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Install VMware Tools in a Linux Guest on VMware Workstation Player

Learn how to manually install VMware Tools in an Ubuntu or other Linux guest using VMware Workstation Player, a mounted installer disc, Perl, and the terminal.

What VMware Tools Does

VMware Tools is a collection of guest operating system utilities, drivers, and integration components supplied for VMware virtual machines. The Linux guest is the Linux system running inside the virtual machine; the host is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Workstation Player.

After installation, VMware Tools can improve communication between the guest and host. Depending on the Linux distribution, desktop environment, and installed components, useful features can include:

• Better display resizing and display handling.
• Improved mouse pointer integration between the guest window and the host desktop.
• Shared clipboard support where the guest environment supports it.
• Guest time synchronization with the host.
• Improved virtual hardware drivers and guest utilities.
• Additional guest-host integration features, such as support used by shared folders or shutdown operations.

The guest operating system must be powered on before you begin this installation procedure. You also need to log in to the Linux desktop or a terminal session.

When to Use the Manual ISO Installer

Easy Install is a VMware-assisted installation method that can automatically install guest tools during supported Linux guest setup. If the system was installed without Easy Install, or if the tools are missing or incomplete, VMware Workstation Player can present a VMware Tools installer image to the running guest.

This procedure uses the bundled VMware Tools ISO and its traditional Perl installer. Modern Linux distributions commonly prefer open-vm-tools, the maintained, distribution-integrated implementation available from many Linux package repositories. The ISO procedure remains useful when you specifically need the bundled installer or when compatibility guidance calls for it. A package-based alternative appears later in this lesson.

Manual Installation Workflow

Prepare VMware Workstation Player

1. Start and sign in to the Linux guest

Power on the virtual machine and wait for Linux to finish booting. Sign in with an account that can use sudo or otherwise obtain root privileges. Administrative access is needed because the installer may configure services, build or configure guest components, and place files in protected system directories.

2. Connect the VMware Tools installer media

In VMware Workstation Player, use the menu path Player > Manage > Install VMware Tools. Player may download the VMware Tools image before mounting it as a virtual CD-ROM. Wait for the download and mounting operation to finish.

Also check the virtual machine's virtual CD/DVD device if the menu action is unavailable or no disc appears. The device should be enabled and configured to detect or connect to the VMware Tools installer media. The guest normally recognizes the mounted disc through its desktop file manager, an automount notification, or a new directory under /media or /run/media.

Check the Perl Prerequisite

The classic VMware Tools installer is a Perl script named vmware-install.pl. First check whether Perl is installed:

perl -v

A Perl version banner confirms that the prerequisite is available. If Ubuntu reports that the command is not found, install Perl with:

sudo apt-get install perl

A modern Ubuntu system can also use apt:

sudo apt install perl

Package names and package-manager commands vary by Linux distribution. For example, a non-Ubuntu distribution may provide Perl through a different package manager or package name.

Locate the Mounted VMware Tools Disc

Use mount to display mounted filesystems:

mount

Look for an entry with indicators similar to these:

• A CD-ROM device such as /dev/sr0.
• The filesystem type iso9660, which is commonly used for CD-ROM images.
• A mount point under /media or /run/media.

A representative entry might resemble this:

/dev/sr0 on /media/alex/VMware Tools type iso9660 (ro,nosuid,nodev,...)

The exact username and directory name will differ. List the directory reported by your own mount output:

ls -l "/media/USERNAME/VMware Tools/"

Replace the example path with the actual mount point. The listing should contain a compressed file with a name similar to VMwareTools- VERSION.tar.gz, although the release-specific filename will not contain a space between the hyphen and version in normal media. For example:

VMwareTools-12.4.0.tar.gz

Shell paths containing spaces need special handling. Quote the complete path, as in the command above, or escape the space:

ls -l /media/USERNAME/VMware\ Tools/

Extract the Installer Files

Create a separate temporary working directory and enter it:

mkdir /tmp/vmtools && cd /tmp/vmtools

Extract the compressed VMware Tools tar archive from the mounted media. Substitute both the actual mount path and the exact filename shown by ls -l:

sudo tar zxpf "/media/USERNAME/VMware Tools/VMwareTools-VERSION.tar.gz"

In this command, z tells tar to process gzip compression, x extracts files, p preserves file permissions, and f specifies the input filename. After extraction, list the temporary directory:

ls -l /tmp/vmtools

The extracted files should be inside a directory named vmware-tools-distrib. This is the installer's working directory.

