VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management
Using Drag-and-Drop Between a Host and Virtual Machine in VMware Player
Learn how to transfer files, folders, text, and supported content between a host and VMware Player guest, including prerequisites, limits, compatibility, and troubleshooting.
VMware Player drag and drop lets you transfer supported content between the physical computer and a running virtual machine. The transfer is a copy operation: the original item remains in its source location, and a separate copy is created at the destination.
The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Player. The guest operating system is the operating system installed inside the virtual machine, which is the software-defined computer running in VMware Player.
What Drag and Drop Does
Drag and drop is a graphical action in which you select an item, hold the mouse button while moving it to another location, and release it. In VMware Player, the operation can cross the boundary between the host desktop and the guest desktop.
- Host to guest: Drag an item from a host folder, desktop, or application into the guest desktop, file manager, or compatible application.
- Guest to host: Drag an item from a guest folder, desktop, or application into a host folder, desktop, or compatible application.
The source item is not deleted. For example, dragging a document from the host desktop onto the guest desktop leaves the original document on the host and creates a copy on the guest desktop.
Supported Content
Depending on the operating systems and applications involved, drag and drop can transfer files, directories, email attachments, plain text, formatted text, and images. A destination must accept the relevant content type. Dropping text into a file manager, for example, is different from dropping text into a text editor.
| Content type | Supported transfer direction | Size limit | Operating-system restrictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files | Host to guest and guest to host | No stated 4 MB limit for ordinary files | Older guests may provide reduced support | Dropping on a desktop copies the file to that desktop; dropping in a file manager copies it to the selected folder |
| Directories or folders | Host to guest and guest to host | No stated 4 MB limit for ordinary directories | Windows 95 and Windows 98 guests support files and directories only | The directory and its contents are copied to the destination |
| Email attachments | Host to guest and guest to host when exposed by the email application | Must be smaller than 4 MB | The email client must provide a supported drag source | Saving the attachment locally first is often more reliable |
| Plain text | Host to guest and guest to host | Must be smaller than 4 MB | The target application must accept text | Use a smaller selection or copy and paste if the drop fails |
| Formatted text | Host to guest and guest to host | Must be smaller than 4 MB | The target application must accept the supplied formatting | Formatted text includes style information such as fonts, emphasis, or layout |
| Images | Host to guest and guest to host only in supported combinations | No stated 4 MB limit for image files, but image drag support is restricted | Image dragging requires Windows applications on both host and guest; it is not supported when either side is Linux | Use a file-based transfer method when image dragging is unavailable |
Prerequisites
Install VMware Tools
VMware Tools is guest-side integration software required for features such as drag and drop. Install it in the guest operating system before testing this feature.
- Start VMware Player and select the virtual machine.
- Power on the virtual machine and sign in to its guest operating system.
- Use the VMware Player management interface to choose the option for installing VMware Tools. In interfaces that provide it, this is available through the virtual machine's Manage menu.
- Complete the VMware Tools installer inside the guest operating system.
- Restart the guest if the installer requests it, then test drag and drop again.
The exact installation steps vary by guest operating system. If VMware Tools is already installed but drag and drop does not work, repair or reinstall it using the available VMware Player workflow and the guest's normal installer process.
Run an Interactive Graphical Desktop
The virtual machine must be powered on or resumed, and its graphical desktop must be accessible. A powered-off or suspended virtual machine cannot receive an interactive drag operation. A guest that is running without an available graphical desktop is also not a suitable drop target.
Linux hosts and Linux guests require an X Window System graphical session for drag and drop. The X Window System is a graphical display environment used by Linux desktop sessions. If either Linux side is not running a supported X-based graphical environment, use another transfer method.
How to Perform a Transfer
- Start or resume the virtual machine and open its graphical desktop.
- Open the source location on the host or guest. This may be a desktop, file manager, email client, or application containing text.
- Open the destination location. For a file transfer, use the target desktop or a file manager folder. For text or formatted content, open an application that accepts the content.
- Select the supported file, folder, attachment, text, or image in the source environment.
- Hold the mouse button and drag the item across the VMware Player window boundary into the destination.
- Release the mouse button over the intended target.
- Verify that a copied item or inserted content appears at the destination.
Examples
To copy a host document to a guest desktop, select the document on the host, drag it into the VMware Player window, and release it on the guest desktop. The document remains on the host and a new copy appears on the guest.
To copy a guest project directory to the host, open the directory in the guest file manager, drag it into a host folder, and verify that the copied directory tree appears there.
