VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

Copy and Paste Between Host and Guest in VMware Workstation Player

Learn how to copy and paste text, images, files, and eligible email attachments between Windows or Linux hosts and supported VMware Workstation Player guests.

VMware Workstation Player can integrate the clipboard of the host system with the clipboard of a guest operating system. This lets you use ordinary copy, cut, and paste commands to exchange supported content in both directions.

The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Workstation Player. The guest operating system is the system running inside the virtual machine. VMware Tools, the guest-side integration software, must be installed in the virtual machine for host-to-guest clipboard sharing to work.

What Copy and Paste Can Transfer

When the platform and application requirements are met, clipboard integration can transfer content from the host to the guest and from the guest to the host.

Text: Copy text from an editor, browser, terminal, or other application and paste it into a compatible application in the other system.
Images: Copy images between applications that support compatible clipboard image formats.
Files: Copy a file from a desktop or file manager and paste it into a desktop or file manager in the other operating system.
Email attachments: Eligible attachments can be transferred through copy and paste, subject to the size restriction.

Transfer success also depends on the source and destination applications. An application must place the content on the clipboard in a format VMware and the destination application can use. The destination must accept the type of item being pasted.

Platform and Desktop Requirements

The documented host platforms are Windows and Linux. Supported guest platforms are Windows, Linux, and Solaris 10. VMware Tools is required in every guest virtual machine.

Component	Supported or required configuration	Notes
Host operating system	Windows or Linux	The physical computer runs VMware Workstation Player.
Guest operating system	Windows, Linux, or Solaris 10	The guest runs inside the virtual machine.
VMware Tools	Required in the guest virtual machine	Clipboard integration depends on the guest-side VMware integration software.
Linux host or guest	An X Window System session is required	An unsupported display-server or desktop environment may not provide the feature.
Solaris 10 guest	An Xorg server and the JDS/GNOME desktop environment are required	Other Solaris graphical configurations may not support the documented clipboard integration.

An X Window System session is the graphical display environment required for the documented Linux host and guest support. Xorg is an X Window System server. JDS/GNOME is the desktop environment required for the documented Solaris 10 guest configuration.

Size Limits

Two important clipboard limits apply:

Copied Unicode text must be less than 4 MB.
Copied email attachments must be less than 4 MB.

Content at or above the limit may fail to paste. For large text, attachments, or files, use shared folders or another file-transfer method instead.

Use Standard Copy, Cut, and Paste Controls

There is no separate VMware transfer dialog for this workflow. Use the normal keyboard shortcuts or application menu commands provided by the operating systems.

On many Windows and Linux desktop applications, Ctrl+C copies the selection, Ctrl+X cuts it, and Ctrl+V pastes it.
Application menus usually provide equivalent Copy, Cut, and Paste commands.
Copy preserves the source content. Cut requests that the originating application remove the source content after it is pasted, but this behavior depends on the application and content type.
The destination application or location must accept the selected content. A text editor may accept text but not a file object, while a file manager may accept a copied file.

Copy a File from the Host to the Guest

Open or display the file on the host, such as on the host desktop or in a file manager.
Select the file and use the host's normal copy command, such as Ctrl+C or the application's Copy menu command.
Switch focus to the running virtual machine.
Open the destination in the guest, such as the guest desktop or a guest file manager folder.
Use the guest's normal paste command, such as Ctrl+V or the Paste menu command.
Verify that the file appears in the selected guest destination.

For example, select a file on a Windows or Linux host desktop, copy it, bring the virtual machine to the foreground, and paste it onto the guest desktop. If the transfer succeeds, the copied file should appear in the guest.

Copy a File from the Guest to the Host

Select the file in the guest desktop or guest file manager.
Copy it with the guest's standard copy command.
Switch to the host desktop, file manager, or other destination.
Paste the item using the host's standard paste command.
Confirm that the file was received and appears in the host destination.

The same clipboard integration applies in either direction when VMware Tools, platform support, graphical-session requirements, and application compatibility are satisfied.

Transfer Text Between Host and Guest

Select text in a host or guest application, such as an editor, browser, or terminal.
Copy the selection with the standard shortcut or application menu.
Switch to a text-capable application in the other operating system.
Place the cursor where the text should go.
Paste with the standard shortcut or menu command.
Check the result, especially when the selection contains non-ASCII or other Unicode characters.

