VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

How to Add a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine in VMware Player

Learn how to add up to two virtual floppy drives in VMware Player using physical floppy hardware, an existing .flp image, or a new blank floppy image.

A virtual floppy drive is a piece of virtual hardware assigned to a virtual machine (VM). VMware Player can connect that device to a physical floppy drive on the host computer, mount a floppy image file, or create a blank floppy image for the guest operating system.

This is mainly useful with legacy guests that need to boot from floppy media, install older software, or exchange small files through a floppy disk. A VM can have a maximum of two floppy drives.

Choose the floppy media method

Option	Source of media	When to use it	Key configuration step	Important limitation or consideration
Use a physical floppy drive	A floppy device connected to the host	When the host has a working, recognized floppy drive and physical disk	Choose the host device or Auto detect	Availability depends on host hardware, operating-system detection, and VMware access
Use a floppy image	An existing `.flp` file on the host	When you already have boot media, an installer disk, or preserved legacy data	Browse to and select the existing image	Protect important images and avoid simultaneous writes from multiple applications
Create a blank floppy image	A new host-side `.flp` file	When the guest needs writable virtual media for file transfer or formatting	Choose a writable folder and provide a file name	The guest may need to format the image before using it

Prepare before changing VM hardware

Power off the VM before adding or materially changing virtual hardware. A guest that is merely paused or suspended may still not be in the correct state for hardware changes.

Requirement	Why it matters	How to verify
Virtual machine is powered off	VMware Player can safely save the hardware change	Shut down the guest or use the VM's power-off action, then confirm it is not running
Correct virtual machine is selected	Hardware changes apply to the selected VM	Select the intended VM in the VMware Player Library
Host physical drive is available when applicable	A physical mapping requires a usable host device	Confirm that the host operating system detects the drive and that media can be inserted
Existing `.flp` file is accessible when applicable	VMware Player must be able to read the image	Check the path, file name, and read permissions
Destination folder is writable when creating a blank image	VMware Player must be able to create and save the file	Choose a folder where your account can create files

Open Virtual Machine Settings

Select the target VM in the VMware Player Library.
Open Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.
In the hardware configuration window, select Add to launch the Add Hardware wizard.

Select VM in Library → Player → Manage → Virtual Machine Settings → Add

Add Floppy Drive hardware

In the Add Hardware wizard, choose Floppy Drive.
Continue to the media-configuration choices.
Choose whether the drive will use a physical device, an existing image, or a new blank image.
Complete the wizard.
Return to the virtual machine hardware list and confirm that the Floppy Drive is listed.

If the VM already has one floppy drive, repeat this process to add a second. Do not exceed the supported maximum of two floppy drives. When using two image-backed drives, assign a different .flp file to each one. When using physical devices, use distinct available devices.

Configure a physical floppy drive

In the media choices, select Use a physical floppy drive.
If VMware Player lists more than one host device, select the specific floppy device to map into the VM.
Select Auto detect when you want VMware Player to choose an available supported host floppy device automatically. This is useful when there is one suitable device or when you do not need to control which device is selected.
Enable Connect at power on if the virtual floppy drive should be attached automatically whenever the VM starts.
Finish the wizard and start the VM.

A physical floppy option may be unavailable even when the configuration workflow is correct. The host must have supported hardware, the host operating system must detect it, and VMware Player must be able to access it. If any of these conditions is missing, use a floppy image instead.

Configure an existing floppy image

Select Use a floppy image in the media-configuration step.
Browse to the existing .flp file on the host.
Select the file and complete the wizard.
Confirm that the selected image is shown in the floppy-drive configuration.

The virtual drive presents the selected file to the guest as floppy media. Use a writable image when the guest must save files, update boot media, or modify the disk contents. Treat the image as read-only when preserving a known-good boot disk or source image is more important than saving changes. If the VMware Player version or guest workflow provides a read-only control, use it for protected source media; otherwise keep a backup copy and avoid write operations.

