Sur

hosts.

10 Click Apply.

Results

The network that you configured is now available to the virtual network adapters associated with

virtual machines on your Mac.

Enable Jumbo Frames

With Fusion Pro, you can enable jumbo frames for built-in networks.

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Jumbo frames let you send larger frames out onto the physical network. For built-in networks,

jumbo frames can be configured in the Share with my Mac and Private to my Mac tabs.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you know the administrator password.

n If you use Fusion 12.1.2 or earlier on MacOS Big Sur hosts, the jumbo frame feature is not

available for built-in NAT and private networks. Only bridged networking is supported when

jumbo frame is enabled on the host.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Network.

2 Click the lock icon, enter the administrator password, and click OK.

3 Select Share with my Mac.

4 Select Custom from the MTU drop-down menu and enter a value between 72 and 9194 bytes

in the text box and Click Apply.

5 Select Private to my Mac.

6 Select Custom from the MTU drop-down menu and enter a value between 72 bytes and 9194

bytes in the text box and Click Apply.

Results

Jumbo frame is enabled for built-in networks.

What to do next

Note To enable jumbo frames on Mac OS Big Sur host, the network adapter must support jumbo

frames. To enable this feature perform the following steps:

1 Navigate to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Hardware.

2 Change Configure to Manually and choose Jumbo (9000) in the MTU drop-down.

Enable Dictation

Dictation allows you to use your voice instead of typing. You must enable Dictation in Fusion to

use it with guest operating systems.

Procedure

1 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences and click Keyboard & Mouse.

2 Select a profile to use from the Keyboard & Mouse Profile drop-down menu.

3 Click Mac Host Shortcuts to go to the Mac Host Shortcuts pane.

4 Make note of how your virtual machine maps the Command key to the Windows key.

5 Assign a hot key to start dictation in the virtual machine.

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Join or Leave the Customer Experience Improvement Program

The VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) provides information to

VMware. VMware uses the information to improve its products and services, to fix problems,

and to advise you on how best to deploy and use VMware products.

VMware Fusion participates in the VMware CEIP. Information about the data collected through

CEIP and how VMware uses it are in the Trust & Assurance Center at http://www.vmware.com/

trustvmware/ceip.html.

The CEIP appears the first time you launch Fusion after you install the product. You must then

make a selection. You can change your selection any time afterwards.

Procedure

1 Launch Fusion.

2 Select VMware Fusion > Preferences.

3 Click Feedback.

4 Join or leave the CEIP depending on the participation preference currently selected.

Option Description

Join Select Join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program.

Leave Deselect Join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program.

Customizing the Fusion Display

You can customize the Fusion display to fit the way you work with virtual machines.

n Show or Hide the Fusion Toolbar

If you prefer working on your Mac without toolbars hidden when you aren't using them, you

can hide the Fusion toolbar in the virtual machine window.

n Customize the Fusion Toolbar

You can add or remove icons from the toolbar.

n Resize the Fusion Display and Resolution

You can use the mouse to resize the virtual machine window.

Show or Hide the Fusion Toolbar

If you prefer working on your Mac without toolbars hidden when you aren't using them, you can

hide the Fusion toolbar in the virtual machine window.

Procedure

u Click View > Show/Hide Toolbar.

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Customize the Fusion Toolbar

You can add or remove icons from the toolbar.

Prerequisites

You must use Single Window view to customize the toolbar.

Procedure

1 Select Customize Toolbar using one of the following methods.

Option Description

Fusion Menu With the virtual machine selected in the Virtual Machine Library, select View

> Customize Toolbar.

Virtual Machine With the virtual machine open, control-click the title bar of the virtual

machine and select Customize Toolbar.

The list of all the tools available for the toolbar appears.

2 Click Done.

Resize the Fusion Display and Resolution

You can use the mouse to resize the virtual machine window.

Prerequisites

Changing the display resolution by resizing the window works only if VMware Tools is installed

and is up to date in the virtual machine.

Procedure

u With the pointer over the resize control at the lower-right corner of the virtual machine

window, hold down the primary mouse button and drag the handle to resize the window.

Results

The display resolution adjusts to the new window size.

Keep a Windows Application in the Mac Dock on the Intel-

based Mac

You can place an icon tile for a Windows application in your Mac Dock. You can open the

application in the same way that you open your Mac applications. You can access your

virtual machine's applications without having to use the VMware Fusion menu bar or the guest

operating system interface.

