How to Add a CD/DVD-ROM Drive to a Virtual Machine in VMware Player

Learn how to add virtual CD/DVD-ROM drives in VMware Player, mount ISO images, connect host optical drives, choose IDE or SCSI, and troubleshoot detection.

A virtual CD/DVD-ROM drive is an optical-drive device presented to a virtual machine. VMware Player can add one or more of these drives to an existing virtual machine. Each drive can use either a physical optical drive in the host computer or an ISO image file.

The host computer is the physical computer running VMware Player. The guest operating system is the operating system running inside the virtual machine. The guest treats a connected physical disc or mounted ISO as inserted optical media.

What a Virtual CD/DVD-ROM Drive Can Do

Install an operating system from an ISO image or physical installation disc.
Install software distributed on CD or DVD.
Boot recovery and diagnostic media.
Mount disc-based utilities inside the guest operating system.
Provide multiple optical drives when a virtual machine needs more than one disc source.

An ISO image is a file containing the contents of an optical disc. In ISO mode, VMware Player presents that file to the guest as virtual CD/DVD media. In physical-drive mode, VMware Player gives the guest access to a selected optical drive attached to the host.

Prerequisites

Identify the target virtual machine and make sure you can open its settings.
Depending on the configuration and available options, power off the virtual machine before changing its virtual hardware. Hardware changes may not be available while the machine is running.
For physical-drive passthrough, confirm that the host computer has an optical drive and that the intended disc is available.
For ISO media, make sure the file is stored locally, is accessible to the host, and that you know its path.

Open the Virtual Machine Hardware Settings

Open VMware Player and select the target virtual machine.
Use the menu path Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.
In the hardware-management interface, select Add to start the Add Hardware workflow.

Menu wording can vary slightly between VMware Player versions, but the goal is to open the virtual machine's hardware list and start adding a device.

Add a CD/DVD Drive

In the Add Hardware wizard, select CD/DVD Drive.
Continue through the wizard.
Choose the media source: Use physical drive or Use ISO image.
Choose the virtual device bus type, IDE or SCSI, if the wizard provides that option.
Complete the wizard.
Return to the virtual machine hardware list and verify that the new CD/DVD device appears.

Adding the device and connecting media are separate actions. The virtual drive can exist as hardware even when no disc or ISO is connected.

Choose a Media Connection Method

Connection type	Media source	Best use cases	Configuration requirements	Key considerations
Physical drive	A real CD/DVD drive on the host computer	Accessing a disc that is currently inserted in the host	Select a host drive or use Auto detect; insert a readable disc	The host may have limited access while the guest controls the drive
ISO image	A local optical-disc image file	Operating-system installation, repeatable testing, and software installation	Browse to a valid, accessible ISO file	Check the selected path if the guest cannot see the media

Choose ISO mode when you want reproducible installation media or do not have a physical disc. Choose physical-drive mode when the media exists only on a real disc or must be accessed through the host optical drive.

Configure a Physical Host CD/DVD Drive

Choose Use physical drive.
If the host has more than one optical drive, select the specific drive that contains or will contain the disc.
Use Auto detect when VMware Player can safely choose the available host optical drive for you. Select a specific drive instead when several drives are present or automatic detection chooses the wrong one.
Where available, enable Connect at power on to connect the virtual optical device automatically when the virtual machine starts.
Insert the CD or DVD in the host drive, connect the virtual device, and start or resume the virtual machine.

Connect at power on is a setting that automatically connects the virtual optical device at startup. It does not create media or insert a disc into an empty physical drive.

When the virtual machine has control of a physical optical drive, the host operating system may be unable to use that drive normally until the device is disconnected from the guest.

Configure an ISO Image

Choose Use ISO image.
Select Browse and locate the ISO file on the host computer.
Confirm the complete file path and apply the setting.
Enable Connect at power on if available and useful for the planned installation or boot operation.
Start the virtual machine and access the mounted media from the guest operating system.

The ISO must be a valid, readable disc-image file. The guest treats a selected and connected ISO as inserted optical media. If the expected contents do not appear, recheck the file path, confirm that the file still exists, and verify that the virtual device is connected.

Select IDE or SCSI for the Virtual Device

IDE and SCSI are virtual storage-device bus types. They describe how the optical drive appears to the guest operating system, not necessarily how the host's physical hardware is connected.

