VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

VMware Workstation Player Home Screen: Interface Components and Common Actions

Learn the VMware Workstation Player home screen, including the Player menu, toolbar, Library, Home view, VM settings, power controls, full screen, Unity, and common workflows.

VMware Workstation Player is a desktop virtualization application used to create, open, run, and manage virtual machines (VMs). A virtual machine is a software-defined computer that runs a guest operating system inside the application. The physical computer and its operating system are the host system.

This lesson explains the main areas of the VMware Workstation Player home screen and shows how to create, open, select, start, configure, display, and stop a VM.

What the VMware Workstation Player home screen does

The home screen is the initial management interface shown when VMware Workstation Player opens. It provides access to common Player tasks and to virtual machines that Player knows about.

The home screen is not the same as a running guest desktop. When Home is selected, the main working area shows shortcuts for initial tasks. When a VM is selected in the Library, the working area changes to that VM's information and management view.

Use Home to create a new VM or open an existing VM.
Use the Library to select a VM that has already been created or opened.
Use the selected VM view to review information, open settings, and start the VM.
Use the toolbar and Player menu for operations that apply to the selected VM.

Overall interface layout

The interface is organized into a menu area, an action toolbar, a Library pane, and a main working window. The selected item in the Library determines what appears in the working window.

Component	Location or selection context	Primary purpose	Typical actions
Player menu	Application menu area	Groups application and VM commands	Create or open a VM, manage power, and change display options
Action icon toolbar	Toolbar near the top of the application	Provides quick controls for the selected VM	Power operations, Ctrl+Alt+Del, full screen, and Unity
Library	Navigation pane	Lists VMs known to Player	Select a VM or return to Home
Home view	Displayed when Home is selected	Provides common initial-task shortcuts	Create a new VM or open an existing VM
Selected VM information view	Displayed when a VM is selected	Shows summary information and management options	Open settings or start the VM
Working window	Main content area	Shows contextual content for the current selection	Home shortcuts, VM details, or the running guest display

Immediately after installation, the Library may be empty. In that state, Home remains available in the navigation area, while the working window presents the options to create a new VM or open an existing one. There is no VM console to display until a VM is opened and started.

The Player menu

The Player menu groups common commands for application and virtual machine management. File-related commands commonly include creating a new virtual machine and opening an existing virtual machine from its saved location.

Depending on the selected VM and its current power state, the menu can also provide power and restart-related actions. Display commands can include entering full-screen mode. The exact command list can vary by product version, operating system, VM state, and organizational configuration.

Create a new virtual machine: Starts the workflow for defining a VM and installing or attaching a guest operating system.
Open an existing virtual machine: Adds a VM from its accessible files to the Player Library.
Power and restart commands: Control whether the VM starts, suspends, restarts, shuts down, or powers off.
Display commands: Change how the running VM is presented, including full-screen mode where supported.

Action icons and toolbar controls

Action icons are quick controls for common VM operations. Toolbar actions apply to the VM currently selected in the Library. If no VM is selected, or if the VM is in an incompatible state, an action may be unavailable.

Control	Action	When available	Important notes
Power control	Power on, suspend, restart, or power off	Depends on the selected VM's current state	Choose the least disruptive operation that meets the goal
Send Ctrl+Alt+Del	Sends the Ctrl+Alt+Del sequence to the guest	When a suitable VM is selected, usually while it is running	Prevents the host from receiving the physical keyboard shortcut
Horizon FLEX Server connection	Connects to eligible managed or restricted VMs	Only in configured environments	Usually relevant to organization-managed installations
Full screen	Makes the VM display fill the screen	Typically while a VM is running	Use the corresponding control or menu action to return to windowed mode
Unity mode	Shows supported guest applications alongside host applications	Requires a running, compatible guest and integration support	It is not available for every guest OS or installation

Power control

The power control presents actions appropriate to the selected VM's state:

Power on starts a VM.
Suspend pauses the VM by saving its active state so the same session can be resumed later.
Restart reboots the VM or its guest operating system, depending on the selected operation.
Power off stops the VM without necessarily allowing the guest operating system to shut down cleanly.

Send Ctrl+Alt+Del

The Send Ctrl+Alt+Del command delivers the key sequence to the guest VM. This dedicated command matters because the host operating system may intercept the physical Ctrl+Alt+Del combination before the guest can receive it. Select the VM, then use the toolbar command instead of pressing the physical keys when the guest needs this sequence.

Horizon FLEX Server connection

The Horizon FLEX Server control is intended for connecting to eligible managed or restricted virtual machines through a configured VMware Horizon FLEX environment. It is not required for normal local VM creation and operation, and it may not be useful in a personal installation without organization-provided configuration.

Full-screen and Unity modes

Full-screen mode enlarges the VM display so that it fills the screen. Use it when you want the guest desktop to occupy most or all of the display. Use the full-screen control or the relevant menu action to return to normal windowed operation.

Unity mode is a supported integration mode that presents compatible guest applications alongside applications on the host desktop. It requires guest integration support and a compatible guest configuration. If Unity is unavailable, use the normal windowed or full-screen display instead.

The Library pane

The Library is the pane listing virtual machines that have been created in or opened with VMware Workstation Player. Selecting an entry makes that VM the active target for management commands.

A newly installed Player instance can have an empty Library. To add a VM, select Home and choose either the option to create a new VM or the option to open an existing VM. Opening a VM does not mean that it is already running; it makes the VM known to Player and places it in the Library.

Open VMware Workstation Player.
Look at the Library. If it has no VM entries, select Home.
Choose to create a new VM or open an existing VM.
After the workflow completes, select the VM entry in the Library.