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Procedure

1 With the application open, switch to Unity view by selecting View > Unity.

The application appears in the Mac Dock.

2 Control-click or right-click the application in the Mac Dock and select Options > Keep in Dock.

Set a Virtual Machine Application to Open When You Log in

to Your Mac

For convenience, you might want to have an application on your virtual machine open whenever

you start your Mac.

Procedure

1 With the application open, switch to Unity view by selecting View > Unity.

The application appears in the Mac Dock.

2 Control-click or right-click the application in the Mac Dock and select Options > Open at

Contents of the Virtual Machine Package

The files that describe a virtual machine are bundled in a package in macOS.

Virtual machine files have different functions, as shown in Table 3-1. Files in the Virtual Machine

Package. Some of these files, like the lock files, are created when the virtual machine runs.

Table 3-1. Files in the Virtual Machine Package

File Description

Virtual disk file(s) *.vmdk This can be a single large file or many 2GB portions,

depending on how you set up your disk and if you have

snapshots.

Configuration file *.vmx A plain text file describing the virtual machine, such as

which files it uses, how much RAM it gets, and a variety of

other settings.

BIOS file *.nvram This contains information such as the virtual machine's

boot order.

Log file vmware.log This is a plain text file that contains information on the

most recent run of the virtual machine. The next-most-

recent is called vmware-0.log, then vmware-1.log, and

finally vmware-2.log. If you ever have a problem with

Fusion, you might be asked to provide this file.

Lock files *.lck These files are created for the configuration and disk files

when the virtual machine is running.

Memory files *.vmem Snapshot files are an example of memory files.

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Work with Virtual Machine Packages

When you create a virtual machine, Fusion stores the virtual machine files as a single package.

This feature lets you move an entire virtual machine as a single entity.

A package (sometimes called a bundle) has the extension .vmwarevm. When you move the

package, all virtual machine files are included.

You might need to access the virtual machine package files during troubleshooting.

Note Editing the configuration file can cause problems. Make a backup copy of the file before

you make any changes.

Prerequisites

Fusion must not be running during virtual machine file editing.

Procedure

1 In the Finder, select the virtual machine package.

a In Fusion, select Window > Virtual Machine Library.

b Control-click the virtual machine.

c Release the control button.

d Select Show in Finder.

2 Control-click the package in the Finder window and select Show Package Contents.

3 Perform one of the following tasks.

n Copy the log file (vmware.log) to provide for troubleshooting analysis.

n Open the configuration file (*.vmx) in a text editor to modify it. You can find instructions

for how to modify the file in the Fusion release notes or from appropriate support

personnel.

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Creating Virtual Machines

You can create virtual machines, import virtual machines created elsewhere, and migrate virtual

machines converted from physical PCs. If you have Fusion Pro, you can also clone existing virtual

machines.

Read the following topics next:

n Create a Virtual Machine

n Upload a Virtual Machine to a Remote Server

n Download a Virtual Machine from a Remote Server

n Importing Windows Virtual Machines

n Export a Virtual Machine to OVF Format on Intel-based Mac

n Export a Virtual Machine with vTPM to OVF Format on Intel-based Mac

n Installing and Using VMware Tools

n Cloning Virtual Machines with Fusion Pro

Create a Virtual Machine

How you create a virtual machine depends on its guest operating system. Virtual machines

created using Fusion 6 and later are created with SATA virtual disks or CD drives.

n Creating a Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine

You can create a virtual machine that uses a Microsoft Windows operating system as its

guest operating system.

n Download and Install Windows 11 as Guest Operating System on Apple Silicon Mac

You can now download and install Windows 11 on your Apple Silicon Mac from the Fusion

user interface.

n Download and Generate Windows 11 ISO Using the Command-line Interface

You can now download the Windows 11 ESD file and generate a Windows 11 ISO file via the

command-line user interface using the vmw_esd2iso tool bundled with Fusion.

n Creating a Linux Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can create a virtual machine that uses a Linux distribution as its guest operating system.

VMware by Broadcom

n Creating a macOS Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can install Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS in a virtual machine. Fusion creates the virtual

machine, opens the operating system installation assistant, and installs VMware Tools.

