VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

How to Suspend and Resume a Virtual Machine in VMware Player

Learn how to suspend a running VMware Player virtual machine, resume it later, protect its .vmss state file, and choose between suspend, shutdown, and power off.

A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs inside another computer. In VMware Player, the physical computer and its operating system are the host, while the operating system running inside the VM is the guest operating system.

Suspend is a VMware power action that saves a running VM's current execution state so you can continue later. Resume restores that saved state. This is a pause-and-continue workflow, not a normal shutdown.

What Suspending a Virtual Machine Does

When you suspend a VM, VMware Player saves its current in-memory execution state to storage. The saved state can include the guest operating system's active desktop session, open applications, open documents, and other running state.

When you resume the VM, VMware Player reloads that state. In normal circumstances, the guest returns to the same session instead of starting with a complete operating system boot.

• Open applications normally remain open.
• Documents and windows normally return to their previous state.
• The guest desktop normally appears as it did when suspension occurred.
• The VM is paused rather than cleanly shut down.

Save important work before suspending. Although suspension is intended to preserve the live session, saving reduces the risk of losing recent changes if the host, storage, or suspend operation encounters a problem.

When to Use Suspend

Use suspend when you expect to return to the same guest session and want to avoid closing applications or repeating setup steps.

• Pause a study lab with a browser, terminal, and unfinished exercise open.
• Temporarily stop an application session while freeing host resources.
• Leave an unfinished task and continue later from the same desktop state.

For long-term storage, backup, migration, or virtual machine configuration maintenance, a proper guest shutdown is generally preferable. A shutdown closes the guest operating system cleanly and leaves the VM in a more conventional stopped state.

How to Suspend a Running VM

1. Confirm that the intended virtual machine is running in VMware Player.
2. Save important files inside the guest operating system.
3. Open the VMware Player menu.
4. Choose Player > Power > Suspend Guest.
5. Wait for the suspend operation to finish. VMware Player may display progress while the VM state is written to disk.
6. Only after the operation completes should you close VMware Player or shut down, restart, or disconnect the host computer.

How to Resume a Suspended VM

VMware Player identifies a VM as suspended when it has a saved running state available rather than being completely powered off. The library or VM screen may provide a resume or play action for that state.

1. Open VMware Player.
2. Select the suspended virtual machine.
3. Choose Play virtual machine.
4. Allow VMware Player to reload the saved machine state.

After resumption, the guest normally returns to its earlier desktop session without going through a full operating system boot sequence. Applications and documents that were open at suspension should normally be present.

Understanding the .vmss Suspend-State File

VMware uses the .vmss file extension for a suspended virtual machine state. This file stores the saved state needed to resume the VM, including information about its running execution state.

The .vmss file belongs with the VM's other files in its virtual machine folder. VMware Player reads it when the suspended machine is resumed.

• Do not manually delete a .vmss file while its VM is suspended.
• Do not move, edit, rename, or separate the file from the rest of the VM files.
• Keep the complete virtual machine folder together when moving or copying it.
• Ensure the host drive has enough free space for the saved state.

If the saved state is damaged or unavailable, VMware Player may offer an option to discard the suspended state and start the VM normally. Discarding the state loses the prior in-memory session, so use that option only when recovery is not possible or the saved session is no longer needed.

Suspend Compared with Other Power Actions

VMware Player offers several different ways to stop or pause a VM. The correct choice depends on whether preserving the live session or performing a clean shutdown is more important.

Action: Suspend

Guest session: Preserved in its current live state.

Return behavior: Reloads the saved session, usually without a full guest boot.

Risk to unsaved work: Usually low, but saving first is recommended.

Best use: Returning soon to the same lab, applications, and desktop state.

Action: Shut down guest

Guest session: Closed cleanly through the guest operating system.

Return behavior: The guest performs a normal startup the next time it is launched.

Risk to unsaved work: Low if applications and documents are saved before shutdown.

Best use: Long pauses, backups, migration, maintenance, or any situation requiring a clean guest state.

Action: Power off

Guest session: Stopped immediately, similar to cutting power to a physical computer.

Return behavior: The guest starts normally and may need filesystem or application recovery.

Risk to unsaved work: High; unsaved data and guest consistency may be affected.

