Install VMware Guest Tools

VMware has a set of tools that must be installed on macOS. These get mounted via a virtual CD drive. You can find instructions from VMware here or use this guide below to install or upgrade your tools manually.

Prerequisites:

  1. Via a web browser on your virtual Mac, download a recent version of VMware Tools. Unzip it to access the darwin.iso image.
  2. If you aren't already logged in, login into your vCenter instance.
  3. Navigate to the datastores section of your cloud. Select the datastore corresponding to your environment.
    4.Find the name of your VM in the list and open up the folder for it. Select Upload Files in the toolbar. Select the darwin.iso file you unzipped in the previous step, and upload it.

Process:

  1. Shut down your machine from within macOS:
  • From the web interface, right-click on your virtual machine and select Power > Power Off.
  1. Change CD/DVD Drive 1 to Datastore ISO File and select the ISO you uploaded.

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Note:

Ensure that the Virtual Device Node is correct. For the “CD/DVD drive 1”, ensure that “SATA controller 0” is selected and the corresponding disk drive is selected (SATA(0:1) CD/DVD drive 1)

  1. Right-click on your virtual machine and select Power > Power On.
  2. After the reboot, navigate back to the desktop of the virtual machine and log in.
  3. You will not be prompted to install VMware Tools upon login. You will need to find the “VMware Tools” package mounted on the CD/DVD drive in Finder. Double-click Install VMware Tools and complete the installation process.
  4. During the tools install, you will be notified of a security exception from the macOS.
    Step through and explicitly allow it. This is necessary to allow the VMware signed tool to make modifications to the OS.