VMware Tools loads the drivers required to optimize a virtual machine's performance.

n Creating a Shared Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can create a shared virtual machine in Fusion that can be accessed by all users on the

local Mac host.

n Create a Virtual Machine from a Mac Recovery Partition

You can use the recovery partition on your Mac to create virtual machines running macOS.

n Create a Virtual Machine on a Remote Server

You can create a virtual machine on a remote server, but certain requirements must be met

for the server.

n Create a Virtual Machine for Any Supported Operating System

You can create a virtual machine with a guest operating system that does not have an Easy

Install option if the guest operating system is supported by

Fusion.

n Power On the Boot Camp Partition as a Virtual Machine

You can use the contents of your Boot Camp partition at the same time that you are running

your Mac operating system. To do so, you use Fusion to power on the Boot Camp partition

as a virtual machine.

n Activate Windows in a Virtual Machine

In some cases you must activate Windows when you create, import, or migrate a virtual

machine.

Creating a Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine

You can create a virtual machine that uses a Microsoft Windows operating system as its guest

operating system.

Fusion creates your virtual machine, selects the default Windows installation options, and installs

VMware Tools, which loads the drivers required to optimize your virtual machine's performance.

You can also allow Windows Easy Install to make your home folder available to Windows as a

shared folder. This feature provides you with options, such as sharing files between the virtual

machine and your Mac.

Windows Easy Install is available for the following Windows operating systems:

n Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP

n Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003,

and Windows 2000 Server

Note You must provide the operating system software and its product key. Fusion does not

include any operating system or license.

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If you are not using one of these Windows operating systems in your virtual machine, or if you

are using Windows but want to install the operating system manually, you can use the procedure

for creating a virtual machine for any supported operating system.

Create a Virtual Machine by Using Windows Easy Install

When you create a Microsoft Windows virtual machine, you can use the Fusion Windows Easy

Install feature to install the Windows operating system you supply and to install VMware Tools in

your virtual machine.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Prerequisites

n If you are installing the guest operating system from an image file, verify that the ISO image

file is in a directory that is accessible to the host system.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from a physical disc, insert the operating

system installation disc into your Mac.

Important Fusion does not include any operating systems to install in virtual machines that you

create. You must obtain the operating system and any necessary product keys.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Click Continue.

3 Select the disc or ISO image.

Option

Description

ISO image file a Click Use another disc or disc image, browse to the .iso file for the

operating system, and click

Open to identify the file.

b Select the file from the list in the Create a New Virtual Machine window,

and click Continue.

Physical disc Select the disc you inserted into the Mac from the list and click Continue.

If the disc does not appear in the list, click Use another disc or disc image

and browse to the location of the disc.

4 In the Microsoft Windows Easy Install panel, select the Use Easy Install option, provide the

appropriate information, and click Continue.

n Display Name or Account Name

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For Windows XP and earlier, the entry in the Display Name text box appears in Info

windows as the name your Windows software is registered to. It is not the Windows user

name.

n Password (optional)

The entry in the Password text box is the password for the Windows administrator

account only.

n Windows Product key

Fusion does not provide the product key. The product key is included in the materials

from the Windows operating system vendor.

5 In the Integration panel, indicate how basic file sharing is handled in the new virtual machine.

Option Description

More Seamless Fusion shares the documents and applications on your Mac with Windows.

Files on your Mac that Windows supports open in Windows. Windows can

modify your Mac’s documents, so install and regularly update Windows

antivirus software.

More Isolated Fusion does not share the documents and applications on your Mac with

Windows. To copy files between your Mac and Windows, use drag and

drop.

You can change these settings after the virtual machine is created by selecting Virtual

Machine > Settings and using the Sharing panel.

6 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option

Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

a Click Finish.

b Indicate the location to save the virtual machine to or accept the default,

such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

c (Optional) To share the virtual machine with other users on the Mac host,

save the virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this

virtual machine with other users on this Mac check box. Deselect the

check box to save to the Shared folder but not share the virtual machine

with other users on the Mac host. See

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine

in Fusion .

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Save the new virtual machine.

c Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine, installs the operating system, and installs VMware Tools.

