VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

VMware Player Shared Folders Overview

Learn how VMware Player shared folders work, their VMware Tools requirements, Windows and Linux access paths, limitations, security considerations, and troubleshooting steps.

VMware Player shared folders let a guest operating system access selected directories from the host system. The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Player. The guest operating system runs inside the virtual machine (VM), which is a software-defined computer managed by VMware Player.

This feature is designed for file exchange. For example, you can download a large installer once on the host and use it in the guest, or make source files and test data available to several VMs. Shared folders are different from copying files manually, attaching a virtual disk, passing through a USB device, or using an ordinary network file share.

How VMware shared folders work

You select a host directory, configure it as a shared folder for a VM, and assign it a share name. The share name identifies the directory inside the guest; it does not have to match the final component of the host path.

The source can be a local host folder or a network directory that the host can access. The host must be able to open and use the selected location. VMware Player does not remove the need for host-side permissions, network connectivity, or credentials.

Shared folders compared with other file-transfer methods

• Manual copying: Creates a separate copy and requires you to repeat the transfer when the source changes.
• Virtual disk: Provides storage to a VM, but is not primarily a host-directory exchange mechanism.
• USB passthrough: Assigns a physical USB device to the VM and may make it unavailable to the host while attached.
• Ordinary network file sharing: Uses protocols such as SMB or NFS over a network. VMware shared folders instead use VMware host-guest integration and expose a configured host path.

Typical uses and benefits

• Exchange installers, documents, source files, logs, test data, and exported results.
• Reuse a large software installer or update downloaded once to the host instead of downloading it again inside each guest.
• Open host-created source files in a guest for testing, then return logs or generated artifacts to the host.
• Expose one host-side repository to more than one VM when the files and access pattern are appropriate.
• Use a host-accessible network location as the source when the host can reliably reach it.

For example, a dedicated project-exchange folder can contain source code created on the host. A test VM can read that folder, run the project, and write logs to it if guest write access is required. Two VMs can use the same installer or test-data folder, but they should not simultaneously edit the same writable file.

Requirements and compatibility

VMware Tools is required

VMware Tools must be installed in the guest before shared folders can be used. It provides guest-side integration components that recognize and access VMware shared folders. On Linux, open-vm-tools is the open-source VMware Tools implementation commonly packaged by distributions.

Before troubleshooting a host path, share name, or mount path, verify that VMware Tools or the appropriate open-vm-tools packages are installed, active, and compatible with the VMware Player version. A configured share may remain invisible if the guest integration service is missing or not running.

Historically supported guest operating systems

The following list documents version-specific historical compatibility information. It is not a guarantee that every current VMware Player release or VMware Tools release supports these guests. Actual support depends on the VMware Player version and the VMware Tools version in use.

Configuration overview

1. Install or repair VMware Tools in the target guest.
2. Power off the VM if the product requires it for configuration changes, then select the VM in VMware Player and open its settings.
3. Locate the Shared Folders section and enable the feature.
4. Add one or more host folders. Select a local host path or a network directory reachable by the host.
5. Assign each folder a share name.
6. Choose read-only access when the guest only needs to read files.
7. Choose an always-enabled or session-specific setting according to the VMware Player options available in your installation.
8. Start or restart the VM, or restart the relevant guest integration service, if the guest does not detect the change immediately.

The host path identifies where the data physically resides. The share name identifies it through the guest integration layer. Windows and Linux guests use different conventional locations to reach the same configured share.

Accessing shared folders from a Windows guest

VMware shared folders are normally exposed through a VMware host network namespace. In a Windows guest, browse to:

\vmware-host\,Shared Folders\,

In ordinary Windows notation, the path is \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\. Open the directory whose name matches the configured share name. You can enter the path in File Explorer's address bar or browse through the network location exposed by VMware Tools.

For convenient repeated access, map a share to a drive letter. Replace the placeholder with the configured share name:

net use Z: "\\vmware-host\Shared Folders\<share-name>"

Mapping does not change the host path or permissions. It only provides a convenient Windows drive-letter view of the guest-visible share.

Accessing shared folders from a Linux guest

The conventional Linux location is /mnt/hgfs. Each configured share commonly appears as a directory below that mount point, such as /mnt/hgfs/project-exchange.

