VMDKMounter for VMware Fusion Professional Version 12.2.5

[#1]

VMware Fusion Professional Version 12.2.5
 
I am trying to mount vmdk files in Finder on my iMac. I had VMDKMounter in an older version of Fusion but cannot find it anywhere online. I have read and tried everything in this old post but nothing works:

Fusion 4: no VMDKMounter - VMware Technology Network VMTN 

Is there still a VMDKMounter or similar that can allow me to do this?

[ColoradoMarmot]

That's been gone for years.

[Technogeezer]

AFAIK, the VMDKMounter tool is no longer part of Fusion. 

Third party tools that used to be able to do this are no longer available (e.g. Paragon VMDK mounter). A big issue is that to support non-native file systems, most of those tools required kernel extensions such as MacFUSE. And as we all know Apple is making it harder and harder to use them and they will eventually shut them off. 

[SvenGus]

But wouldn’t it be sufficient to transition those mounting utilities from kernel to system extensions? Anyway, would it be possible to mount a VMDK in the Terminal? IIRC, there is a command line utility in Windows: vmware-mount.exe; but maybe not on macOS…?

[SvenGus]

BTW, the Paragon VMDK Mounter is still available here (an old version, from 2015):

https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/paragon-vmdk-mounter

https://dl.paragon-software.com/free/VMDK_MOUNTER_2014.dmg

… and here (a newer version, from 2021, included as a part of another, paid product (but no trial available, only buy): updated only up to Monterey, however):

https://www.paragon-software.com/hdm-mac

[SvenGus]

… BTW, interesting article:

https://www.nakivo.com/blog/extract-content-vmdk-files-step-step-guide

… from which it looks like the vmware-mount command line utility is available also on Linux: so, it could perhaps work also in macOS, who knows…? Another option could be VirtualBox, which can manage VMDK files in virtual machines: but maybe not mount them on the desktop…? You would have to experiment a little, anyway…