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Create a Virtual Machine by Using Windows Easy Install and a Disc Image File

When you create a Microsoft Windows virtual machine, you can use the Fusion Windows Easy

Install feature to install the Windows operating system you supply and to install VMware Tools in

your virtual machine.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Prerequisites

Important Fusion does not include any operating systems to install in virtual machines that you

create. You must obtain the operating system and any necessary product keys.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Click Continue.

3 Click Use another disc or disc image, browse for the .iso file for the operating system, and

click Open to identify the file.

4 Select the file from the list in the Create a New Virtual Machine window, and click Continue.

5 In the Microsoft Windows Easy Install dialog box, select the Use Easy Install option, provide

the appropriate information, and click Continue.

n Display Name or Account Name

For Windows XP and earlier, the entry in the Display Name field appears in Info windows

as the name your Windows software is registered to. It is not the Windows user name.

n Password (optional)

The entry in the Password field is the password for the Windows administrator account

only.

n Windows Product key

Fusion does not provide the product key. The product key is included in the materials

from the Windows operating system vendor.

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6 In the Integration panel, indicate how basic file sharing is handled in the new virtual machine.

Option Description

More Seamless Fusion shares the documents and applications on your Mac with Windows.

Files on your Mac that Windows supports open in Windows. Windows can

modify your Mac’s documents, so install and regularly update Windows

antivirus software.

More Isolated Fusion does not share the documents and applications on your Mac with

Windows. To copy files between your Mac and Windows, use drag and

drop.

You can change these settings after the virtual machine is created by selecting Virtual

Machine > Settings > Sharing.

7 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

a Click Finish.

b Indicate the location to save the virtual machine to or accept the default,

such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

c (Optional) To share the virtual machine with other users on the Mac host,

save the virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this

virtual machine with other users on this Mac check box. Deselect the

check box to save to the Shared folder but not share the virtual machine

with other users on the Mac host. See

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine

in Fusion .

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Save the new virtual machine.

c Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine, installs the operating system, and installs VMware Tools.

Install Windows 11 as the Guest Operating System

Installing Windows 11 on a virtual machine is similar to installing Windows 11 on a physical

computer. When you create a virtual machine with Windows 11 as the guest operating system,

Fusion adds vTPM (virtual Trusted Platform Module) to the virtual machine.

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To install Windows 11, a physical machine must have a TPM chip version 2.0. The vTPM is a

representation of the physical TPM 2.0 on virtual machines. While creating a virtual machine

with Windows 11 as the guest operating system, you must choose the full encryption or fast

encryption of the virtual machine. Fusion adds vTPM to an encrypted virtual machine.

Note After you complete the installation of the Windows 11 operating system, we recommend

that you do not remove the encryption or the vTPM device from the virtual machine for a

seamless experience of using Windows 11.

Note Fusion does not support creating a Windows 11 guest operating system on a remote virtual

machine.

You can install a guest operating system from an installer disc or ISO image file. If the host

configuration does not permit the virtual machine to boot from an installer disc, you can create

an ISO image file from the installer disc.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the operating system is supported. See the online VMware Compatibility Guide on

the VMware Web site.

n See the

VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide

for information on the guest

operating system that you are installing.

n If you want to install the operating system using an installer CD, ensure that you have

configured the virtual machine to use a physical CD-ROM or DVD drive. Also, ensure that

you have configured the drive to connect at power on.

n If you want to install the guest operating system from an ISO image file, configure the

CD/DVD drive in the virtual machine to point to the ISO image file, and configure the drive to

connect at power on.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

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A dialog box named Select the Installation Method appears.

2 Select the installation method, and then click Continue.

3 From Choose the Operating System dialog box, select Windows 11 x64 for Intel-based Mac

or Windows 11 64-bit Arm for Apple Silicon Mac.

4 Click Continue.

5 From the Choose Firmware Type dialog box, select a boot firmware and click Continue.

6 From the Choose Encryption dialog box, select an encryption type, enter a password for the

encryption, and then click Continue.

You can choose to encrypt all the files, or only the minimum needed files to support the vTPM

device.

Note You can specify a password of your choice or select the Auto Generate Password

option to automatically generate a password. You can also select the option to remember the

encryption password.

Mac's Keychain stores the password.

7 Create a new virtual disk or use an existing virtual disk, and then click Continue.

8 To change disk size, CPU, memory, or other standard settings of the virtual machine, click

Customize Settings, and make the required changes.

