VMware Workstation Player Preferences Menu

Learn how to open VMware Workstation Player Preferences and configure VM close behavior, updates, components, proxy access, usage data, and virtual printing.

VMware Workstation Player Preferences are global application settings. They affect how VMware Workstation Player behaves on the host system across virtual machines (VMs), rather than changing the virtual hardware of one selected VM.

The host system is the physical computer and operating system running VMware Workstation Player. A guest operating system is the operating system running inside a VM. Preferences control the application and host-side integration between them; settings such as virtual memory, processors, disks, and network adapters belong to an individual VM.

What VMware Workstation Player Preferences Control

The Preferences window commonly contains controls for:

Whether VMware Workstation Player asks for confirmation before closing a VM.
Whether closing a VM suspends it or powers it off by default.
Checks for newer VMware Workstation Player versions.
Checks for required or newer downloadable software components.
Downloading available components in advance.
Internet access through a proxy server.
Optional sharing of system information and product usage statistics.
Virtual printer integration between the host and guest.

A software component is an additional VMware-provided feature or package that may be downloaded when it is required. VMware Tools, for example, is guest integration software that can improve display, mouse, time synchronization, and other host-guest interactions. Component availability and preference names can vary by product release and host operating system.

Opening the Preferences Window

Start VMware Workstation Player.
Open the application menu.
Navigate to Player > File > Preferences.
Wait for the Preferences dialog to appear.

Some releases or operating systems may place the command in a slightly different menu or use a different menu label. Look for a command named Preferences or an equivalent application-settings entry.

Verify that the Preferences dialog has opened before changing anything. The window should display global categories or options such as close behavior, updates, connection settings, usage data, or virtual printing. If you are looking at a VM's hardware editor, you have opened per-VM settings instead.

For basic interface orientation, see VMware Workstation Player Home Screen and the VMware Workstation Player Course.

Close Behavior Preferences

Confirm Before Closing a Virtual Machine

The confirmation option displays a prompt before VMware Workstation Player closes a VM. This helps prevent an accidental interruption of a running or suspended workload, especially when the VM contains a development environment, lab, long-running computation, or unsaved documents.

Confirmation is recommended when:

You are learning the interface or frequently select close controls by mistake.
The VM contains important work or services.
Several VMs are open and it is easy to select the wrong window.
You want a final chance to review the selected close action.

Experienced users who routinely close VMs and have reliable shutdown procedures may prefer to disable confirmation for a faster workflow. Disabling it does not make the close action safer; it only removes the extra question.

Choosing the Default Close Action

The close-action preference normally offers Suspend the virtual machine and Power off the virtual machine.

Suspend saves the VM's active session so it can resume later. The saved state can include the guest operating system's current memory and device state. Resuming is often faster than starting the guest from the beginning, but the saved state consumes host storage and can become stale after host, application, or VM changes.

Power off stops the VM without preserving its currently running session. The next start is a fresh boot of the guest operating system. This generally avoids keeping a large suspended-memory state, but it is similar to removing power from a physical computer: applications may lose unsaved work, and the guest file system or application data can be left inconsistent if the guest was actively writing.

When possible, shut down the guest operating system normally before intentionally powering off a VM. A guest shutdown allows applications and the operating system to close files and services cleanly.

Action	Preserves Current Session	Typical Next Startup Behavior	Best For	Risks or Trade-offs
Suspend the virtual machine	Yes; saves the active VM session	Resume the saved session, often quickly	Development workspaces, demonstrations, and temporary pauses	Uses storage for state; unsaved application work remains unsaved; state may need to be discarded after major changes
Power off the virtual machine	No	Boot the guest operating system from a stopped state	Cleanly shut-down VMs, disposable labs, or workflows requiring a fresh boot	Can lose unsaved work and may cause guest consistency problems if used instead of a normal guest shutdown

The confirmation and close-action settings work together. With confirmation enabled, VMware Workstation Player asks before applying the selected default action. With confirmation disabled, closing the VM proceeds according to the configured action. These preferences do not replace a normal guest operating system shutdown.

Software Update and Component Preferences

Checking for New VMware Workstation Player Versions

An option to check for newer VMware Workstation Player versions at application startup lets the program look for available releases. Automatic checks can help you learn about security fixes, compatibility improvements, bug fixes, and new features.

Disabling startup checks may be appropriate on a metered connection, in an offline environment, on a restricted workstation, or where software changes are controlled by an administrator. A check is not an installation: finding an update does not necessarily install it. Installation may require administrator privileges, a separate installer, a reboot, or approval under organizational policy.

