Access Shared Folders in VMware Workstation Player

Learn how to enable VMware Workstation Player shared folders, access them from Windows or Linux guests, map drives, mount shares, and troubleshoot permissions.

A VMware shared folder lets a guest operating system access a selected directory on the host operating system. The host is the operating system installed directly on the physical computer. The guest is the operating system running inside a virtual machine, which is a software-defined computer managed by VMware Workstation Player.

Shared folders are useful for transferring installers, source code, documents, and test files without removable media or a separate network file share. This guide covers setup and access from Windows and Linux guests.

What a VMware shared folder does

A shared folder is a host directory exposed to a guest through VMware integration features. The host path might be a directory such as a Windows folder or a Linux directory, while the guest sees the share through a VMware-provided path. The configured share name is the label visible inside the guest and can differ from the full host path.

Shared folders are different from other integration methods:

Drag-and-drop transfers selected items interactively between host and guest.
Copy-and-paste transfers clipboard content, and sometimes files, when guest integration supports it.
USB passthrough connects a physical USB device to the guest, usually disconnecting it from the host while in use.
Ordinary network file sharing uses a network protocol such as SMB and requires network services, addressing, and authentication.
Shared folders expose a chosen host directory through VMware Tools, without requiring a separate network share.

Requirements before configuring sharing

The virtual machine should be powered off, or in a state that permits its hardware and option settings to be changed.
VMware Tools must be installed and running in the guest. VMware Tools is guest integration software that enables features such as shared folders, display integration, and time synchronization. Linux distributions may provide the related open-vm-tools packages.
The account running VMware Workstation Player must have permission to read the selected host directory. It also needs write permission if the guest will modify files.
Shared-folder support must be enabled in the virtual machine configuration.

For background, see what a virtual machine is and how drag-and-drop integration differs.

Configure a shared folder

Open VMware Workstation Player and select the virtual machine.
Open the virtual machine settings. If the guest is running, shut it down first when the settings controls are unavailable.
Open Options > Shared Folders.
Enable folder sharing.
Choose whether sharing is Always enabled or enabled only until the virtual machine is powered off or suspended.
Select Add, choose the host directory, and continue.
Enter a share name. Use a short, clear label such as Installers or Project.
Enable Read-only if the guest should view and copy files but must not modify the host directory.
Save the settings and start or restart the guest if necessary.

The host folder path identifies the real directory on the physical computer. The share name identifies that directory inside the guest; these values do not need to be identical.

Option	Effect	When to use it
Always enabled	The share remains configured across normal guest restarts.	Use for a project or documents directory needed regularly.
Enabled until next power off or suspend	The share is temporary and stops being enabled after the specified power-state change.	Use for a one-time installer or temporary transfer.
Read-only	The guest can view and copy files but cannot modify them through the share.	Use when the guest only needs source files for review or testing.
Read-write	The guest can create, change, and delete files when host and guest permissions allow it.	Use only when guest changes to the host directory are intentional.

Access a shared folder from a Windows guest

Windows guests commonly access VMware shared folders through this UNC network path:

\\vmware-host\Shared Folders\

In the guest, open File Explorer, select the address bar, enter the path, and press Enter. You can also open the Run dialog and enter the same path. The resulting view lists the configured share names. Open a share to browse its files.

Guest operating system	Typical shared-folder location	How to open it	Notes
Windows guest	`\\vmware-host\Shared Folders\`	Enter the UNC path in File Explorer or the Run dialog.	Share names appear beneath the VMware shared-folder root.
Linux guest	`/mnt/hgfs`	Open the directory in a file manager or use shell commands.	The directory must be mounted and the user must have appropriate permissions.

Map a recurring share to a drive letter

Open File Explorer, right-click This PC, and choose the option to map a network drive.
Select an unused drive letter.
Enter the complete UNC path, for example \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\Installers.
Enable the reconnect-at-sign-in option if the share should be available after each Windows login.
Finish the wizard and open the new drive.

You can copy an installer from the shared folder to a local guest directory before running it if the installer requires local files or if you want a separate guest copy. Basic operations such as opening, copying, renaming, and deleting follow the configured sharing mode and both operating systems' permissions. A read-only share permits viewing and copying but blocks changes through the share.

Example: transfer an installer

Create or select a host directory containing the installer.
Add that directory under Options > Shared Folders, using a name such as Installers.
In the Windows guest, open \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\Installers.
Copy the installer into the guest if a local copy is required, then run it.

Access a shared folder from a Linux guest

Linux guests commonly expose VMware shared folders below the mount point /mnt/hgfs. A mount point is a Linux directory where a filesystem or shared resource becomes accessible.