9 Enter the name and location of the virtual machine, and then click Save.

10 Click Finish.

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Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine and user can install the operating system by following the

installation instructions.

What to do next

Install VMware Tools. You should install VMware Tools before you activate the license for the

operating system.

Download and Install Windows 11 as Guest Operating System on

Apple Silicon Mac

You can now download and install Windows 11 on your Apple Silicon Mac from the Fusion user

interface.

Windows 11 introduces new system requirements for physical and virtual machines.

VMware Fusion 13 provides the necessary hardware and security requirements to satisfy these

requirements, and gives options for the user to customize if necessary.

The following is the list of Windows 11 requirements:

n TPM 2.0 device (or vTPM equivalent)

n UEFI Firmware

Note The best Windows 11 experience requires Virtual Hardware version 21. Virtual Hardware

version 21 is default in Fusion 13.5 and later.

When you install Windows 11 on a physical machine, the PC must have a TPM chip of at least

version 2.0. The vTPM in VMware virtual machines is a representation of a physical TPM 2.0,

and requires a measure of encryption. While creating a Windows virtual machine, you may

choose between a full encryption or a fast encryption of the virtual machine to satisfy the

requirements for the vTPM. After the VM is encrypted, Fusion automatically adds the vTPM

during the installation walkthrough.

These requirements are for both the traditional x86-based Windows as well as Windows for Arm

devices, which is required when you use Fusion on Macs with Apple silicon such as the M1 and M2

chips.

Note If you have previously created an ISO using this method, you can cancel this method

and use another method to install Windows 11 with the already existing ISO file located in the

following directory: ~/Virtual Machines.localized/VMWIsoImages/

Note Fusion does not support creating a Windows 11 guest operating system on a remote virtual

machine.

The following steps provide a walkthrough of a fresh Windows 11 guest installation on an Apple

Silicon Mac host using the new built-in ISO download utility.

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Prerequisites

To use this feature, you must have an Apple Silicon Mac using Fusion Pro or Player version 13.5

and onward.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box named

Select the Installation Method appears.

2 Select Get Windows from Microsoft, and click Continue.

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The Download and Install Windows 11 window appears.

3 Click Continue.

4 In the Windows Edition field, select your preferred edition for Windows 11.

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5 In the Language field, select your preferred language for Windows 11.

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6 Click Download Windows.

Fusion downloads and creates the Windows 11 ISO file for installation. After the ISO file is

created, you can see the path to the ISO in the dialog. You may use this ISO file to install

Windows 11 any number of times in any number of virtual machines.

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7 Click Continue.

8 From the Choose Firmware Type dialog box, select a boot firmware and click Continue.

9 From the Choose Encryption dialog box, select an encryption type, enter a password for the

encryption, and then click Continue.

You can choose to encrypt all the files, or only the minimum needed files to support the vTPM

device.

Note You can specify a password of your choice or select the Auto Generate Password

option to automatically generate a password. You can also select the option to remember the

encryption password. Mac's Keychain stores the password.

10 Create a new virtual disk or use an existing virtual disk, and then click Continue.

11 To change disk size, CPU, memory, or other standard settings of the virtual machine, click

Customize Settings, and make the required changes.

12 Enter the name and location of the virtual machine, and then click Save.

13 Click Finish.

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Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine and begins installing Windows 11, taking you through the

out-of-the-box experience.

What to do next

After Windows 11 is successfully installed, you need to install VMware Tools. It is recommended

that you install VMware Tools before you attempt to activate/license the operating system.

For more information on installing VMware Tools on an Apple Silicon Mac, see Manually Install

VMware Tools on Windows

Download and Generate Windows 11 ISO Using the Command-line

Interface

You can now download the Windows 11 ESD file and generate a Windows 11 ISO file via the

command-line user interface using the vmw_esd2iso tool bundled with Fusion.

You can use this feature for both x86-based Mac and Apple Silicon Mac. You can use the

command with the following syntax to get a desired output:

<File name with path for the vmw_esd2iso file> [command] [options]

For example, if you have the vmw_esd2iso file located at /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/

Contents/Library/, use the following command to get the URL for downloading the ESD file:

[~/Documents]$ /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Library/vmw_esd2iso getesdurl

The following table lists the commands you can use with vmw_esd2iso tool:

Table 4-1. vmw_esd2iso Commands

Command Description

getesd Download the Windows 11 ESD file from the Microsoft

website

getesdurl Get the url to download the Windows 11 ESD file from the

Microsoft website

generateiso Generate the Windows 11 ISO file from a Windows 11 ESD

file

Note Fusion does not support creating a Windows 11 guest operating system on a remote virtual

machine.

