VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

Change a Virtual Machine Name in VMware Player

Learn how to rename the displayed name of an existing virtual machine in VMware Player without changing its host folder, files, hostname, or network identity.

VMware Player lets you change the human-readable name shown for a virtual machine (VM) in its library. This is useful when you manage several similar machines, such as multiple Ubuntu labs or separate development and testing environments.

The procedure changes the VMware Player display name and related VM metadata. It does not rename the host folder, virtual disks, configuration files, guest computer name, or network identity.

Understand the names involved

A virtual machine is a software-defined computer that runs a guest operating system using files stored on the host. The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Player. The guest operating system is the operating system installed inside the VM.

The virtual machine name is the human-readable label displayed in the VMware Player virtual machine library. It is separate from the guest hostname, the host-side folder name, and the name of the user account inside the guest.

Before changing the name

1. Open VMware Player and identify the correct VM in the library.
2. Shut down the guest operating system completely.
3. Confirm that the VM is powered off, not merely suspended. A powered-off VM is not executing and has completed its shutdown. A suspended VM preserves its running state for later resumption and is not equivalent to a full shutdown.
4. Choose a clear, unique name. Include useful details such as the operating system, version, purpose, role, or environment.

For example, rename a generic VM named Ubuntu to Ubuntu 22.04-Web-Test. A name such as Windows 10 could become Accounting Test without changing the existing host directory name.

Rename the virtual machine in VMware Player

VMware Player uses the Virtual Machine Settings dialog to configure VM hardware and options. The name is in the options area rather than the virtual hardware area.

1. Open VMware Player.
2. Select the target VM in the virtual machine library.
3. Open the Player menu.
4. Choose Manage, then open Virtual Machine Settings.
5. Open the Options tab.
6. Select the General category.
7. Edit the Virtual machine name field.
8. Enter the new descriptive name.
9. Use the dialog's confirmation or save control to apply the setting.
10. Return to the VMware Player library and verify that the new name is displayed.

Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings > Options > General > Virtual machine name

No command-line commands are required. This task is completed through the VMware Player graphical interface.

What changes after renaming

After saving, future identification in VMware Player uses the new name. For example, a VM might have the VMware Player display name Dev Server, a host folder with an older name, and a guest hostname of devsrv01. These names serve different purposes.

What this procedure does not change

• The host directory containing the VM remains under its existing name.
• The VM configuration file keeps its existing file name.
• Virtual disk files, logs, and snapshots keep their existing file names.
• The guest operating system hostname remains unchanged.
• The guest's network name and identity remain unchanged.
• The guest user account name remains unchanged.
• The operating system version setting for the VM is unrelated to its display name.

Host-folder and file-renaming considerations

Changing the VMware Player display name is safer than manually renaming the VM directory or its contents. VMware Player uses the VM configuration file to locate and configure the virtual machine, and that configuration may refer to disk and other files by name.

Manually moving or renaming configuration and disk files can cause VMware Player to lose track of the VM or report missing-file errors. Do not rename these files merely because the library label has changed.

If you need to relocate or reorganize VM files, use a deliberate copy, migration, or file-management process. First power off the VM completely, make a backup, and ensure that all configuration, disk, log, and snapshot files are handled consistently. The display-name procedure alone is not a file-relocation procedure.

Verification and organization

After saving the setting, return to the library and check the renamed VM entry. Confirm that you changed the intended VM, especially when several machines use the same operating system.

Consistent names reduce the risk of starting or modifying the wrong VM. Useful naming patterns can include:

• Ubuntu 22.04-Web-Test
• Windows 11-Development
• Debian 12-Database-Lab
• Rocky Linux-Production-Lab

Troubleshooting

The new name does not appear in the library

• Confirm that the settings dialog was not closed without saving.
• Check that you selected the intended VM.
• Return to the library so the view can refresh.
• If the interface still shows the old name, restart VMware Player and verify the General setting again.

The Virtual machine name field cannot be edited

The VM may be running, suspended, or in another state that restricts settings changes. Shut down the guest operating system, power off the VM completely, and open Virtual Machine Settings again.

The host folder still has the old name

This is expected. The procedure changes the VMware Player display name, not the host VM directory or its files. Do not manually rename VM files unless you are following a planned relocation or migration process with the VM powered off and backed up.

The guest computer name did not change

The VMware Player virtual machine name is independent of the guest operating system hostname. If you need to change the guest computer name, perform that operation from within the guest operating system.

Exam-relevant notes

• The correct navigation path is Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings > Options > General.
• The editable control is the Virtual machine name field.
• Powering off is different from suspending; use a full shutdown when settings are unavailable.
• Changing the display name does not rename the host directory, VM files, guest hostname, or network identity.
• Manual file renaming can produce missing-file errors and should not be confused with changing the library label.