VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

Enable Shared Folders in VMware Workstation Player

Learn how to configure persistent or temporary VMware Workstation Player shared folders, control read-only access, and open them in Windows or Linux guests.

A VMware shared folder exposes a selected directory on the host system inside one specific virtual machine (VM). It provides a convenient way to exchange installation files, project files, documents, and logs between the host and guest operating system.

The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Workstation Player. The guest operating system is the operating system installed inside the VM. VMware Workstation Player is desktop virtualization software that runs and configures VMs.

If a share is writable, changes made from the guest affect the underlying host folder. A guest user may be able to create, edit, rename, or delete host files, subject to both the shared-folder setting and the host filesystem permissions.

Requirements and limitations

  • VMware Workstation Player must be installed on the host.
  • You need an existing VM and permission to change its configuration.
  • VMware Tools must be installed and running in the guest. VMware Tools is guest integration software that provides features such as shared-folder access.
  • The host directory must exist and be accessible to the host account running VMware Workstation Player.
  • The host account must have sufficient filesystem permissions for the access you intend to allow.
  • Shared folders are configured per VM, not globally for all VMs.
  • Guest support, visible paths, drive letters, and mount behavior vary by guest operating system and VMware Tools configuration.

Before continuing, be comfortable distinguishing the host and guest operating systems, opening a VM's settings, navigating host folders, and checking basic folder permissions.

Open the shared-folder settings

  1. Open VMware Workstation Player and select the intended VM.
  2. Use the management menu and choose Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.
  3. In the virtual machine settings dialog, open the Options section.
  4. Select Shared Folders.

The resulting page controls the VM configuration. It is different from settings inside the guest operating system, such as Windows folder permissions or Linux mount permissions.

Select VM > Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings > Options > Shared Folders

Choose folder-sharing availability

The availability setting controls whether configured shares are active and how long they remain active.

  • Disabled: Shared-folder integration is disabled for the VM. Existing share definitions remain saved, but the guest cannot use them while sharing is disabled.
  • Persistent sharing: Shares remain configured and available across VM power cycles and suspension. This is the usual choice for a development directory or another folder used regularly.
  • Temporary sharing: Shares remain active until the VM is powered off or suspended. They are useful for a short support session or one-time file transfer.

A guest operating system reboot does not necessarily end a temporary share. If the VM itself remains powered on, the temporary share can continue to be available after the guest reboots. Temporary-sharing controls may be unavailable while the VM is not running; start the VM before selecting that option if necessary.

Availability comparison

  • Disabled: Existing configured shares are inactive. A guest reboot does not make them available, and powering the VM off does not change the disabled state.
  • Persistent sharing: The share is available after a guest reboot and remains configured after VM power-off, restart, or suspension.
  • Temporary sharing: The share can remain available after a guest reboot, but it ends when the VM is powered off or suspended. Use it when access should end with the session.

Add a host folder as a share

  1. On the Shared Folders page, choose the option for adding a shared folder. This starts the Add Shared Folder wizard.
  2. Browse to or enter the directory path on the host computer.
  3. Enter a guest-visible share name. This is the identifier shown inside the VM and can differ from the host directory's name.
  4. Complete the wizard.
  5. Confirm that the new share appears in the VM's shared-folder configuration list.

For example, a host directory such as C:\Users\Alex\Projects\DemoApp or /home/alex/projects/demo-app could be given the guest-visible name ProjectFiles. The guest uses ProjectFiles, while the host path remains the actual source directory.

Configure individual share settings

After adding a share, select its entry to change its individual settings. These controls apply to that share rather than to every share configured for the VM.

  • Enable this share: Enables or disables the selected share without removing its saved configuration. Disabling is useful when access should be paused temporarily.
  • Read-only: Allows the guest to view and copy files but prevents guest-side modifications through the share. This is a safer choice for installers, templates, and reference materials.
  • Writable: If read-only is not selected, guest users may be able to create, edit, rename, or delete contents of the host folder. Host filesystem permissions still apply.

Use a writable share only when the guest must save changes back to the host. For example, a guest development environment may need writable access to ProjectFiles, while an installer collection should normally be read-only.

Configuration controls at a glance

  • Host folder path: Identifies the directory on the host that is exposed. Changes affect the selected host directory.
  • Guest share name: Identifies the folder inside the guest. It does not have to match the host directory name.
  • Enable this share: Controls whether this saved share is currently exposed.
  • Read-only: Restricts the guest to reading and copying files.
  • Map as a network drive in Windows guests: Provides a convenient Windows drive-letter entry point for the VMware shared-folder container when supported.

Access the share in the guest

Power on the VM and confirm that VMware Tools services are active. A configured share may not appear until the guest integration services are running.

Windows guest

In a Windows guest, open File Explorer and browse to the VMware-host shared-folder location. If the Windows mapping option is enabled and supported, Windows can present the shared-folder container as a mapped network drive. Open that location and then open the named share, such as ProjectFiles.

The mapping option provides one convenient entry point for all configured VMware shares. It does not assign a separate drive letter to every individual host folder. The share names remain the folders inside the VMware shared-folder container, and the exact drive letter can vary.