Prerequisites

To use this feature, you must have Fusion Pro or Player version 13.5 and onward.

Procedure

1 On your Mac, open a terminal window.

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2 To download the Windows 11 ESD file, run the ./vmw_esd2iso getesd command in the

following format:

vmw_esd2iso getesd --edition <Microsoft Windows 11 Edition> --lang <language code>

The following example illustrates the command:

[~/Documents]$ /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Library/vmw_esd2iso getesd --

edition "Professional" --lang "en-us"

The vmw_esd2iso tool downloads the Windows 11 ESD file in your current working directory.

Note Ensure that you have sufficient privileges to write on the current folder to avoid any

error while downloading the file.

3 To generate the Windows 11 ISO file from the ESD file you downloaded, run the ./

vmw_esd2iso generateiso command in the following format:

vmw_esd2iso generateiso --esd <path to the downloaded ESD file> --drivers "<absolute path

of the driver 1>,<absolute path of the driver 2>"

After you run the command, vmw_esd2iso tool generates the Windows 11 ESD file into an ISO

file and saves it in your current working directory.

Note Ensure that you have sufficient privileges to write on the current folder to avoid any

error while generating and saving the ISO file.

Creating a Linux Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can create a virtual machine that uses a Linux distribution as its guest operating system.

Fusion creates your virtual machine, selects the default Linux installation options, and installs

VMware Tools, which loads the drivers required to optimize your virtual machine's performance.

You can also have Linux Easy Install make your home folder available to Linux as a shared folder,

so that you can share files between the virtual machine and your Mac.

Linux Easy Install is available for the following operating systems:

n Ubuntu 7.10 and later

n Ubuntu Server Edition 8.10 and later

n Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and later

n SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop/Server 10 and later

n Open SUSE 11.3 and later

If you are not using one of these Linux operating systems in your virtual machine, or if you are

using Linux but want to install the operating system manually, you can use the procedure for

creating a virtual machine for any supported operating system.

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Create a Virtual Machine by Using Linux Easy Install and an Installation CD

When you create a Linux virtual machine, you can use the Fusion Linux Easy Install feature

to install the Linux operating system you provide and to install VMware Tools in your virtual

machine.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Prerequisites

You must obtain the operating system installation image. Fusion does not include any operating

systems to install in virtual machines that you create.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Insert the operating system installation CD into your Mac.

Fusion detects it and asks for confirmation that it is the operating system to install.

3 If it is the correct operating system, ensure that Install this operating system is selected and

click Continue to go to the Linux Easy Install panel.

4 In the Linux Easy Install dialog box, select the Use Easy Install option, provide the

appropriate information, and click Continue.

a Enter your Display Name, Account Name, and Password.

b Select Make your home folder accessible to the virtual machine to have Linux Easy Install

configure your home folder as a shared folder, so you can share files between the virtual

machine and your Mac.

5 (Optional) If you selected to make your home folder accessible, select either Read only or

Read & Write for your virtual machine.

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6 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

a Click Finish.

b Indicate the location to save the virtual machine to or accept the default,

such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

c (Optional) To share the virtual machine with other users on the Mac host,

save the virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this

virtual machine with other users on this Mac check box. Deselect the

check box to save to the Shared folder but not share the virtual machine

with other users on the Mac host. See

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine

in Fusion .

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Save the new virtual machine.

c Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine, installs the operating system, and installs VMware Tools.

Create a Virtual Machine by Using Linux Easy Install and an Image File

When you create a Linux virtual machine, you can use the Fusion Linux Easy Install feature

to install the Linux operating system you provide and to install VMware Tools in your virtual

machine.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Prerequisites

You must obtain the operating system installation image. Fusion does not include any operating

systems to install in virtual machines that you create.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Click Continue.

3 Click Use another disc or disc image, browse for the .iso file for the operating system, and

click Open to identify the file.