Checking for Required Components

A separate option may check for required or newer downloadable components when a feature or VM needs one. Leaving this enabled can prevent a later operation from failing simply because an optional package is missing.

In a restricted or disconnected environment, automatic retrieval may fail even though the VM itself is configured correctly. Plan component availability before taking the host offline.

Downloading All Available Components

The download-all-components action obtains available VMware components on the host before they are requested. This is useful when preparing a laptop for travel, building a disconnected training lab, or working on a network that will be unavailable or unreliable later.

Connect the host to an approved network.
Open Preferences and review update and component settings.
Use the command to download all available components.
Wait for the operation to finish and note any errors.
Confirm that the required files are available before disconnecting.

Pre-downloaded components consume local disk space. They may also need to be refreshed after VMware Workstation Player is updated because a newer product release can require newer component versions.

Internet Connection and Proxy Settings

VMware Workstation Player needs host internet connectivity for update checks and component downloads. If direct access is blocked, a proxy server can act as an intermediary between the application and internet services under the organization's network configuration.

Open Connection Settings in Preferences and enter the approved proxy information. Common values include:

Proxy host: the proxy server name or address.
Port: the listening network port.
Authentication: a username, password, certificate, or other method if required by the proxy.

Obtain these values from the network administrator rather than guessing. Follow organizational policy when storing or entering proxy credentials, and do not place passwords in screenshots, documentation, or shared configuration files.

After applying the settings, test an update check or a component retrieval. If it fails, first confirm that the host can browse the internet through its normal connection. Then verify the proxy host, port, authentication method, firewall rules, endpoint-security controls, and any policy restricting VMware network access.

Usage Data and the Improvement Program

The Help improve VMware Player option controls optional participation in a product-improvement program. If enabled, VMware may receive system information and product usage statistics intended to help identify common configurations, problems, and feature-use patterns.

Decide whether to enable this setting according to your privacy requirements, regulatory obligations, and organization policy. It should not be assumed to be mandatory. Privacy-sensitive or tightly governed environments may disable it, while a personal workstation may allow it.

To change participation, open Preferences, locate the improvement or usage-data option, select or clear it, and apply the change. Review the displayed description in your installed version because the exact data categories and wording can change.

Virtual Printer Preference

Enabling the VMware virtual printer feature provides a host-mediated printing path. A guest VM can use printers available through the host instead of requiring a separate guest printer driver for every host printer.

The flow is:

A print job is created in the guest operating system.
VMware Workstation Player exposes the virtual printing mechanism to the guest.
The host handles the connection to a printer configured on the host.
The job is sent to the selected host-connected printer.

This can simplify guest printing, but it is not a guarantee that every printer will work. Availability depends on host printer setup, VMware feature support, guest integration requirements, and device-redirection or printing policy.

Enable the option when guest printing is useful and permitted. Disable it in environments that restrict printer access, device redirection, or data leaving a guest. To validate it, confirm that the printer works directly from the host, enable virtual printing, check that the guest can see the virtual printer, and print a test page.

Preferences Reference

Preference	What It Controls	Recommended Use	Key Considerations
Confirm before closing a virtual machine	Displays a confirmation before a VM close action	Enable for important workloads or beginners	Experienced users may disable it for speed; it does not change the close action
When closing a virtual machine	Chooses suspend or power off as the default close action	Use suspend for resumable work; use power off when a fresh boot is preferred	Power off can lose unsaved work; suspend uses storage and preserves session state
Software update checks	Checks for newer VMware Workstation Player versions at startup	Enable on normally connected personal systems	Checks do not necessarily install updates; policy or privileges may control installation
Check for required component updates	Looks for components needed by a feature or VM	Enable when downloads are permitted	Can fail on offline, metered, or restricted networks
Download all components	Downloads available components before they are needed	Use before travel or disconnected lab work	Consumes disk space and may need refreshing after product updates
Connection Settings	Controls direct or proxy-mediated internet access	Configure an approved proxy when direct access is blocked	Verify host, port, authentication, firewall, and credential-handling requirements
Help improve VMware Player	Controls optional system-information and usage-statistics sharing	Choose according to privacy and organizational policy	Do not assume participation is required
Enable virtual printer	Provides host-mediated guest printing	Enable when host printing is permitted and useful	Requires a working host printer and compatible guest integration