List the directory with:

ls -la /mnt/hgfs

When the share is mounted automatically, each configured share commonly appears as a subdirectory. To check whether a VMware shared-folder filesystem is mounted, run:

mount | grep hgfs

To ask VMware Tools which share names it recognizes, run:

vmware-hgfsclient

If automatic mounting is unavailable, create the mount point and use the VMware FUSE utility supplied by the guest tools:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/hgfs
sudo vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other

The directory and options may need adjustment for the Linux distribution and its VMware Tools package. The allow_other option can require an appropriate FUSE configuration and should not be enabled casually on a multi-user system.

Linux permissions

A mounted share can still be inaccessible to a normal user. Check the directory ownership and permissions:

ls -ld /mnt/hgfs
ls -la /mnt/hgfs/Project

Also check that the host account running VMware Workstation Player can access the host directory. Depending on the distribution and mount method, access may depend on the user's group membership, FUSE policy, mount options, and the permissions of the underlying host files. Log out and back in, or restart the guest session, after changing group membership.

Example: share a project with Ubuntu

Add the host project directory as an always-enabled share named Project.
Open /mnt/hgfs/Project in the Ubuntu file manager or terminal.
Check ownership and permissions before editing files.
Choose read-only sharing when the guest only needs source files for review or testing.

Manage and secure shared folders

Return to Virtual Machine Settings > Options > Shared Folders to select a share and edit its host path, share name, duration, or read-only setting. You can disable sharing without removing the configuration, remove an individual share from the virtual machine, or change the host location it exposes.

Share only the directories required for the task. Avoid exposing an entire home directory or system drive.
Prefer read-only mode when the guest does not need to write.
Remember that guest applications with write access can alter or delete host files through a read-write share.
Use a dedicated project or transfer directory when testing untrusted guest software.
Check file locks and application behavior before assuming a change was lost.

Verify VMware Tools and sharing

Check that VMware Tools or the Linux distribution's open-vm-tools package is installed.
Verify that its guest service is running. The exact service name and status command vary by operating system.
Reopen the virtual machine configuration and confirm that sharing is enabled and the expected host path still exists.
Confirm that the host account running VMware Workstation Player can access that path.
Restart the guest, or at least restart the guest session, after installing tools or changing sharing settings.

Troubleshoot shared-folder problems

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
Shared folder does not appear	Sharing is disabled, VMware Tools is missing or stopped, the host path is unavailable, or the guest needs a restart.	Enable the share, repair or start VMware Tools, verify the host path, and restart the guest.
Linux mount directory is empty or absent	The VMware filesystem is not mounted, the mount point does not exist, or the guest tools are inactive.	Install or activate VMware Tools or `open-vm-tools`, check with `vmware-hgfsclient`, create `/mnt/hgfs` if needed, and mount using the supported FUSE method.
Access denied	The host account lacks permission, Linux user or group permissions are insufficient, or mount restrictions apply.	Correct host permissions, inspect Linux ownership and groups, and review mount options. Do not use elevated guest applications as a substitute for fixing permissions.
Guest can read but cannot write	The share is read-only or the host filesystem blocks writes.	Turn off read-only only when write access is required, then verify host and guest permissions.
Configuration controls are unavailable	The VM power state or current configuration prevents editing.	Power off or suspend as appropriate, then reopen the virtual machine settings.

Windows share missing

Do not search only the guest's ordinary local disks. Open \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\ directly. If it fails, confirm that the share is enabled, the configured host directory still exists, and VMware Tools is running. A restart may be required after changing settings.

Linux share missing

Check whether /mnt/hgfs exists and whether mount | grep hgfs returns a mounted filesystem. If no shares are listed by vmware-hgfsclient, inspect the VM configuration and VMware Tools service first. If shares are detected but not mounted, create the mount point and use the supported vmhgfs-fuse command for the distribution.

Changes do not persist

Verify that you edited files inside the shared-folder path rather than a local copy in the guest. Confirm that the host folder path has not changed and that the share is not read-only. Application permissions, file locks, and host filesystem permissions can also prevent writes.

Key points

A shared folder exposes a selected host directory to the guest through VMware Tools.
Windows guests commonly use \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\; Linux guests commonly use /mnt/hgfs.
The share name is the guest-visible label, not necessarily the host directory name.
Read-only mode protects the host directory from guest-side modifications.
Always limit the exposed directories and verify permissions on both host and guest.

For adjacent file-transfer and device options, see USB connection behavior, VM networking configurations, and installing VMware Workstation Player on Linux.