Run the Legacy VMware Tools Installer

Change into the extracted directory:

cd /tmp/vmtools/vmware-tools-distrib

Start the Perl installer with administrative privileges:

sudo ./vmware-install.pl

The script presents configuration prompts for installation paths and guest integration components. For a typical Ubuntu desktop guest, press Enter to accept the defaults unless your environment requires custom paths, build settings, or another specific configuration.

At a high level, the installer places guest utilities in system locations and configures the VMware integration components needed by the guest. Some releases may compile or configure components for the currently running kernel. The exact prompts and available components depend on the VMware Tools release and Linux distribution.

Reboot and Validate the Installation

Save open work and restart the guest:

sudo reboot

Rebooting allows newly installed services, drivers, and desktop integration components to load. After signing in again, test practical behavior such as display resizing, pointer movement between the guest and host, clipboard integration where supported, and other features you intended to enable.

Guest-side verification commands vary by VMware Tools release and Linux distribution. If available, a version command such as the following can provide a quick check:

vmware-toolbox-cmd -v

On systems using packaged tools, a service check may be more appropriate:

systemctl status open-vm-tools

A command may be absent even when another VMware Tools component is installed, so treat command availability as version-dependent. Combine a version or service check with practical tests of the guest integration features.

After installation, the virtual CD/DVD can be disconnected from the VM if it remains attached. Eject it from the Linux desktop or disconnect the virtual CD/DVD device in VMware Workstation Player.

Modern Alternative: open-vm-tools

open-vm-tools is the open-source VMware guest tools implementation maintained and packaged by many Linux distributions. It is commonly preferred on current Linux systems because it can receive updates through the normal package-management process and is integrated with the distribution's kernel and service conventions.

For an Ubuntu desktop guest, install the base package and the desktop integration package:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop

The base package provides core guest tools. The open-vm-tools-desktop package is relevant when graphical desktop features such as display and session integration are needed. A server guest may need only the base package.

Restart the guest, or restart the relevant service and desktop session, after installation. Package names, service names, and available features vary by distribution. Follow the guest distribution's guidance and VMware compatibility guidance when choosing between packaged tools and the bundled ISO installer.

Troubleshooting

Install VMware Tools is unavailable or media does not attach

Confirm that the virtual machine is powered on. Review the virtual CD/DVD device settings and ensure the device is enabled and connected. Player may also still be downloading the VMware Tools image; wait for that operation to complete and retry the menu action.

Perl is not found

Install Perl with the guest distribution's package manager. On Ubuntu, use sudo apt-get install perl or sudo apt install perl, then run perl -v again.

The VMwareTools compressed file cannot be found

The disc may not be mounted, the mount point may differ from the assumed /media path, or the filename may differ between VMware Tools releases. Run mount, identify the /dev/sr0 and iso9660 entry, then use ls -l on that exact directory.

tar cannot open the file

Check the path and filename with ls -l. Quote the entire path or escape spaces. Also confirm that you copied the exact release-specific archive name rather than using a placeholder such as VERSION.

Permission is denied

Use an account authorized for sudo and run the installer as sudo ./vmware-install.pl. Administrative access is required to install files and configure system services. Do not solve a permissions problem by making the mounted read-only disc writable.

The installer fails while building or configuring components

The guest may lack compiler tools, kernel headers, or other development dependencies. The running kernel may also have changed, or the legacy installer may not be suitable for the current distribution. Install the development dependencies required by that distribution, check VMware and distribution compatibility guidance, and consider using the supported open-vm-tools package instead.

Display resizing or integration does not work after installation

First reboot the guest. For package-based installation, verify that the desktop companion package is installed when using a graphical desktop. If the problem continues, check the installed tool status and guest logs using the distribution-specific service and logging tools.

Common Mount Path and Shell Syntax Issues

Exam-Relevant Notes

• The VMware guest must be running before Player can mount the installer media for this procedure.
• The virtual CD/DVD exposes the installer as a mounted ISO 9660 filesystem, commonly through a device such as /dev/sr0.
• The traditional installer is the Perl script vmware-install.pl.
• Use a writable temporary directory such as /tmp/vmtools rather than extracting onto the read-only disc.
• sudo is needed for system installation and configuration.
• Reboot after installation so services, drivers, and desktop integration can take effect.
• On current Linux distributions, open-vm-tools, with open-vm-tools-desktop for graphical guests where needed, is commonly the preferred alternative.

For the related guide, see Installing VMware Tools in Linux.