Preference Selection by Environment

Environment	Suggested Preferences	Reason
Personal development workstation	Enable close confirmation; usually suspend; enable update and component checks; enable virtual printer only if needed	Protects active work while keeping the application current
Offline or travel laptop	Download available components before disconnecting; review or disable automatic checks while offline; suspend only when sufficient storage is available	Reduces delays and failed downloads without a network
Corporate proxy network	Enter approved Connection Settings; enable checks only as policy permits; document the configuration	Allows controlled access while respecting network controls
Privacy-sensitive environment	Disable optional usage-data sharing; restrict printing and downloads as required	Reduces data sharing and unnecessary host-guest pathways
Shared training lab	Enable close confirmation; choose a documented close action; pre-download approved components; apply a consistent printer policy	Reduces accidental changes and makes multiple workstations predictable

Safe Preference-Change Workflow

Review the current value. Record nondefault settings before changing them, especially on a shared or managed host.
Check VM state. For close behavior, test with a noncritical VM. For virtual printer integration, a VM may need to be restarted or refreshed before the guest detects the feature.
Use an appropriate lifecycle state. Shut down a guest cleanly before changes that could affect its integration or before testing power-off behavior. Suspend or leave a VM idle only when the change does not require a guest restart and the product permits it.
Change one related setting at a time. This makes it easier to identify which option affected the result.
Apply or save the settings. Some versions use Apply, OK, or an immediate-save model. Confirm that the dialog accepts the change.
Test the affected behavior. Close and resume a test VM, run an update check, retrieve a component, or print a test page as appropriate.
Document the final configuration. Shared labs and managed environments benefit from a short record of nondefault values, proxy ownership, close policy, and printer policy.

Practical Examples

Preventing Accidental Shutdown of a Development VM

Open Preferences.
Enable confirmation before closing a virtual machine.
Set the close action to Suspend the virtual machine.
Return to the development VM and close it.
Verify that a confirmation prompt appears.
Confirm the action, reopen or start the VM, and verify that the prior workspace resumes.

This preserves an in-progress session, but applications should still save important files normally. Suspension is not a replacement for backups or clean application shutdown.

Preparing a Portable Host for Offline VM Use

While internet access is available, review update and component settings.
Use Download all components.
Wait for completion and record any unavailable packages.
Start a representative VM or feature that requires the components, if practical.
Disconnect only after required files have been obtained and local disk space is sufficient.

Using VMware Workstation Player on a Corporate Proxy Network

Obtain approved proxy host, port, and authentication details from the network administrator.
Enter them in Connection Settings.
Apply the configuration without exposing credentials in notes or screenshots.
Test update checking or component retrieval.
If access remains blocked, check firewall rules, endpoint security, proxy authentication, certificate requirements, and organizational policy.

Printing from a Guest Through a Host Printer

Confirm that the printer is installed and working on the host.
Enable the virtual printer preference.
Start or refresh the guest and open its printer settings.
Select the virtual or host-mediated printer.
Print a test page and verify that the job reaches the intended host-connected printer.

Choosing a Safe Close Policy for a Lab VM

Use a noncritical VM to compare suspend and power-off behavior.
Suspend the VM and observe that its session resumes later.
For a power-off test, first shut down the guest normally when data consistency matters.
Choose the default that matches the lab's purpose and document it for other users.

Troubleshooting Preferences

Updates or Components Cannot Be Downloaded

Confirm that the host has internet access through its normal connection.
Verify the proxy host, port, and credentials if a proxy is required.
Review firewall and endpoint-security restrictions.
Check whether organizational policy blocks update services or component downloads.
Before entering an offline environment, use Download all components when permitted.

The Wrong Close Behavior Occurs

Review both close-related settings: confirmation and default action.
Test with a noncritical VM to determine whether it suspends or powers off.
Remember that closing a VM is not the same as selecting Shut Down inside the guest.
Use a normal guest shutdown when a clean operating-system shutdown is required.

Guest Printing Is Unavailable

Confirm that virtual printer support is enabled.
Print directly from the host to verify the host printer.
Check that the guest has the required integration or feature support.
Review printer, device-redirection, and data-loss-prevention policies.
Restart or refresh the guest if it does not detect the feature immediately.

A Required Component Is Requested Offline

Reconnect to an approved network if possible.
Download available components before the next disconnected session.
Check local disk space and component-cache status.
Refresh the component set after updating VMware Workstation Player.

Exam-Relevant Notes

Preferences are global application settings, not per-VM hardware settings.
Suspend preserves the active VM session; power off stops the VM without preserving that session.
A close confirmation prompt and the default close action are separate settings.
Update checking is different from update installation.
Proxy settings affect application access to update and component services, not necessarily every network connection made by the guest.
Usage-data sharing is an optional privacy and policy decision.
Virtual printing uses a host-mediated path and still depends on host printer setup and guest integration.