Install VMware Tools greyed out: 6 ways to fix it

Applies to: VMware Workstation Pro 16 and 17 on Windows and Linux hosts, and VMware Fusion on Mac, with Windows or Linux guests.

Why Install VMware Tools is greyed out

VMware Tools adds the display driver, mouse integration, copy and paste, drag and drop and shared folders to a virtual machine. Workstation and Fusion install it by “inserting” a Tools ISO into the VM’s virtual CD/DVD drive, so the menu option is only available when that can happen.

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Greyed out while the VM is off or suspended	The guest isn’t running	Fix 1
Menu says Cancel VMware Tools Installation	An earlier install is still pending	Fix 2
Greyed out on a running Windows VM	No CD/DVD drive, or it’s disconnected	Fix 3
Greyed out or does nothing on Ubuntu, Fedora and similar	Linux guests use open-vm-tools	Fix 4
Menu works but no installer appears	AutoPlay is off or the ISO is missing	Fix 5

Fix 1: Start the VM and sign in to the guest

The option only works on a powered-on VM with the guest operating system fully started. If the VM is off or suspended, start it, wait for Windows or Linux to finish loading, and sign in with an administrator account. Then open the VM menu in Workstation (Virtual Machine in Fusion) again.

While Windows is still being installed in the VM, wait until setup finishes and you reach the desktop. If you’re also seeing errors about virtualization on the host, see not in a hypervisor partition (HVP=0), which covers the Hyper-V and virtualization settings that affect VMware and VirtualBox too.

Fix 2: Cancel a stuck VMware Tools installation

If an earlier install was started but never finished, the menu shows Cancel VMware Tools Installation instead of the install option, and some versions grey out the install option until it’s cleared.

1. Open the VM menu (or Virtual Machine in Fusion) and select Cancel VMware Tools Installation.
2. Wait a few seconds, then open the menu again. The option should now read Install VMware Tools (or Reinstall VMware Tools if Tools is already installed).

If the install is pending because the installer simply didn’t start, you don’t need to cancel. Open File Explorer in the Windows guest, go to This PC, open the VMware Tools CD drive and run setup.exe.

Fix 3: Add or connect a virtual CD/DVD drive

This is the most common cause on Windows guests. If you removed the CD/DVD drive after installing Windows, VMware has nowhere to mount the Tools disc.

Check the drive in Workstation:

1. Select the VM and go to VM > Settings.
2. On the Hardware tab, look for CD/DVD. If it’s there, select it, tick Connected and Connect at power on, and choose Use physical drive with Auto detect so it isn’t still pointing at your Windows setup ISO.
3. If there’s no CD/DVD entry, shut down the VM, open VM > Settings again, select Add, choose CD/DVD Drive and select Finish.
4. Select OK, start the VM, sign in and try VM > Install VMware Tools again.

In Fusion: shut down the VM, open Virtual Machine > Settings, select Add Device, choose CD/DVD Drive and select Add. In CD/DVD settings, make sure Enable CD/DVD Drive is on.

Fix 4: Linux guests: install open-vm-tools instead

On modern Linux guests, VMware recommends open-vm-tools, the open-source version packaged by the distribution, rather than the Tools ISO. Many distributions install it automatically when they detect VMware, so the menu option may be greyed out or say Tools is already installed.

Install or update it with the package manager, then restart the VM:

# Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint
sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop

# Fedora, RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux
sudo dnf install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop

The open-vm-tools-desktop package adds display resizing, copy and paste, and drag and drop on guests with a desktop. Leave it out on servers without a graphical desktop. VMware also advises against removing an open-vm-tools package the distribution installed.

Fix 5: Mount the VMware Tools ISO yourself (Windows guests)

If the menu works but nothing happens, or the option stays greyed out after Fixes 1 to 3, install Tools from the ISO file directly.

1. Find the Tools ISO. On a Windows host, Workstation keeps windows.iso in its program folder, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation. In Fusion, right-click VMware Fusion in Applications, select Show Package Contents and open Contents > Library > isoimages.
2. If the file isn’t there, download the current VMware Tools ISO for Windows from Broadcom. Recent Workstation releases no longer include the legacy Tools ISOs for older guests by default, and VMware Tools 12.4.5 was the last feature release for 32-bit Windows guests.
3. In VM > Settings > CD/DVD, choose Use ISO image file, browse to the ISO and make sure Connected is ticked.
4. In the guest, open File Explorer, open the CD drive and run setup.exe. Choose Typical (or Complete), finish the wizard and restart the VM.

Older Tools discs had both setup.exe and setup64.exe. From VMware Tools 12.5.0 there’s a single 64-bit setup.exe, so don’t worry if setup64.exe is missing. After installing, you can switch the CD/DVD drive back to Auto detect.

Fix 6: Check the guest OS type and update VMware

VMware picks the Tools disc based on the guest operating system set for the VM. If it’s set to Other or the wrong system, the option may not be offered. Shut down the VM, go to VM > Settings > Options > General and set Guest operating system and Version to match what’s installed.

Also update Workstation or Fusion to the latest release, and restart the host after updating. If Windows in the guest is badly damaged and Tools won’t install even from the ISO, it can be quicker to rebuild the VM; see how to reinstall Windows 10.

Once Tools is installed, you can set up shared folders between host and guest. If Windows then says you don’t currently have permission to access this folder, that guide explains how to fix the permissions.

Related guides

• Not in a hypervisor partition (HVP=0): how to fix the VirtualBox error
• How to reinstall Windows 10
• You don’t currently have permission to access this folder

Official sources: for more detail, see VMware’s own documentation:

• Broadcom Knowledge Base: VMware support for open-vm-tools
• Broadcom Knowledge Base: Installing VMware Tools in a Fusion virtual machine running Windows
• VMware Workstation Pro 17.6 release notes (legacy Tools ISOs)

Frequently asked questions

Do I need VMware Tools?

It isn’t required, but without it the VM uses a basic display driver, the mouse may feel sluggish, the screen won’t resize with the window, and copy and paste, drag and drop and shared folders don’t work.

Why is it greyed out after I installed Windows from an ISO?

The CD/DVD drive is usually still connected to the Windows setup ISO, or it was removed afterwards. Point it back to Auto detect or add a drive (Fix 3).

How do I check whether VMware Tools is already installed?

In a Windows guest, look for the VMware Tools icon in the system tray, or for VMware Tools in Settings > Apps > Installed apps. On Linux, run vmware-toolbox-cmd -v to print the installed version.

Is Install VMware Tools greyed out in VMware Workstation Player?

Player had the same menu and the same causes, so the fixes above apply. Broadcom has since made Workstation Pro free and discontinued Player, so moving to Workstation Pro is worth it if you’re on an old Player version.