How to Drag-and-Drop in VMware

VMware lets you safely share and edit files between Windows and your virtual machine.

VMware lets you simultaneously run multiple operating systems on Windows. It also offers you the ability to drag and drop items from a Windows host machine to a VMware virtual machine. When you drag a file to a virtual machine, VMware creates a temporary copy in the virtual machine. This lets you edit the file without changing the host machine's copy.

Instructions

1. Open VMware and select "Settings" from the "VM" menu. Select "Guest Isolation" from the "Options" tab. Deselect the "Disable drag and drop to and from this virtual machine" option if checked.

2. Drag the file you wish to open in VMware from Windows Explorer to the VMware window. VMware will copy the file to your virtual machine. If you wish to copy a VMware file to Windows, drag the file from your VMware window to Windows Explorer.

3. Select "Save As" from your VMware operating system's "File' menu to save any changes that you make to an open file.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also drag and drop files and directories between VMware machines.

References

• VMware Workstation 5.0 Support: Using Drag and Drop
• VMware Workstation and ACE Online Library: Using the Drag-and-Drop Feature