4 Select the image in the Create a New Virtual Machine panel and click Continue.

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5 In the Linux Easy Install dialog box, select the Use Easy Install option, provide the

appropriate information, and click Continue.

a Enter your Display Name, Account Name, and Password.

b Select Make your home folder accessible to the virtual machine to have Linux Easy Install

configure your home folder as a shared folder, so you can share files between the virtual

machine and your Mac.

6 If you selected to make your home folder accessible, select either Read only or Read & Write

for your virtual machine.

7 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

a Click Finish.

b Indicate the location to save the virtual machine to or accept the default,

such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

c (Optional) To share the virtual machine with other users on the Mac host,

save the virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this

virtual machine with other users on this Mac check box. Deselect the

check box to save to the Shared folder but not share the virtual machine

with other users on the Mac host. See

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine

in Fusion .

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Save the new virtual machine.

c Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

Results

Fusion starts the new virtual machine, installs the operating system, and installs VMware Tools.

Creating a macOS Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can install Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS in a virtual machine. Fusion creates the virtual machine,

opens the operating system installation assistant, and installs VMware Tools. VMware Tools loads

the drivers required to optimize a virtual machine's performance.

Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS virtual machines that you create in Fusion can run on any

Apple-branded hardware that uses Intel processors. The Apple licensing agreement defines the

situations when it is permissible to virtualize Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS. Fusion does not change

these terms or enable macOS on non-Apple hardware. You cannot use a Mac OS X, OS X, or

macOS virtual machine in another VMware product, such as Workstation Pro.

Fusion supports the following Mac server and client versions for the guest operating system:

n Mac OS X Server 10.5, 10.6

n Mac OS X 10.7

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n OS X 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11

n macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15

n macOS 11.x

n macOS 12.x

n macOS 13.0

Fusion does not support the following features for Mac virtual machines:

n Multiple displays

n 3D Accelerated graphics

n Unity view

To install the operating system, use the procedure for creating a virtual machine for any

supported operating system. See Create a Virtual Machine for Any Supported Operating System.

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine in Fusion

You can create a shared virtual machine in Fusion that can be accessed by all users on the local

Mac host.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines

folder. See Default File Location of a Virtual Machine.

This folder has limited permissions that allow only the creator of the virtual machine to use it. To

allow other users on the Mac host to access the virtual machine, save it to the /Users/Shared

folder on the Mac.

With a shared virtual machine, the user can log out of the current account on the Mac host, and

another user on the Mac host can log in to access the virtual machine.

The Run Windows applications from your Mac's Applications folder option is not available on

shared virtual machines.

Important Shared virtual machines in Fusion work differently than shared virtual machines in

Workstation Pro. In Workstation Pro, a shared virtual machine is a virtual machine on the host

system that remote Workstation Pro users can access as a remote virtual machine. In Fusion,

shared virtual machines can be accessed only on the local Mac host.

Create a Virtual Machine from a Mac Recovery Partition

You can use the recovery partition on your Mac to create virtual machines running macOS.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

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Prerequisites

n You must have a recovery partition on your Mac to create this kind of virtual machine.

n You must have Mac OS X 10.11 or later.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Click Install macOS from the recovery partition.

3 Select a recovery partition and click Continue.

If you have more than one recovery partition, a list of partitions is presented from which to

choose.

4 Provide information about the virtual machine.

a In the Where text box, indicate the folder to save the virtual machine to or accept the

default, such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

b To enable the virtual machine to be shared with other users on the Mac host, save the

virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this virtual machine with other

users on this Mac check box.

c Click Save.

5 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option

Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

n Click Finish.

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

Create a Virtual Machine on a Remote Server

You can create a virtual machine on a remote server, but certain requirements must be met for

the server.

Prerequisites

n You have login credentials for the server where you want to create the virtual machine.

n The server is defined in the Virtual Machine Library.

n Sufficient space exists on the server to accommodate the virtual machine.

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n The remote server is running VMware Workstation Pro, VMware ESXi or VMware vCenter

Server.

n Confirm that the firmware type with which you plan to configure the virtual machine is

supported by the guest operating system. See Configure a Firmware Type.

Important Fusion does not include operating systems to install in virtual machines that you

create. You must obtain the operating system and any necessary product keys.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Click Create a virtual machine on a remote server.

3 Click Continue.

4 Select the server from the list in the Choose a Server window, and click Continue.

5 (Optional) If the server supports folders, select a folder location for the virtual machine and

click Continue.