To transfer text, select a small block of plain or formatted text in one environment and drop it into a compatible editor in the other environment. The editor must support the type of text being supplied.
Destination Handling
- A file dropped on a guest or host desktop is copied to that desktop.
- A file or directory dropped into a file manager is copied into the selected folder.
- Plain or formatted text should be dropped into a compatible text editor, document editor, email field, or other application that accepts text.
- An image should be dropped into an application that accepts images, and only when the host and guest application combination supports image dragging.
- The source remains in its original location after a successful transfer.
Operating-System Compatibility
| Host environment | Guest environment | Required graphical environment | Image dragging support | Special restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows | Interactive Windows desktops | Supported when the source and destination applications accept images | Attachments and text must be smaller than 4 MB |
| Windows | Linux | The Linux guest must use an X Window System graphical session | Not supported | Use file-based transfer for images; other content still depends on VMware Tools and the target application |
| Linux | Windows | The Linux host must use an X Window System graphical session | Not supported | Use file-based transfer for images; other content still depends on VMware Tools and the target application |
| Linux | Linux | Both sides require supported X Window System graphical sessions | Not supported | Use an alternative method for images and check the desktop session when transfers fail |
| Windows or Linux | Windows 95 or Windows 98 | An interactive graphical desktop | Do not rely on image dragging | These guests support drag and drop only for files and directories |
Image dragging is supported only when both the host and guest use Windows applications. If either the host or guest is Linux, image dragging is unavailable. Windows 95 and Windows 98 guests have a narrower feature set: use drag and drop only for files and directories.
Size Limits
Email attachments and text transferred through drag and drop must be smaller than 4 MB. An attachment or text selection of 4 MB or more can prevent the operation from completing. The limit applies to email attachments, plain text, and formatted text; it is not a general statement that every ordinary file must be below 4 MB.
For a large attachment, save it to a local file first and transfer that file through a shared folder, network share, removable media, or another approved method.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Check | Resolution or alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| No drag-and-drop response | VMware Tools is missing, stopped, outdated, or malfunctioning; the guest is not interactive; or the target is invalid | Confirm VMware Tools is installed and operating, and verify that the guest desktop is visible | Start or resume the guest, repair or reinstall VMware Tools, and drop onto a desktop or file manager folder that accepts files |
| Image cannot be dropped | The host or guest is Linux, or the application does not accept image drops | Check both operating systems and the source and destination applications | Use image drag and drop only between supported Windows applications, or transfer the image as a file |
| Large email attachment fails | The attachment is 4 MB or larger | Check the attachment size and whether the email client exposes it as a drag source | Save the attachment locally, then use a shared folder, network share, removable media, or another file-transfer method |
| Text transfer fails | The selection reaches or exceeds 4 MB, the target rejects the format, or the guest is Windows 95 or Windows 98 | Reduce the selection, try plain text, and check the guest version and target application | Use a smaller selection, copy and paste, or save the text as a file and transfer the file |
| Transfer fails in Linux | The Linux host or guest is not using an X Window System graphical environment, or the item is an image | Confirm that each Linux side has a supported X-based desktop session | Use an X-based session for supported content and choose a file-based method for images |
| Transfer fails with a suspended virtual machine | The guest is suspended rather than available at an interactive desktop | Check the virtual machine state in VMware Player | Resume or power on the guest, wait for its desktop, and retry the operation |
Choosing an Alternative Transfer Method
Drag and drop is convenient for small, supported transfers, but it is not universal. Use copy and paste for supported clipboard content when selecting and dragging is inconvenient. Copy and paste is especially useful for short text selections.
Use shared folders or network shares for larger files, repeated transfers, or directories that need to remain accessible from both systems. Use removable media or another approved file-transfer mechanism when integration features are unavailable or when working with a legacy guest.
- For attachments of 4 MB or more, save the attachment and use a file-based method.
- For images involving Linux, transfer the image file rather than dragging the image between applications.
- For Windows 95 or Windows 98 guests, limit drag and drop to files and directories.
- For unsupported destination applications, save the content in a file format that the target system can open.
Exam-Relevant Notes
- VMware Tools must be installed in the guest for drag and drop.
- The virtual machine must be powered on or resumed and available at an interactive graphical desktop.
- Linux hosts and guests require an X Window System graphical session.
- Drag and drop copies content; it does not remove the source item.
- Files and directories can transfer in both directions when the feature and destination support them.
- Images require Windows applications on both sides and are not supported when either side is Linux.
- Email attachments and text must be smaller than 4 MB.
- Windows 95 and Windows 98 guests support drag and drop only for files and directories.