Using Drag-and-Drop Between a Host and Virtual Machine in VMware Workstation Player

Learn how to use VMware Workstation Player drag-and-drop to copy files, folders, text, images, and email attachments between a host and guest.

VMware Workstation Player drag-and-drop lets you transfer supported content between the host system and a running virtual machine. The host system is the physical computer and operating system on which VMware Workstation Player runs. The guest operating system is the operating system running inside the virtual machine (VM).

This feature is a desktop convenience for moving content through graphical interfaces. It is not a shared-folder mechanism, a network-transfer mechanism, or a synchronization system.

Requirements Before You Start

VMware Tools must be installed and operating in the guest. VMware Tools is guest-side integration software that enables features such as drag-and-drop. If it is missing, unavailable, or outdated, dragging content may do nothing.

Start the virtual machine and sign in to its graphical desktop.
Make sure VMware Tools is installed and functioning in the guest operating system.
Use an appropriate graphical source and destination, such as a file manager, desktop, or application.
For Linux hosts or guests, use an active X-Windows graphical environment. X-Windows, also called the X Window System, provides the graphical session required for relevant Linux scenarios.
For a Solaris 10 guest, use an Xorg server with the JDS/Gnome desktop environment.

These are platform prerequisites. Applications can impose additional restrictions, particularly for image, text, and email-attachment transfers.

What Drag-and-Drop Can Transfer

The basic workflow is simple: select supported content in a source application or file manager, drag it into the destination system, and release the mouse button over a supported destination.

Content type — Supported — Conditions or limitations

Files — Yes — The destination receives a copy.

Folders — Yes — The destination receives a copied directory and its contents.

Email attachments — Yes — The item must be smaller than 4 MB.

Plain text — Yes — The text must be Unicode and smaller than 4 MB.

Formatted text — Yes — The text must be Unicode and smaller than 4 MB.

Images — Limited — Supported only when both host and guest are Windows systems and the drag occurs between applications.

Images involving Linux — No — Linux hosts and Linux guests do not support image dragging.

Copy Behavior: What Happens to the Source?

File and folder drag-and-drop uses copy behavior. A separate item is created at the drop destination, while the original remains in its original location.

Dragging a file does not remove it from the source.
Dragging a folder does not empty or relocate the source folder.
Editing the destination copy does not edit the source item.
The two items are independent; drag-and-drop does not create synchronization.

Example: Copy a Text File from a Windows Host to a Windows Guest

Start the Windows guest VM and wait until its desktop is available.
On the Windows host, locate a small sample text file on the desktop or in File Explorer.
Select the file, hold the mouse button, and drag it into an appropriate folder or onto the guest desktop.
Release the mouse button at the destination.
Open the guest destination and confirm that the file appears.
Check the host location and confirm that the original file is still present.
Modify the guest copy, for example by adding a line of text, and then open the host original. The host file should remain unchanged.

This test demonstrates that the operation creates a copy rather than moving the original or maintaining a synchronized relationship.

Transferring Text and Email Attachments

You can drag a text selection from a host application into a compatible guest application. Only Unicode text is supported. Unicode is a set of character representations designed to encode text from many writing systems.

Text and email attachments must each be less than 4 MB. An item that is exactly 4 MB or larger is outside this limit. For larger content, save it as a file and use another transfer method.

Small Unicode Text Example

Select Unicode text smaller than 4 MB in a host application.
Drag the selection into a compatible application in the guest.
Release it and verify that the guest application receives the text.

Formatted text can also be supported, but the same Unicode and size restrictions apply. Whether formatting is preserved can depend on the source and destination applications.

Image Transfer Restrictions

Image dragging has a narrower support condition than file dragging. It is supported only when:

The host operating system is Windows.
The guest operating system is Windows.
The image is dragged between applications.

Linux hosts and Linux guests do not support image dragging. Any scenario involving Linux should therefore be treated as unsupported for image drag-and-drop, even if ordinary file transfers work.

Checking an Image Before You Try

Identify the host and guest operating systems.
Confirm that both are Windows.
Use an application-to-application drag for the image.
If either system is Linux, use a file-transfer alternative instead.

Platform and Environment Requirements

Environment — Requirement — Effect if unmet

All supported guest scenarios — VMware Tools installed and operational in the guest — Drag-and-drop may be unavailable.

Linux host or guest — An active X-Windows graphical environment — Relevant graphical drag-and-drop scenarios may not work in a text-only or unsupported session.

Solaris 10 guest — An Xorg server and the JDS/Gnome desktop environment — The specified Solaris guest support condition is not met.

Windows host and Windows guest image transfer — Image dragging must occur between applications — Image dragging from or to an unsupported interface may fail.

When Drag-and-Drop Is Not Suitable

Choose another transfer method when the item or platform does not meet the drag-and-drop requirements. Common alternatives include:

Shared folders: useful when the host and guest need access to a common directory. See What Are Shared Folders and Accessing a Shared Folder.
Network shares: appropriate for larger files or repeated transfers across a configured network.
Removable media: useful when a USB device can be assigned to the VM. See Connecting or Disconnecting a USB Device to a Virtual Machine.
Cloud storage: useful when both systems can access the same online storage.

Use an alternative for text or email attachments that are 4 MB or larger, non-Unicode text, image transfers involving Linux, or situations requiring ongoing two-way updates.

Troubleshooting Drag-and-Drop

Nothing Happens When You Drag

Verify that VMware Tools is installed and functioning in the guest.
Confirm that the guest is running a supported graphical desktop rather than a text-only session.
Retry with a small ordinary file to separate a general integration problem from an item-type restriction.
Check whether the source and destination applications support the attempted operation.

An Image Will Not Transfer

Confirm that both host and guest operating systems are Windows.
Perform the drag between applications.
If either system is Linux, stop retrying the image drag and use a file-transfer alternative.

Text or an Email Attachment Fails

Check that the item is smaller than 4 MB.
Try a smaller item.
Confirm that the text is Unicode.
Save the content as a file and transfer that file through a shared folder, network share, removable device, or cloud-storage service.

The Source File Remains

This is expected. File and folder drag-and-drop copies content; it does not remove the source. Manually move or delete the original only if required.

Changes Do Not Appear on the Other System

The destination is an independent copy. Compare the source and destination paths to verify this. If both systems need to see ongoing updates, use shared storage or a synchronization solution instead of drag-and-drop.

Exam-Relevant Notes

VMware Tools is required in the guest for drag-and-drop.
Files and folders are copied, not moved or synchronized.
Text and email attachments must be less than 4 MB.
Only Unicode text is supported for text drag-and-drop.
Image dragging requires Windows on both host and guest and application-to-application dragging.
Linux image dragging is unsupported.
Linux host or guest scenarios require an X-Windows graphical environment.
A Solaris 10 guest requires Xorg and JDS/Gnome for the stated support condition.

For a broader introduction to the software-defined computer running inside Player, see Virtual Machine Explained. To review the larger learning sequence, see the VMware Workstation Player Course.