Can't enable the shared folders with Fusion 13 Player (free)

[AlexKRI]

I installed Fusion 13 Player (MacBook on M1 CPU) and obtained a free license. I can't locate the 'shared folders' menu item. I used Fusion 12 for years before, and there was no such problem with it.

Is this a problem with a free license? But according to the comparison table, shared folders must be available.

[Technogeezer]

Based on what you're saying, I'm thinking you are trying to configure/run a Windows 11 ARM VM on your M1 Mac with Fusion 13.

If so, see the following (excerpted from The Unofficial Fusion 13 for Apple Silicon Companion) :

The VMware Tools included with Fusion 13 for Windows 11 ARM do not currently support Fusion's Shared Folders functionality. Use one of the following workarounds to share folders between the Mac host and a Windows VM:

• Configure macOS Windows file sharing. 
Consult macOS Help (found in the Finder’s Help menu bar) or Internet resources for instructions on how configure macOS Windows file sharing, and then add the folders you wish to share with your VM to the configuration. This will allow the Windows VM to access the file system via standard Windows file sharing.
• Use a Remote Desktop client. 
Access the VM that is running Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise via a Remote Desktop client (such as Microsoft Remote Desktop on the Mac) and utilize its folder redirection capabilities. Consult documentation on how to enable RDP in Windows VM, and your RDP client on how to enable folder redirection.
• Install Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or similar cloud file sharing client in the VM
. Using cloud file sharing services in a VM allows content to be shared to Macs and other platforms that support the service.

Alternatively, a network file transfer utility such as WinSCP can be used to transfer files between the Windows VM and the Mac host.

[paulj2000]

Many Thanks for all the support.

It's working now, thought limitations are likely not worth the price.

Appreciate all the time given to providing this help.

[Technogeezer]

Your mileage/needs may be different, but I find that the Windows/SMB file sharing performs way better and is much more reliable than VMware folder sharing. VMware really needs to step up and improve it across all of their products, not just Fusion.

I do agree  that the lack of copy/paste integration with the VM is the biggest drawback with the current implementation, followed closely by 3D support and shared folders. 

[mao1109]

Agreed! Sharing is not such a big Problem - not even with Ventura on a M1 mac... But it's really annoying not to have the clipboard...

[ColoradoMarmot]

The real risk with turning on windows file sharing, is well, turning on windows file sharing. Fine on a home network, it'll likely get flagged on a business one (and even on a home one, it may get turned off by MDM), just make sure you disable it on hotel/public/cellular networks.

[TECH198]

Hopefully next update.... (and soon)   ..

At least we all agree on something .. 😀

[O_H]

Is it working for you now? Even the file sharing? or do you use one of the suggested work arounds? 

Earlier this week it was working for me, but as of today the 'Sharing' section of the VM settings just dissapeared for me...

[Technogeezer]

I find your post puzzling if you’re talking about Windows 11 ARM on Fusion 13 on an Apple Silicon Mac.  There are no VMware Tools in the VM other than video and network drivers. That means there’s no shared folders “client” code in the VM that would allow the Fusion folder sharing to work. 

[paulj2000]

I was able to transfer the files I needed using dropbox.

I can't see any devices on my home network.

Trying to decide how to setup a way to back up files. Would prefer to go to the Mac side where backup is already running. Or to an NAS on my network.

[Technogeezer]

Whatever you do, do NOT use Time Machine to back up your VM. It is incredibly wasteful of backup disk space and it has shown time after time to be an unreliable method of backing up virtual machines.

To view devices on your home network, you must be using Bridged networking, not NAT (a.k.a. share with my Mac). You also need to make sure the network properties for the network adapter in the VM (visible through Settings -> Network and Internet) are set to Private. However, this is not totally necessary, since you can connect to devices on your network if you know the hostname or IP address.

[Maksim_Kisliak]

If the "Sharing" option is not available in VMware Fusion, you can use another workaround to share files between your macOS host and your Windows 11 ARM virtual machine by creating a network share on your macOS host and accessing it from your Windows 11 ARM virtual machine.