6 Select the host and datastore from the Choose a Host and Datastore window, and click

Continue.

7 Select a hardware version from the Choose a Hardware Version drop-down menu, and click

Continue.

8 Select a network option for the virtual machine.

Option

Description

Custom To configure a network connection for the virtual machine, use the Custom

drop-down menu to select a network option.

Do not use a network connection To create the virtual machine without a network connection, select the Do

not use a network connection option.

9 Select the guest operating system for the virtual machine and click Continue.

10 Select the firmware type and click Continue.

11 Configure the virtual disk by creating a virtual disk or use an existing virtual disk. If you create

a virtual disk, use the disk size slider to specify the size of the virtual disk and specify the bus

type. Click Continue.

The Finish window appears.

12 (Optional) Change the name of the new remote virtual machine.

13 Click Finish.

The new remote virtual machine appears in Virtual Machine Library under the remote server.

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Create a Virtual Machine for Any Supported Operating System

You can create a virtual machine with a guest operating system that does not have an Easy

Install option if the guest operating system is supported by Fusion.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual

machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual

Machine.

Prerequisites

n If you are installing the guest operating system from an image file, verify that the image file is

in a directory that is accessible to the host system.

The image file is an ISO file or, for a macOS 10 virtual machine, a .app file. A .app file for a

macOS 10 operating system is available at the App Store.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from a physical disc, insert the operating

system installation disc into your Mac.

Important Fusion does not include any operating systems to install in virtual machines that you

create. You must obtain the operating system and any necessary product keys.

Procedure

1 Select File > New.

A dialog box appears with the Select the Installation Method panel showing.

2 Locate an operating system installation disc image file and drag and drop it to Install from

disc or image.

The Create a New Virtual Machine assistant starts.

3 Click Continue.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from an image file, verify that the image

file is in a directory that is accessible to the host system.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from a physical disc, insert the operating

system installation disc into your Mac.

Important Fusion does not include any operating systems to install in virtual machines that

you create. You must obtain the operating system and any necessary product keys.

If you are installing a Windows or Linux operating system, the Easy Install panel appears.

4 (Optional) Deselect Use Easy Install and click Continue to skip this panel of the assistant.

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5 In the Finish panel, you can use default settings or customize the settings before powering

on the virtual machine to start the operating system installation.

Option Action

To create the virtual machine

according to the specifications listed

in the Finish panel

a Click Finish.

b Indicate the location to save the virtual machine to or accept the default,

such as the your home directory/Virtual Machines folder.

c (Optional) To share the virtual machine with other users on the Mac host,

save the virtual machine to the Shared folder and select the Share this

virtual machine with other users on this Mac check box. Deselect the

check box to save to the Shared folder but not share the virtual machine

with other users on the Mac host. See

Creating a Shared Virtual Machine

in Fusion .

To change disk size or other

standard settings of the virtual

machine

a Click Customize Settings.

b Save the new virtual machine.

c Make changes to the virtual machine’s disk size, processor usage,

removable devices, and other configurations on the Settings window.

What to do next

After you install the operating system in the virtual machine, install VMware Tools.

Power On the Boot Camp Partition as a Virtual Machine

You can use the contents of your Boot Camp partition at the same time that you are running your

Mac operating system. To do so, you use Fusion to power on the Boot Camp partition as a virtual

machine.

Boot Camp is Apple software that enables an Intel-based Mac to run Windows operating

systems. Boot Camp requires you to choose between Mac or Windows at boot time. Boot

Camp creates separate Mac and Windows partitions on your hard disk to create a dual-boot

environment. When you use your Windows Boot Camp partition as a Fusion virtual machine, you

can perform the following tasks:

n Use your Boot Camp virtual machine and your Mac without rebooting and switching between

them.

n Share files between your Boot Camp virtual machine and your Mac, through shared folders,

dragging files, or cutting and pasting text.

Note Windows reactivation complications can occur if you do not install VMware Tools. In such

a case, if you reactivate Windows in your Boot Camp virtual machine, and subsequently boot

your Boot Camp partition natively, you will be prompted to reactivate Windows. Reactivating

Windows in your native Boot Camp partition will result in your Boot Camp virtual machine

requiring reactivation the next time you power it on, and so forth. Installing VMware Tools solves

this problem.

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