Is non-modal full screen mode supported?

[GlennyG]

VMWare fusion 5 allowed for full-screen mode to be "non-modal",  meaning that you could put other applications in front of VMWare when it was in full screen mode (AND multiple monitors).

This means that Windows runs in a full screen,  so no Mac toolbar,  but you still have the ability to run Skitch or browsers or editors or anything else in front of VMWare.

I've been forced into "upgrading" to Fusion 7 which has enforced modal full screen,  just like fusion 6.  Unity is a dead loss as it's performance is dire and there's issues with dragging & dropping between windows.

Is there a way of reinstating the non-modal full-screen mode of Fusion 5?

[GlennyG]

I've found a workaround.  Configure remote desktop services on the VM and use Microsoft Remote Desktop to connect to it.

Microsoft have been kind enough to offer two modes of full screen -- as they obviously care about their users -- one of which doesn't do the useless modal mode.

Now why can't VMWare think of their users in the same way as Microsoft?

As an aside,  it also seems to reduce the amount of CPU that VMWare requires.

[zhus]

If you are using OS X 10.9 or 10.10, try the steps below:

1. Open System Preferences -> Mission Control.

2. Uncheck "Displays have separate Spaces" checkbox.

3. Log out and login.

Then switch VM to Full Screen using Single display with multiple monitors connected. The "Full Screen" VM window can works as a normal application window.

PS: I'm not sure whether it is what you want.

[GlennyG]

Thanks so much for that.  Unchecking "Displays have separate spaces" (and rebooting) sorted it out,  and I can now have full-screen mode whilst running Mac applications in front of VMWare.

It's a pity I loose the separate spaces functionality,  but it's a small price to pay to run Windows in a box without interfering with my Mac applications.

If only someone had told me this months ago!

[GlennyG]

Fusion 11 doesn't work with this workaround.  I skipped 10,  but suspect it was broken in 10 too.

What is the current workaround to stop full-screen modailty? 

(Modal screen = one where other windows cannot be placed above it.  This is the default for Macs running in full screen,  but used to be supported in the big-cat days.)

[zhus]

In fact, the "non-modal screen" is a workaround for a host OS bug. Before Apple support the separate Spaces, a blank screen will be shown on the extended display(s) when we switch an application to full-screen mode with multiple monitors in use. To solve this problem, Fusion used a customized full-size window to simulate the native full-screen window. So in this situation, you can put the windows of the other applications onto it.

After Apple adding the separate Spaces supporting, customers can use one of the multiple monitors to show native full-screen window and the other screens can also be used to show the host UI. We considered removing this workaround in Fusion, because this fake full-screen window was no longer in need, we'd like to follow the native behavior of host OS to avoid introducing more troubles in further design and development. So from Fusion 8.5.x, it has been removed.

For the workaround, could you try the Unity mode, if you have to stack the guest application windows and the host application windows on the same screen?

[GlennyG]

This full-screen failure is quite annoying.  It's something I've relied on for years and now it's been removed with little or nothing added in its place.

Unity really doesn't cut the mustard as it's very intrusive (loads of spurious Windos windows encroaching in the clean Mac environment);  it's really slow (taking several seconds to re-paint the applications when you've switched to that Mac Space and is 'jittery' in the process);  it's ugly (Mac and Windos really shouldn't be seen together!).

Running a Fusion screen 'maximised' is the nearest,  but you loose the toolbar at the top of the screen;  only 100 pixels,  but they're my 100 pixels.

I guess I could run Fusion 'headless' and then connect using Microsoft's RDP (which isn't bad!),  but this is a kludgy workaround for Fusion's failings.

Or I could just upgrade to the previously working Fusion 8.5 and kiss goodbye to any updates.  Wonder what Parallels & Virtuabox are doing these days...

We were all scratching around for what was in the Fusion 11 build.  Have discovered it's less than we thought...