Create and attach a blank floppy image

Choose Create a blank floppy image.
Browse to a host folder where your account can create files.
Enter a clear file name with the .flp extension, such as legacy-transfer-disk.flp.
Complete the wizard and confirm that the new image is attached to the Floppy Drive.
Start the guest and format the virtual media from inside the guest if its operating system requires formatting.

The blank image is a normal host-side file. It remains available after the VM is shut down and can be attached again later. Use a known location and descriptive name so that the image can be identified during future maintenance.

Verify the drive in the guest

Start the VM after completing the hardware change.
Check that the guest operating system detects a floppy drive.
Open the drive or inspect the guest's device list to verify that the mounted physical media or image is accessible.
If the image is blank, format it from within the guest when appropriate.

Legacy guests may identify the device with a conventional drive letter, such as a floppy drive letter, or with an operating-system-specific device name. The exact name depends on the guest. A successful configuration means the guest detects the device and can read the selected media, or can format and use the blank image.

Practical configurations

Mount an existing legacy boot-disk image

Power off the VM.
Open Virtual Machine Settings and choose Add > Floppy Drive.
Select Use a floppy image.
Browse to the bootable .flp file.
Start the guest and confirm that it can access the image or boot from it when the guest's boot configuration requires floppy media.

The result is access to the contents of the existing floppy image without requiring physical floppy hardware.

Prepare writable virtual media

Power off the VM and add a Floppy Drive.
Select Create a blank floppy image.
Save the image in a persistent host folder with a clear .flp name.
Start the guest.
Format the image if required, then use it for small-file transfers or legacy software.

The image remains as a reusable host file after the guest stops.

Use host physical floppy hardware

Add a Floppy Drive while the VM is powered off.
Select Use a physical floppy drive.
Choose a named host device or Auto detect.
Enable Connect at power on if automatic attachment is wanted.
Start the guest and verify media access.

The guest then accesses the host's physical floppy device through the virtual drive.

Attach two separate virtual floppy disks

Add the first Floppy Drive and attach the first .flp image.
Repeat the Add Hardware process for the second drive.
Attach a different .flp image to the second drive.
Verify that both devices appear in the guest.

This uses the full supported limit of two floppy drives. Distinct image files help prevent accidental cross-use or simultaneous writes.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Suggested check or resolution
Floppy Drive cannot be added	The VM is powered on, or the wrong VM is selected	Power off the guest completely, select the target VM in the Library, and reopen Virtual Machine Settings
Physical drive is absent from the selection	The host has no physical floppy hardware, the operating system does not recognize it, or the device is unavailable	Confirm host detection and connectivity; use a `.flp` image if physical access is unavailable
Guest does not show the floppy drive	The VM was not restarted, the device is not connected at startup, or the guest lacks expected legacy-device support	Confirm the drive is listed in VM settings, review the connection option, and restart the VM; then check guest device support
Image file cannot be opened	The path is wrong, permissions prevent access, or the file is not a usable floppy image	Verify the location and permissions, try a known-good `.flp` file, or create a new blank image
Blank image is present but cannot be used by the guest	The media is unformatted or uses a format the guest cannot read	Format it from within the guest when appropriate, or use media created for that guest environment
Changes to an image are unexpected or it becomes unusable	Another program or VM modified it, or it was formatted or overwritten unintentionally	Allow only one active writer, keep pristine backups, and restore a backup when necessary

Safe handling checklist

Power off the VM before adding or materially changing virtual hardware.
Confirm that the intended VM is selected before saving settings.
Back up important .flp files before formatting or testing.
Do not have multiple applications or VMs write to one floppy image at the same time.
Use clear image names and stable host-side locations.
Keep separate image files for separate virtual floppy drives.
After configuration, verify both the device and its media from inside the guest.

For a concise repeatable procedure, use the floppy-drive setup guide as the reference for adding and configuring this virtual hardware.