VMware Player online course

Enable and Use Unity Mode in VMware Player

Learn how to enable Unity Mode in VMware Player, launch guest applications from the Start menu, use them beside host apps, and exit Unity Mode.

Unity Mode is a VMware Player display mode that presents applications running in a virtual machine as separate windows on the host system's desktop. The virtual machine is still running normally, but the regular VMware Player window is hidden while Unity Mode is active.

A host system is the physical computer and its desktop operating system. A guest operating system is the operating system running inside the virtual machine. Applications shown in Unity Mode remain guest applications; displaying their windows on the host desktop does not move them out of the guest operating system.

For background information, see What Is Unity Mode, What Is a Virtual Machine, and What Is A Guest Operating System.

Requirements before enabling Unity Mode

  • The virtual machine must be powered on. Unity Mode cannot be entered from a powered-off virtual machine.
  • You must be able to access the VMware Player application menu.
  • The guest operating system should be running far enough for its desktop and applications to be available.

If necessary, start the virtual machine first by following Start A Virtual Machine.

Enable Unity Mode

  1. Power on the virtual machine and wait for the guest operating system to finish starting.
  2. Click the VMware Player window so its controls are active.
  3. Open the Player menu.
  4. Select Unity.
Player > Unity

After you select Unity, VMware Player hides the conventional virtual machine window. Guest applications that are already open appear as individual windows on the host desktop. The transition does not shut down the virtual machine or close those applications.

How Unity Mode changes the desktop

In the standard view, the guest desktop is displayed inside the VMware Player window. In Unity Mode, that container window is hidden and each open guest application can appear beside applications from the host operating system.

  • Open guest applications appear as separate windows on the host desktop.
  • Guest application windows can appear on the host system's taskbar.
  • The windows still use guest operating-system processes, files, settings, and resources.
  • Closing a guest application closes it in the virtual machine; it does not uninstall or convert the application into a host application.

Access the guest Start menu

The guest operating system's Start menu is the application menu inside the virtual machine. Unity Mode exposes this menu through its integration interface, so you can launch more guest applications without first restoring the full virtual machine desktop.

  1. Move the pointer to the Unity interface area or the host taskbar until the virtual machine's Start menu control is visible.
  2. Select the guest Start menu.
  3. Browse or search the guest application's list.

The exact location and appearance of the Start menu control can vary with the guest operating system and VMware Player interface. Look for the guest operating system's Start control rather than the host operating system's ordinary application menu.

Launch a guest application in Unity Mode

Choose an application from the guest Start menu. VMware Player launches that application inside the guest operating system, then displays its window directly on the host desktop.

Example: launch Notepad

  1. Enter Unity Mode with the virtual machine powered on.
  2. Reveal and open the guest Start menu.
  3. Select Notepad from the guest application's list.
  4. Use the Notepad window on the host desktop. Notepad continues to run inside the virtual machine.

If another guest application was already open when Unity Mode began, it should also be visible as a separate host-desktop window and may have an entry on the host taskbar.

Exit Unity Mode

To leave Unity Mode, display the VMware Player window again. Unity Mode hides this window, so use the Unity interface or the application's taskbar entry to bring VMware Player back into view.

  1. Display or select the VMware Player window.
  2. Use the Exit Unity control.
  3. Confirm that the regular VMware Player virtual machine display returns.
Exit Unity

Exiting Unity Mode returns you to the standard virtual machine view. It does not power off the virtual machine or automatically close the guest applications.

Troubleshooting

The Unity option cannot be used

Confirm that the virtual machine is powered on and that the guest operating system has started. A powered-off virtual machine cannot provide guest applications for Unity Mode.

The VMware Player interface is no longer visible

This is expected while Unity Mode is active: the normal VMware Player window is hidden. Use the Unity interface or select VMware Player from the host taskbar to display the Player window, then choose Exit Unity if you need the standard view.

A guest application opens as a host-desktop window

This is the intended Unity Mode behavior. The application is still running in the guest operating system; Unity Mode simply displays its window alongside host application windows.

The conventional guest desktop is not visible

Use the virtual machine's Start menu exposed by Unity Mode to launch another guest application. You do not need to restore the full virtual machine window just to start an application.

Key points to remember

  • Unity Mode integrates guest application windows with the host desktop.
  • The virtual machine must be powered on before you select Player > Unity.
  • The VMware Player window is hidden, while open guest applications can appear on the host taskbar.
  • Use the guest Start menu to launch additional applications.
  • Guest applications remain inside the guest operating system even when their windows appear on the host desktop.
  • Display VMware Player again and select Exit Unity to return to the normal view.