Linux guest

Linux guests commonly expose VMware shared folders below the /mnt/hgfs mount point. List the directory contents with:

ls /mnt/hgfs

To inspect a particular share, replace the placeholder with its configured guest-visible name:

ls -la /mnt/hgfs/<share-name>

If the common location is empty or absent, check whether the VMware shared-folder filesystem is mounted:

mount | grep -E 'hgfs|vmhgfs'

Some Linux distributions use a different mount configuration. The exact mount point depends on the guest system and VMware Tools setup.

Verify access safely

  1. Confirm that the intended share is visible in the guest.
  2. For a read-only share, list files and copy a harmless test file into the guest.
  3. For a writable test share, create a harmless test file from the guest and confirm that it appears in the host directory.
  4. Remove the test file after verification if it is no longer needed.

Do not use an important production directory for the first write test.

Practical configurations

Persistently share a project directory

  1. Add the host development directory with the guest share name ProjectFiles.
  2. Choose persistent sharing.
  3. Leave the share writable only if edits made in the guest must be saved to the host.
  4. After restarting the VM, open the VMware shared-folder location and confirm that ProjectFiles is still present.

Provide software installers safely

  1. Add a host folder containing installers or updates.
  2. Enable the share and select Read-only.
  3. Copy the required files into the guest.
  4. Keep the source collection protected from accidental changes by the guest.

Transfer files during a support session

  1. Start the VM.
  2. Select temporary sharing and add a host folder containing diagnostic files.
  3. Use the share during the session.
  4. Power off or suspend the VM when finished so the temporary share ends.

Use a Windows guest drive mapping

  1. Enable the Windows network-drive mapping option in Shared Folders settings.
  2. Open the mapped VMware shared-folder location in File Explorer.
  3. Open the desired named share from that container.

Manage existing shares

  • Edit: Select a configured share when its host path, guest name, enabled state, or read-only status needs to change.
  • Disable: Turn off an individual share without deleting its definition. This preserves the configuration for later use.
  • Remove: Delete the share definition when the VM should no longer expose that host directory.

Security and data-handling guidance

  • Share the smallest necessary host directory rather than a broad location such as an entire home directory or system volume.
  • Prefer read-only mode for installers, templates, reference materials, and other files the guest does not need to modify.
  • Avoid sharing credentials, private keys, sensitive personal data, or system configuration unless the access is necessary and controlled.
  • Treat a writable share as a direct path from guest activity to host files.
  • Back up important host data or use version control before allowing a test or untrusted guest to modify it.
  • Review the host path and share permissions whenever a VM is copied, reused, or given to another user.

Troubleshooting

The Shared Folders setting is unavailable or no share appears

  • VMware Tools may be missing, stopped, or outdated.
  • The VM may be powered off while you are testing guest-side access.
  • Folder sharing may be disabled at the VM level, or the individual share may be disabled.
  1. Install, repair, update, or start VMware Tools in the guest.
  2. Power on the VM.
  3. Confirm that persistent or temporary sharing is selected.
  4. Confirm that the intended individual share is enabled.

Temporary sharing cannot be selected

The VM is probably not running. Start the VM, return to the Shared Folders settings, and select temporary availability.

The share is visible but files cannot be created or edited

  • The share may be read-only.
  • Host filesystem permissions may deny changes.
  • The guest user may lack suitable access through the mounted share.

Remove the read-only setting only when writable access is intended. Check ownership and permissions on the host folder, and test with a directory that the host account can modify.

The configured host path cannot be used

The folder may have been moved, renamed, deleted, or stored on disconnected removable or network storage. Browse to the host path, reconnect the storage if needed, and update the share configuration when the directory has moved. Ensure the storage is available before starting the VM.

A Windows mapped drive is missing

  • Verify that the Windows guest mapping option is enabled.
  • Check that VMware Tools integration is functioning.
  • Do not assume a particular drive letter; browse network locations in File Explorer and look for the VMware shared-folder container.

Linux /mnt/hgfs is empty or absent

  • Check that VMware Tools and its shared-folder service are active.
  • Confirm that the share is enabled in the VM settings.
  • Run mount | grep -E 'hgfs|vmhgfs' to inspect active mounts.
  • If the distribution uses another mount configuration, use the guest's mount information to identify the configured location.

Exam-relevant notes

  • A shared folder exposes a host directory through VMware integration to a selected VM; it is not the same as configuring ordinary network file sharing.
  • VMware Tools must be installed and running in the guest.
  • Persistent sharing survives VM shutdown and suspension; temporary sharing ends at VM power-off or suspension.
  • Rebooting the guest does not necessarily end temporary sharing because the VM can remain powered on.
  • Read-only protects the host folder from modifications through that share, while writable access can allow guest-created, edited, renamed, or deleted files when host permissions permit it.
  • Removing a share definition does not delete the host folder or its contents.
  • Windows commonly uses a VMware shared-folder location or mapped network-drive entry, while Linux commonly uses a mount point such as /mnt/hgfs.

For related administration work, see the shared-folder configuration guide.