How to Create a VMware Shared Folder

Creating shared folders in VMware is essential for efficient file exchange between the host machine and a guest operating system (VM). Whether you’re managing complex development environments, running Linux/Windows guests, or automating builds, shared folders streamline your workflow. This guide covers advanced setup and troubleshooting techniques for both VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Fusion.

🧱 Step 1: Create a Shared Folder in VMware UI

  1. Open VMware Workstation / Fusion

  2. Select your VM → Go to Settings

  3. Click Options tab → Select Shared Folders

  4. Enable:

    • ✔️ Always enabled (recommended)

  5. Click Add… and follow the wizard:

    • Choose a folder on the host machine

    • Give it a name (e.g., Shared)

    • Mark as Read-only if needed

  6. Click Finish, then OK to apply.

🛠️ Step 2: Install VMware Tools (Guest Side)

VMware Tools enables the shared folder mechanism inside the guest OS.

🐧 On Linux Guests (Ubuntu/Debian/CentOS)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop -y

Then restart the VM:

sudo reboot

🪟 On Windows Guests

  • From VMware menu: VM > Install VMware Tools

  • Mounts a virtual CD → Run setup.exe

  • Restart the guest after installation

🧪 Step 3: Mount the Shared Folder (Linux Guest)

After rebooting, check if VMware Tools detected the shared folder:

vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other

To mount a specific folder:

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

If vmhgfs-fuse is not found, install it:

sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop -y

🔄 Automate Mount at Boot (Linux)

Edit /etc/fstab:

.host:/Shared /mnt/hgfs/Shared fuse.vmhgfs-fuse allow_other,defaults 0 0

Optional: Ensure the /mnt/hgfs/Shared directory exists on boot

Add to crontab (as root):

@reboot mkdir -p /mnt/hgfs/Shared && mount -a

🪟 Access Shared Folder in Windows Guest

After reboot, go to:

This PC > Network Locations

Or navigate directly to:

\\vmware-host\Shared Folders

You can map it to a drive letter:

  1. Right-click This PC → Map Network Drive

  2. Use \\vmware-host\Shared Folders\YourFolder

  3. Choose drive letter (e.g., Z:) → ✔️ Reconnect at sign-in

🔍 Advanced Troubleshooting

1. 🔄 Shared Folder Not Visible in Linux?

  • Make sure vmhgfs-fuse is installed and VMware Tools is running:

ps aux | grep vmtoolsd

  • Restart vmtoolsd:

sudo systemctl restart open-vm-tools

  • Try manual mount again.

2. 🧱 File Permission Issues?

Use the allow_other flag and set appropriate permissions:

sudo vmhgfs-fuse .host:/Shared /mnt/hgfs/Shared -o allow_other,umask=0022

3. 🔒 Shared Folder Doesn’t Appear in Windows?

  • Reinstall VMware Tools

  • Check firewall/antivirus

  • Make sure folder is enabled in VMware UI

  • Check Services.msc → VMware Tools is running

⚙️ Tips for Developers & Power Users

  • Use shared folders to:

    • Sync build artifacts between host and guest

    • Share scripts, ISO files, configs

    • Run code editors on host, compile/test in guest

  • Use rsync or inotify with shared folders for live file sync

  • For persistent dev setups, mount shared folder into Docker containers running inside the VM

🧩 Conclusion

Shared folders in VMware enhance productivity by providing seamless integration between host and guest systems. With proper setup of VMware Tools and vmhgfs-fuse, you gain reliable and performant access to host resources from within any guest OS. Automating the mount process and tweaking permissions makes this setup ideal for daily development, automation, and cross-platform workflows.