Enabling a shared folder in VMware Player lets you pass files and folders between the guest (the virtual machine) and the host (your real computer). The shared folder can be seen and opened by both.
Folder sharing isn’t turned on by default, because it does carry a small security risk. It creates a link between the guest and the host that anything can pass through.
VMware Player Has Been Discontinued
VMware Player is no longer available. Broadcom stopped offering it as a separate download in 2024, and since Workstation Pro 26H1 (May 2026), Player isn’t included with Workstation Pro either.
If you already have Player installed, this guide still works, and so will your shared folders.
If you don’t, use VMware Workstation Pro instead. It’s free for everyone, and here’s how to download VMware Workstation Pro. Then follow my guide to setting up a shared folder in VMware Workstation Pro.
The Short Version
- Create a folder on your PC to share with the virtual machine.
- In VMware Player, select the virtual machine and click Edit virtual machine settings.
- Click the Options tab, then Shared Folders.
- Choose Always enabled and tick Map as a network drive in Windows guests.
- Click Add, browse to your folder, tick Enable this share and click Finish, then OK.
How to Enable a Shared Folder in VMware Player
Choose a Folder to Share
On the host computer (your real computer), decide which folder you’d like to share. It can be almost any folder, such as Documents, Pictures or Downloads, or you can create one just for this.
It’s your choice, but I prefer to use a dedicated folder rather than one of the standard Windows folders. That gives me much more control over what the virtual machine can see.
Enable a Shared Folder
Open VMware Player and click once on the virtual machine you want to add a shared folder to.
With the virtual machine selected, click Edit virtual machine settings in the bottom right hand corner.
Virtual Machine Settings Page
In the Virtual Machine Settings window, click the Options tab, then select Shared Folders. It will say Disabled next to it.
Shared Folder Settings
In VMware Player, folder sharing can be Disabled, Always enabled, or Enabled until next power off or suspend. For this guide I’ll choose Always enabled.
If your virtual machine runs Windows, tick Map as a network drive in Windows guests. This option isn’t there if your virtual machine runs Linux.
Finally, click the Add button.
Map As a Network Drive
Always tick Map as a network drive when you’re setting up a shared folder in VMware Player. The folder then appears in File Explorer under Network locations and is much easier to find.
The VMware Player Add Shared Folder Wizard
The Add Shared Folder Wizard opens. All you need to do is find and select the folder you want to share with the virtual machine.
- Click Next.
- Click Browse to open an Explorer window.
- Find and select the folder you want to share, then click OK.
- Change the name of the shared folder if you want to, then click Next.
Almost Done
Tick Enable this share and click Finish. If you don’t want the virtual machine to change or delete anything in the folder, tick Read-only too.
You’re back at the Virtual Machine Settings window, with your shared folder listed on the right. Click OK to finish.
Where Is the Shared Folder?
On a Windows virtual machine, open File Explorer and click This PC in the left hand pane. The shared folder appears under Network locations.
You can use it just like any other folder. Any files or folders you put in it are available to both the virtual machine and your real computer.
Can’t see it? Click in the File Explorer address bar, type this and press Enter:
\\vmware-host\Shared FoldersShared Folders in a Linux Virtual Machine
On Linux, the shared folders appear inside this folder:
/mnt/hgfsIf it’s empty, open a terminal and run these two commands to mount them until the next restart:
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/hgfs
sudo vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_otherTo mount them automatically every time, follow Broadcom’s guide to HGFS shared folders on Linux.
You Just Created a Link Between Your VM and Your Host Computer
A virtual machine works in a walled garden. But by sharing a folder between the host and the guest, you’ve created a link, or a tunnel if you like, between the two.
That works great when you want to move files between them, but it’s also a security risk. Just as you can pass documents and pictures between the two systems, so can malware.
Ransomware, viruses and just about every other type of malware look for network connections and spread through them.
Keep Your PC Safe
Share one dedicated folder, tick Read-only if the virtual machine only needs to read from it, and turn folder sharing off when you’re testing anything you don’t trust.
Troubleshooting
The Shared Folder Isn’t Showing
- Check VMware Tools is installed in the virtual machine. Shared folders don’t work without it.
- Check folder sharing is still on. If you chose Enabled until next power off or suspend, it switched itself off when you shut down. Change it to Always enabled.
- Restart the virtual machine, then look under Network locations again.
- Type the address from the section above into the File Explorer address bar.
Install VMware Tools Is Greyed Out
If you can’t install VMware Tools in the first place, my guide on how to fix Install VMware Tools greyed out covers every cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still download VMware Player?
A: No. Broadcom stopped offering Player as a separate download in 2024, and since Workstation Pro 26H1 it isn’t included with Workstation Pro either. Workstation Pro is free and is the replacement. Here’s more on whether VMware Player is coming back.
Q: Will my VMware Player shared folders keep working?
A: Yes. As long as Player is still installed on your PC, your virtual machines and their shared folders carry on working as before.
Q: Where do I find the shared folder in the virtual machine?
A: On Windows, open File Explorer, click This PC and look under Network locations. On Linux, look in the /mnt/hgfs folder.
Q: Do I need VMware Tools for shared folders?
A: Yes. Shared folders only work when VMware Tools, or open-vm-tools on Linux, is installed in the virtual machine.
Q: Is a VMware shared folder safe?
A: It’s fine for everyday files, but it is a link between the virtual machine and your real computer. Share one dedicated folder, use Read-only where you can, and turn sharing off when you’re testing anything risky.
Summary
A shared folder in VMware Player is the easiest way to pass files between your virtual machine and your real computer. Set it to Always enabled, map it as a network drive, and find it under Network locations.
Just remember it’s a two-way link, so keep it to one dedicated folder.
Related Posts
How to Attach Removable Devices in VMware Player
Connect a USB stick or other removable drive to your Player virtual machine.
How to Set Up a Shared Folder in VMware Workstation Pro
Moved to Workstation Pro? Here’s the same job in Pro.
Run Windows 7 as a Virtual Machine
Windows 7 may be well past its end-of-life date (January 2020), but thousands of people still use it to run older software that simply won’t work on Windows 10 or 11.
In this step-by-step guide I’ll show you exactly how to set up a Windows 7 virtual machine using VMware Workstation Pro.
You can find this and other related step by step guides in – At Home Computer Virtual Machines
Written by Jeff Porter. I’ve been fixing Windows PCs since 2010 and I’m CompTIA Network+ certified. More about me