With shared folders, you can easily share files among virtual machines and the host computer. To use shared folders, you must have the current version of VMware Tools installed in the guest operating system and you must use the Virtual Machine Control Panel to specify which directories are to be shared.
To set up one or more shared folders for a virtual machine, be sure the virtual machine is open in Workstation and click its tab to make it the active virtual machine. Go to Edit > Virtual Machine Settings > Options and click Shared folders.
You can add one or more directories to the list. Those directories may be on the host computer or they may be network directories accessible from the host computer.
In a Windows virtual machine, shared folders appear as folders on a designated drive letter. For example, if you specify the name Test files for one of your shared folders and the designated drive letter for shared folders is V, that folder appears as V:\Test files.
In a Linux virtual machine, shared folders appear under /mnt/hgfs. So the shared folder in this example would appear as /mnt/hgfs/Test files.
To add a new shared folder to the list, click Add. On a Windows host, a wizard guides you through the process. On a Linux host, a dialog box appears. Enter the required information, then click OK.
Provide the following information:
To change the settings for a shared folder on the list, click the folder's name to highlight it, then click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Change any settings you wish, then click OK.
Note: You can use shared folders to share any type of file. However, Windows shortcuts and Linux symbolic links do not work correctly if you try to use them via shared folders.
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