Home view and working window

Selecting Home displays shortcuts for common initial tasks in the working window. The most important onboarding actions are creating a new VM and opening an existing VM.

The working window is contextual rather than a permanent VM console. With Home selected, it shows task shortcuts. With a VM selected, it shows information and controls for that VM. Once the VM is running, the working area can display the guest operating system.

Selected virtual machine view

Selecting a VM in the Library changes the working window to that VM's information page. The page provides a conceptual summary of the VM, such as its identity, current state, and available management options.

Use the start or power-on option to launch a powered-off VM.
Use the settings or configuration option to edit the VM before starting it.
Review the current state before choosing a power operation.

VM settings describe the virtual hardware and related options assigned to the VM. For example, before startup you might review allocated memory or the virtual network configuration. Editing these settings is different from interacting with the guest operating system. Settings change the VM's virtual hardware; actions inside the running guest change the guest's files, applications, or operating-system state.

Common navigation and management workflows

First launch with no virtual machines

Open VMware Workstation Player.
Identify Home in the navigation area and confirm that the Library is empty.
Choose Create a new virtual machine if you need to define a VM.
Choose Open an existing virtual machine if VM files already exist on the host.
After the VM appears in the Library, select it to review its information page.

Starting a VM already listed in the Library

Select the VM in the Library.
Review the information shown in the working window, including its current state.
Use the start option in the VM view or the power control to power on the VM.
Once the VM is running, additional state-dependent actions may become available, such as suspend, restart, full screen, or Send Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Adjusting configuration before startup

Select a powered-off VM in the Library.
Open its settings or configuration editor.
Review a non-destructive setting, such as allocated memory or network configuration.
Close or leave the settings editor using the available interface control.
Return to the VM information view and start the VM.

Changing display mode while a VM is running

Start a supported VM and ensure it is selected.
Use the full-screen toolbar control or the relevant Player menu command.
Use the corresponding full-screen control or menu action to return to normal windowed operation.
If guest integration supports Unity, try Unity mode when you want supported guest applications to appear with host applications.

Sending Ctrl+Alt+Del to a Windows guest

Start and select the Windows guest VM.
Use the dedicated Send Ctrl+Alt+Del toolbar command.
Allow the guest to process the sequence.

Pressing the physical key combination normally risks affecting the host system because the host may intercept it. The Player command directs the sequence to the guest instead.

Stopping work on a running VM

Action	Result	Best use case	Caution
Power on	Starts the VM	Beginning a guest session	Confirm that the VM is the intended Library selection
Suspend	Saves the active VM state and pauses execution	Pausing temporarily while preserving the session	Keep the VM files accessible so the saved state can be resumed
Restart	Reboots the VM or guest operating system	Applying a guest restart or recovering from a normal software problem	Save guest work first when possible
Guest shutdown	Uses the guest operating system's orderly shutdown process	Ending a session safely	Usually the preferred way to stop a running guest
Power off	Stops the VM, potentially immediately	When normal shutdown is not possible	Can cause an unclean guest shutdown or data loss

Prefer the guest operating system's normal shutdown or restart procedure when possible. Choose suspend when the goal is to resume the same active session later. Reserve abrupt power off for situations in which normal shutdown cannot be completed.

Feature availability and operational cautions

Power operations, settings, Unity, full screen, and remote connection options can differ according to the installed Player version, guest operating system support, installed guest integration tools, VM power state, and organizational configuration.

Unity mode requires compatible guest integration support and may not be available for every guest.
Full-screen mode may depend on the running VM and display integration.
Horizon FLEX functionality depends on access to a configured enterprise environment.
Settings options can be limited while a VM is running or suspended.
Toolbar actions are directed at the currently selected VM, not automatically at every VM in the Library.

Troubleshooting the home screen

The Library is empty

No VM may have been created in Player, or an existing VM may not have been opened from its saved location. Return to Home or use the File-related menu action to create a new VM or open an existing one. Confirm that the VM files are accessible on the host system.

A toolbar action is unavailable or disabled

First select a VM in the Library. Then check whether it is powered off, running, or suspended. The action may not apply to that state, or the feature may be unavailable in the installed Player version or environment. The selected VM view and Player menu can help show which commands are currently permitted.

Ctrl+Alt+Del affects the host

The host operating system may be intercepting the physical keyboard shortcut. Select the guest VM and use Player's dedicated Send Ctrl+Alt+Del action.

Unity mode does not appear or cannot be enabled

The guest OS or VM may not support Unity, required guest integration components may be missing or malfunctioning, or the VM may not be running. Use normal windowed or full-screen mode as an alternative, and verify guest compatibility and integration prerequisites for the installed product version.

The Horizon FLEX option is not useful in a personal setup

This usually means that no compatible organization-managed Horizon FLEX environment has been configured. Treat the control as an enterprise-specific feature; it is not required for normal local VM operation.

The guest reports an unclean shutdown

This can happen after a forced power-off operation. Prefer the guest's normal shutdown process when possible. Use suspend for temporary pauses when preserving the active session is appropriate.

Exam-relevant notes

The Library lists VMs known to Player; it is not the same as the guest operating system's application list.
Home shows common task shortcuts, while selecting a VM shows contextual VM information and controls.
Toolbar actions apply to the selected VM and depend on its power state.
Send Ctrl+Alt+Del sends the sequence to the guest instead of relying on the host keyboard shortcut.
Full-screen changes the VM display size; Unity changes how supported guest applications are presented.
Power off is more abrupt than an orderly guest shutdown and can result in an unclean shutdown.

After learning the interface, the next useful topics are VMware Workstation Player home screen navigation, creating a new VM, opening existing VM files, and configuring virtual hardware.