Unicode text is supported when the applications expose compatible clipboard data, but the copied Unicode text must be less than 4 MB. If a large or multilingual selection fails, test a shorter selection in a plain-text editor.

Copy Images and Email Attachments

Images can be copied between compatible applications when both applications support a clipboard image format that can be exchanged. For example, an image editor or document application may accept an image copied from another compatible application.

Email attachments may also be eligible for clipboard transfer. Each copied email attachment must be less than 4 MB. The email application must expose the attachment in a transferable clipboard format, and the destination application must accept it. If either condition is not met, use shared folders or another file-transfer method.

Supported Content and Limits

Content type	Transfer expectation	Limit or consideration
Text	Can be copied between compatible applications in both directions.	The destination must accept text.
Unicode text	Can be transferred when the source and destination support compatible Unicode clipboard data.	Must be less than 4 MB.
Images	Can be transferred between compatible image-capable applications.	Clipboard format compatibility affects success.
Files	Can be copied between host and guest desktops or file managers.	The destination must accept file clipboard data.
Email attachments	Eligible attachments can be pasted between systems.	Each attachment must be less than 4 MB, and the applications must support the clipboard format.

Copy and Paste Compared with Other Transfer Methods

Clipboard integration: Uses ordinary copy, cut, and paste actions between applications or file managers.
Shared folders: Provides a separate VMware file-sharing mechanism. It is often more suitable for larger or repeated file transfers.
Network sharing: Transfers data through a network protocol or shared network location and requires appropriate network and permission configuration.
USB passthrough: Connects a USB device to the guest instead of placing its contents on the shared clipboard.
Drag-and-drop: Uses pointer movement to transfer items and is a separate integration capability with its own requirements and behavior.

When to Use Another Transfer Method

Situation	Why copy and paste may not work	Suggested alternative
Item exceeds the documented size limit	Unicode text or an email attachment is 4 MB or larger.	Use shared folders or another file-transfer method.
Unsupported operating system or graphical environment	The host, guest, display server, or desktop environment does not meet the documented requirements.	Use shared folders, network sharing, or another supported method.
VMware Tools is not available or not functioning	The guest lacks the integration component required for host-guest clipboard sharing.	Install or repair VMware Tools, or use another transfer method.
Large or repeated file transfers	Clipboard operations are less suitable for sustained file exchange.	Use shared folders, network sharing, or another file-transfer method.

Troubleshoot Failed Copy and Paste

Clipboard sharing fails in both directions

Check that VMware Tools is installed in the guest and that its guest integration is running.
Confirm that the host is Windows or Linux and that the guest is Windows, Linux, or Solaris 10.
For a Linux host or guest, confirm that the graphical session uses the X Window System.
For a Solaris 10 guest, verify that the guest uses an Xorg server and the JDS/GNOME desktop environment.
Test with a small amount of plain text. This distinguishes a general clipboard integration problem from an application or file-format problem.

An email attachment will not paste

Check whether the attachment is less than 4 MB. Attachments that are 4 MB or larger exceed the documented limit.
Try a smaller attachment.
Confirm that the source email application exposes the attachment in a transferable clipboard format.
Use shared folders or another file-transfer method for a larger attachment.

Large or multilingual text does not paste correctly

Check whether the Unicode text is less than 4 MB.
Try copying a shorter selection.
Paste into a simple plain-text editor to test whether the destination application is the problem.
For larger text, save it as a file and transfer the file using shared folders or another method.

File paste is unavailable

Try pasting into the guest or host desktop or a file manager rather than into an application that accepts only text.
Confirm that the destination location can accept file clipboard data.
Verify VMware Tools and all host, guest, and graphical-session requirements.
Use shared folders when clipboard file transfer remains unavailable.

Summary

VMware Workstation Player clipboard integration allows supported text, images, files, and eligible email attachments to move between host and guest in either direction. Use the normal operating-system copy, cut, and paste commands; no VMware-specific transfer dialog is required. Install VMware Tools, use a supported platform and graphical environment, keep Unicode text and email attachments below 4 MB, and switch to shared folders or another transfer method when clipboard integration is unsuitable.

For related guidance on this feature, see Copy and Paste.