Virtual bus type	Guest-facing behavior	Host drive interface dependency	Compatibility considerations
IDE	The guest sees the CD/DVD device on a virtual IDE controller	Independent of the host optical-drive interface	Use when the guest supports the available virtual IDE controller
SCSI	The guest sees the CD/DVD device on a virtual SCSI controller	Independent of the host optical-drive interface	Use when the guest supports the available virtual SCSI controller

A host IDE optical drive can be presented to the guest as either an IDE or SCSI virtual device. Select the bus type supported by the guest operating system and by the virtual controllers configured for that machine.

Connect and Verify the New Drive

Finish the hardware-addition process.
Confirm that the CD/DVD device is listed in VMware Player's virtual machine hardware settings.
Power on or resume the virtual machine as needed.
In the guest operating system, check its device list or file manager for the new optical drive.
Confirm that the expected disc label or ISO contents are visible.

If the drive is listed in VMware Player but not in the guest, the hardware exists but the guest may not support the selected controller or may need to restart. If the drive appears but has no contents, the device may be disconnected or have no accessible media.

Practical Examples

Install an Operating System from an ISO

Add a CD/DVD drive through Add > CD/DVD Drive.
Select Use ISO image.
Browse to and select the operating-system ISO.
Enable Connect at power on if available.
Start the virtual machine and boot or install from the mounted image.

If the machine does not boot from the ISO, verify that the device is connected and review the virtual machine's boot order or boot controls.

Access a Software Disc in the Host Drive

Add a CD/DVD drive.
Select Use physical drive.
Select the intended host optical drive, or use Auto detect when appropriate.
Insert the software disc into the host drive.
Connect the device and open it from the guest operating system.

Use Multiple Optical Drives

Repeat the Add Hardware process for each additional CD/DVD drive. For example, configure one device with an ISO and another with a physical host drive or a separate ISO. Verify that each device appears separately in the guest.

Present a Host IDE Drive as a SCSI Device

Choose the host's physical optical drive as the media source.
Set the virtual optical device to IDE or SCSI according to the guest's supported controllers.
Complete the wizard and verify the device in the guest.

The host interface and guest-facing virtual bus are independent, so a host IDE optical drive does not have to appear as IDE inside the virtual machine.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Recommended check	Resolution
The guest does not show the new drive	The wizard was not completed, the machine needs restarting, or the guest lacks the selected controller	Check VMware Player settings, restart or power on the machine, and review IDE/SCSI support	Complete the wizard, restart the guest, or select a guest-compatible bus and controller
The drive is visible but ISO contents are unavailable	Incorrect path, inaccessible or invalid ISO, or disconnected device	Verify the ISO path and file accessibility, then check the device connection	Select a valid ISO and connect the virtual drive
The intended physical drive cannot be used	Wrong drive selected, Auto detect chose another drive, or the drive is empty or busy	Inspect the selected host drive and insert a readable disc	Select the specific drive, insert media, and disconnect/reconnect the device
The drive does not connect at startup	Connect at power on is disabled, or the selected drive or ISO is unavailable	Review the startup connection setting and media location	Enable Connect at power on and restore access to the drive or ISO
A DVD movie will not play correctly	The playback application requires video-overlay support that the virtual graphics environment does not provide	Test whether the problem is limited to DVD movie playback	Use a DVD player application that does not rely on video overlay; treat this as a playback limitation rather than a drive-detection failure

DVD Video Playback Limitation

Under normal virtual graphics handling, VMware Player does not support DVD movie playback that depends on video-overlay capabilities. Some applications may therefore fail even when the optical drive and disc are detected correctly.

If DVD video is required, use a playback application that does not rely on video overlay. A successful drive or media detection check does not guarantee that every DVD playback application will work.

Summary

Use Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings to open hardware settings.
Use Add > CD/DVD Drive to create an optical device.
Select a physical host drive for real discs or an ISO image for file-based media.
Configure Connect at power on when automatic startup connection is needed.
Choose IDE or SCSI based on guest and virtual-controller compatibility, not the host drive's physical interface.
Verify both the virtual hardware and the connected media inside the guest.

For related hardware configuration, see how to add a virtual floppy drive, how to add a generic SCSI device, and how to manually install a guest operating system.