1. Configure file sharing on macOS: a. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen, then choose System Preferences. b. Click Sharing. c. Check the box next to "File Sharing" in the left panel. d. Click the "Options…" button in the right panel. e. Check the box next to "Share files and folders using SMB." f. In the "Windows File Sharing" section, check the box next to the user account you want to use for file sharing. You will be prompted to enter the account password. g. Click "Done."

2. Add folders to share with your Windows VM: a. In the Sharing preferences pane, click the "+" button under the "Shared Folders" section. b. Browse and select the folder you want to share, then click "Add." c. Set the permissions for the shared folder by selecting the user and choosing the desired access level from the dropdown menu (Read & Write, Read Only, or Write Only). d. Repeat the process to add more folders if desired.

3. Find the IP address of your macOS host: a. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen, then choose System Preferences. b. Click Network. c. Select the active network interface (e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet) from the list. d. The IP address will be displayed on the right side of the window.

4. Access the shared folder from your Windows 11 ARM VM: a. Open File Explorer in your Windows 11 ARM virtual machine. b. In the address bar, type "\[IP_ADDRESS]\\[Shared_Folder_Name]" (without the quotes) and press Enter. Replace [IP_ADDRESS] with the IP address of your macOS host, and [Shared_Folder_Name] with the name of the shared folder. c. You will be prompted to enter the username and password for the macOS user account you enabled for file sharing. d. After entering the credentials, the shared folder should be accessible.

This workaround allows you to share files between your macOS host and your Windows 11 ARM virtual machine without using the "Sharing" option in VMware Fusion's settings.

[TECH198]

Its cumbersome, but SMB/IP as above, it does work...

The only snag is it must be over a physical network. which is the limiting factor here.. whichever method you use it relies on physical network.

[Technogeezer]

---

@TECH198 wrote:

The only snag is it must be over a physical network. which is the limiting factor here.. whichever method you use it relies on physical network.

---

Can you be a bit more specific about the snag? I can see if the network is bridged that the network share traffic may go over a physical network between the host and guest.

But the method also works for NAT and (believe it or not) host-only virtual network configurations (where the host is configured for an IP address on the host-only segment like it is for the default host-only network) . NAT and host-only access to the host's IP (either its external IP or the host's IP on the NAT/hostonly segment) does not traverse a physical network - it stays local to the Mac. 

[TECH198]

Just saying "Shared Folder" only required a Host (i.e Mac. and No physical network needed).

The 'snag' i was referring to you must have a physical network to share anything. That is a limitation..... Compare this to UTM and Parallels where they have clearly worked it out for some time> VMWare on M1 can't even do this yet.

son ya,, its a "snag"  its what i'm getting use to and it always trips me up.... "oh ya i can't share without a "physical" LAN connection" but well..... its annoying at best.. The act of keeping File Sharing/SMB/ and all enabled is not really that much of a problem..

The 'snag" is you gotta type an IP address to "use it" where drag and drop was previously there with Intel Mac';s

[TECH198]

.

[ColoradoMarmot]

If you're talking about drag/drop from the host to guest, or the shared folder function inside Fusion, yep, those are known limitations of the current tool version.  I expect we'll see full tools in the next release - worst case, that'd be another tech preview post WWDC, but it might come sooner.

But if you're talking about network file shares (like you would between two physical machines), I share files all the time on a wifi connection with Fusion 13 and Win11, so there's something odd in your setup if it doesn't work.

Just to make sure:

- Fusion shut down, guest shut down (not suspended)

- Only wifi on the host - no physical connection even plugged in

- Run Fusion and set Guest to NAT (shared with Mac)

- boot the guest

Setup network files shares on mac and/or inside the guest and it should work as long as both firewalls are configured properly.

The only issue I've run into is where I have both wifi and wired connections on the mac active.  Things get funky (but they do with mac networking even without Fusion).  Likewise if you use network 'locations' on the mac that'll screw things up too.

[foetus2042]

Hi,

I've the same issue, and would not like to spend hours setting up a Win-Mac network solution... I thought this was a basic feature for VMs.

Is there any update on the shared folders as of today?

Best,

Boby.

[Technogeezer]

It’s not ”hours” to set up SMB file sharing on the Mac so you can access folders from a Windows ARM VM. It takes about about a 10 minutes at most..

As of this date, there is no update from “VMware by Broadcom” on when they will return the shared folder (and other missing) feature to Fusion.