VMware Player Log Files: Message Log and vmware.log

Learn how to open VMware Player's Message Log, find vmware.log in a virtual machine directory, understand log rotation, and troubleshoot VM startup, runtime, and shutdown problems.

VMware Player provides diagnostic information at two levels: the built-in Message Log window and detailed log files stored with the virtual machine. The Message Log is useful for a quick review of warnings, while vmware.log and its rotated copies provide broader information for troubleshooting startup, runtime, device, and shutdown behavior.

This guide assumes that you know the difference between a host system—the physical computer and operating system running VMware Player—and a virtual machine (VM), and that you can locate the VM's files on the host. For related file-management guidance, see VMware Player log files.

VMware Player log sources

A virtual machine's logs are stored on the host system, not inside the guest operating system. The guest is the operating system running inside the VM; the host is the computer that provides the hardware and runs VMware Player.

Log source	How to access it	Information provided	Best use
Message Log	Power on the VM, then select `Player > Manage > Message Log`.	Warning information presented in the VMware Player interface.	Quickly reviewing warnings while the VM is running.
`vmware.log`	Open the VM's directory on the host and inspect the file with a text editor.	Detailed information about startup configuration, VM operations, and shutdown activity for the current run.	Investigating problems that need more detail than the interface provides.
Rotated `vmware-#.log` files	Open the numbered log files in the same VM directory.	Older detailed records retained from previous runs.	Finding events that occurred before the current session.

Viewing the virtual machine Message Log

The virtual machine must be powered on before you open its Message Log. Start the VM and select it in VMware Player, then use this menu path:

Player > Manage > Message Log

VMware Player opens a Message Log window for the selected virtual machine. The Message Log is primarily intended to display warning information. It is a convenient first check when a running VM reports a problem, but it is not a complete record of every operation performed by the VM.

Example: reviewing a warning from a running VM

Power on the virtual machine.
Select the powered-on VM in VMware Player.
Open Player > Manage > Message Log.
Review the warning entries in the Message Log window.

Finding detailed VMware Player logs

Detailed VM logs are stored in the host-system directory where the virtual machine's files are located. This folder is commonly called the virtual machine directory. It contains the VM configuration and storage files, as well as its log files.

Identify the folder that contains the virtual machine's files on the host.
Open that folder with the host operating system's file manager.
Look for the file named vmware.log.
Open the file in a text editor when the VM is not actively changing it, or copy it before inspecting it if the VM is running.

The active file is named vmware.log. You may need to locate the VM folder manually if VMware Player's library view does not show the underlying file location.

What vmware.log records

vmware.log is the current detailed log for a particular instance of the virtual machine running. It can contain information about the VM's initialization and later activity, including:

Startup configuration: virtual hardware settings and initialization details recorded as the VM starts.
Runtime operations: operations performed while the VM is running, including activity involving virtual devices and other VM components.
Shutdown events: actions and conditions recorded as the VM stops or powers off.

Because the file describes one VM run, timestamps and the order of entries are important. When diagnosing a problem, compare the reported symptom with the entries around the same time instead of treating every line as equally relevant.

Startup, runtime, and shutdown investigation

Open the current vmware.log from the VM directory.
Search or scan for entries near the time the problem occurred.
Determine whether the events relate to startup configuration, an operation during execution, or shutdown activity.
If the event is absent from the current file, inspect the numbered rotated logs.

Log rotation and retained files

Log rotation is the process of preserving older log content in numbered files as newer log data is created. VMware Player does not retain only one file indefinitely. The current file remains vmware.log, while older files use names such as vmware-0.log, vmware-1.log, and subsequent numbered names.

File name pattern	Role	When to check it
`vmware.log`	Active/current detailed VM log.	First choice for the current or most recent run.
`vmware-0.log`, `vmware-1.log`, and later numbered files	Retained rotated logs from older VM runs or earlier log content.	When the event is not present in the active log or occurred before the current session.
Six retained rotations	VMware Player retains six rotated VM logs in addition to the active log.	Review the most recent older file first, then continue through older numbered files as needed.

The exact event you need may have moved out of vmware.log after a new run or after enough log data was written. Older rotated files can therefore provide historical context that the current file no longer contains.

Choosing the right log source

Use the Message Log for a fast warning review from the VMware Player interface.
Use vmware.log when you need detailed information about the current VM run.
Use the numbered rotated files when the issue happened during an earlier run or when the active log does not contain the relevant event.

Do not expect the Message Log to contain every VM event. Its warning-focused view is intentionally more limited than the detailed diagnostic files in the virtual machine directory.

Troubleshooting examples

The Message Log does not explain the problem

Locate the VM's directory on the host and inspect vmware.log. Look for entries associated with startup configuration, runtime operations, virtual devices, and shutdown. The detailed file is the appropriate source when the interface shows only a brief warning.

The VM failed during an earlier startup attempt

Locate the virtual machine's folder on the host.
Open the current vmware.log and check whether it contains the failed attempt.
If it does not, inspect vmware-0.log first, followed by older numbered files.
Compare timestamps to identify the file that covers the earlier startup.

You need to determine whether a problem occurred during startup or shutdown

Use the detailed VM logs rather than relying only on the Message Log. Review entries around the relevant timestamp and classify them as startup configuration, runtime operations, or shutdown activity. Compare the active and rotated logs when the event spans more than one VM session.

The Message Log option is unavailable or irrelevant

Confirm that the target virtual machine is powered on and selected in VMware Player. Then reopen Player > Manage > Message Log. If you need information from a powered-off or earlier session, inspect the VM directory and its detailed log files instead.

Practical handling tips

Keep the original log files unchanged when collecting evidence for troubleshooting.
Make a copy before editing, annotating, or sharing a log.
Use timestamps to correlate log entries with the time of the failure.
Include the active log and relevant rotated logs when an issue occurred across multiple runs.
Remember that a log file is host-side diagnostic data; it is separate from files inside the guest operating system.

Exam-relevant distinction: The Message Log is the VMware Player interface view for warning information. vmware.log is the current detailed file in the VM's host-side directory, and vmware-#.log files preserve older rotated information.