Some VMware Tools or open-vm-tools installations mount shared folders automatically. Distribution, package, service, and version differences can change this behavior. Modern installations may use a FUSE-based helper, and the exact mount configuration can differ.

First check whether the mount point already contains shares:

ls /mnt/hgfs

If the directory is absent, create it:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/hgfs

For an installation using the FUSE helper, a typical manual mount is:

sudo vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other

After mounting, list the directory again and open the subdirectory matching the configured share name. If this command is unavailable or fails, install and activate the applicable VMware Tools or open-vm-tools shared-folder component for the distribution rather than assuming that every Linux guest uses the same service configuration.

File access and concurrency limitations

Do not open the same file concurrently in applications on the host and guest through a shared folder. This is especially unsafe when either application writes to the file. Possible results include conflicting edits, failed saves, stale contents, or data corruption.

For example, close a spreadsheet on the host before opening and saving it in the guest. If both environments need independent work, use separate copies. For source code and other collaborative workflows, use version control and establish which environment owns each write operation.

Security and operational considerations

• Share only the files the guest needs. A dedicated exchange directory limits accidental exposure.
• Use read-only sharing where supported when the guest does not need to modify host data.
• Remember that a writable share allows guest software and users with guest access to modify host files in that directory.
• Host filesystem permissions still apply. A network directory also depends on host connectivity, authentication, and network-share permissions.
• A share used by multiple VMs should contain common installers or test data unless a carefully controlled multi-user write workflow is in place.
• Back up important files before testing writable access or applications that use unusual locking behavior.

Enable and validate a shared folder

1. Create or choose a dedicated host folder, such as an installer, project-exchange, or test-data directory.
2. Confirm that the host can open the folder. If it is on a network, confirm connectivity and credentials.
3. Install or verify VMware Tools or open-vm-tools in the guest.
4. Enable Shared Folders in the VM settings, add the host path, assign a share name, and select read-only or writable access.
5. Start or restart the guest as needed.
6. In Windows, browse to \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\. In Linux, inspect /mnt/hgfs or perform the applicable mount.
7. Create a harmless text file in the host folder and confirm that it appears in the guest.
8. If write access is enabled, create a different harmless test file in the guest and verify that it appears on the host.
9. Remove the test files and keep the share limited to the data required for the task.

Troubleshooting shared folders

The Shared Folders option is unavailable or no share is visible

• Verify that VMware Tools is installed, running, and not incompatible with the VMware Player version.
• Confirm that Shared Folders is enabled for this VM.
• Install or repair VMware Tools in the guest.
• Restart the guest or the relevant VMware Tools service if required.
• Check whether the guest operating system is supported by the particular VMware Player and Tools versions.

A configured host folder does not appear

• Confirm the host path, share name, and enabled or session-specific setting in VM settings.
• Open the source directory directly on the host.
• If it is a network directory, restore host network connectivity and credentials.
• Check whether the path was moved, renamed, disconnected, or removed.
• Re-enable the share and restart the VM if necessary.

/mnt/hgfs is missing or empty in Linux

• Confirm that VMware Tools or the open-vm-tools shared-folder component is installed and active.
• Create the mount point if required.
• Use the applicable vmhgfs-fuse mounting procedure.
• Check the distribution's service and mount configuration if the share must be mounted persistently.
• Remember that some distributions and versions use a different mount arrangement.

The guest can read files but cannot save changes

• Review whether the share is configured as read-only.
• Check host filesystem permissions for the account and source directory.
• For a network directory, check network-share permissions and credentials.
• Close the file in other host or guest applications before trying again.

File contents become inconsistent

• Stop simultaneous editing immediately.
• Restore from a backup or version-control history if necessary.
• Use a workflow in which only one environment writes a file at a time.
• Use separate copies when both environments need independent edits.

Key points

• A shared folder exposes a selected host-accessible directory inside a guest VM for file exchange.
• The host source may be local or network-based, but the host must be able to access it.
• VMware Tools or the appropriate open-vm-tools components are required.
• Windows commonly uses \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\; Linux commonly uses /mnt/hgfs.
• Use least-privilege folders and read-only access when possible.
• Never edit the same writable file concurrently from the host and guest.

For the next task, follow the configuration sequence above, then use the separate Windows or Linux access procedure to locate the share and validate it with harmless test files. See the shared folders overview when reviewing the feature's requirements and limitations.