Best use: An unresponsive VM or an intentionally abrupt stop when safer actions are unavailable.

Factors That Affect Suspend and Resume Time

Suspend and resume are not always immediate. Their duration depends on how much runtime state must be saved or restored and how quickly the host can read and write it.

Factor: Configured guest memory

Effect: A VM with more assigned memory may have more state to process.

User consideration: Memory-intensive VMs can take noticeably longer to suspend or resume.

Factor: Active applications and changed memory pages

Effect: Busy applications can create more changed runtime state.

User consideration: A heavily used VM may take longer than a lightly used VM.

Factor: Host disk speed

Effect: Slow storage increases the time needed to write and read state.

User consideration: Fast local SSD storage generally provides a better experience.

Factor: Free host storage

Effect: Insufficient space can delay or prevent saving the state.

User consideration: Check the drive containing the VM before suspending.

Factor: Competing host workload

Effect: Other disk- or CPU-heavy work can slow the operation.

User consideration: Reduce competing host activity when possible.

The first suspend may take longer than later suspend operations. Allow a memory-intensive VM to finish instead of assuming that VMware Player has stopped responding.

Safe Operating Practices and Limitations

• Save important work in the guest before suspending.
• Wait for the suspend progress indication to complete.
• Do not force VMware Player to terminate during suspension.
• Do not shut down or disconnect the host until suspension finishes.
• Keep the VM's files together, including its .vmss file.
• Maintain sufficient free space on the host drive.

A suspended VM may not be suitable for every workload. Network connections can expire while the guest is paused. Remote sessions, timers, hardware-dependent tasks, and time-sensitive services may not tolerate a long pause. After resuming, reconnect network applications and check external devices or services as needed.

For workloads that must stop cleanly or should not be paused, shut down the guest operating system instead of suspending it.

Practical Example: Pausing a Study Lab

Suppose a learner has a guest operating system open with a browser, terminal, and unfinished lab exercise. The learner saves the lab files, chooses Player > Power > Suspend Guest, and waits for the operation to complete.

Later, the learner opens VMware Player, selects the suspended VM, and chooses Play virtual machine. VMware Player reloads the saved state, returning the learner to the same applications and desktop session. Network-based tools may need to reconnect, but the guest normally does not perform a full boot.

Choosing the Right Power Action

• Choose suspend when returning soon and preserving the exact desktop state matters.
• Choose shut down guest when the VM will be unused for an extended period or needs clean operating system closure.
• Avoid power off unless the VM is unresponsive or an abrupt stop is deliberately required.

Troubleshooting Suspend and Resume

Suspend Is Taking Longer Than Expected

Common causes include a large or actively changing guest memory state, slow host storage, low free disk space, and heavy host disk or CPU activity.

• Allow the operation to complete.
• Reduce competing host workload.
• Check available space on the drive containing the VM.
• Use faster local storage where possible.

The VM Does Not Resume Normally

Possible causes include a moved, deleted, or damaged .vmss file; an interruption during suspension; host power loss; or unavailable VM storage.

• Keep all VM files together in the original VM directory.
• Do not modify or delete the .vmss file for a suspended VM.
• If recovery fails, use the appropriate VMware Player option to discard the suspended state and start normally, understanding that the prior in-memory session will be lost.

Suspend Guest Is Unavailable

The option may be unavailable because the selected VM is not running, it is already suspended, or VMware Player is performing another power operation.

• Confirm that the intended VM is running.
• Wait for any current power transition to finish.
• If the VM is already suspended, choose Play virtual machine to resume it instead.

Guest Applications Behave Unexpectedly After Resuming

Network sessions, remote connections, timers, and external devices may have changed while the VM was paused.

• Reconnect network-based applications if necessary.
• Check time-sensitive services and external device connections.
• Use a clean guest shutdown for workloads that should not be paused.

Summary

Suspending a VMware Player VM saves its running in-memory state so the guest operating system, applications, documents, and desktop session can normally continue later. Use Player > Power > Suspend Guest, wait for completion, and resume by selecting the suspended VM and choosing Play virtual machine. Keep the .vmss file with the rest of the VM, save important work first, and use guest shutdown rather than suspend for long-term storage, maintenance, backups, or workloads that cannot tolerate being paused.