VMware workstation 15.5.5 linux drag and drop + copy and paste not working due to bad host path

[WDavidO]

As far as I can tell there are no relevant preferences so I expect this issue is facing everyone on linux with this particular build of workstation (15.5.5) and to be honest my drag and drop hasn't worked for a while so this could have been present in a lot of past builds. When I try to copy and paste into a vm it works fine but when I try to copy and paste out of a vm it never works. I noticed the error message I get in dolphin (kde) indicates that the file I'm trying to paste doesn't exist and gives a path. It appears to me that vmware moved the temporary holding location for these files out of /tmp (because of tmpfs mostly likely,) so the temporary location is now in a hidden folder in my home directory. Unfortunately the host system reference to the file is being given as a relative path (without a dot,) and interpreted as an absolute path. This is probably a quick single line fix in the source code.

[watcher1]

Same problem!

I’m running VMware 15.5.6 on Linux 5.6.11 (Fedora). I’ve found that Drag&Drop only works one way. I can drag from Host to Guest fine, but attempting to drag or copy from Guest to Host produces an error such as:

Error when getting information for file “/Hj1Ipo/asdf.txt”: No such file or directory

The directory indicated does not exist and seems to be randomly generated. This was just a test “txt” file on the guest desktop.

I get the same error from both Linux and Windows Guests, although the non-existant directory changes.

… It looks like “Shared Folders” also fail. Fortunately USB works.

————– more detail ———–

It looks like Drag&Drop from a Linux guest generates a dynamic directory in {home}/.cache/vmware/drag_and_drop/pWMTEe with a copy of what’s being dragged.

The error refers to No such file or directory for /{dynamic_directory}. Note the leading slash /.

If I copy “{home}/.cache/vmware/drag_and_drop/pWMTEe” to “/pWMTEe” in the root directory and select “Try Again”, it finds the directory. It seems like there is an incorrect leading slash somewhere forcing an absolute path instead of a relative path.

Strangely, a Windows Guest will Copy/Paste to the Linux Host but it won’t Drag&Drop. Linux Guests do neither.

[marshoc]

Same problem here with VMWare workstation 16.2.1.  If I copy a file from Windows guest and try to paste in Linux host I get the same error.  From there I manually copy the file from $HOME/.cache/vmware/drag_and_drop/#####/file_name.  It seems vmware is just missing the path up to the temporary folder it created to stash the copied file.  Seems it would be fixed by now....

[TéJi2]

same problem here, BUT on same host, i have some VM accepting copy/paste and others not. 

i compared VMX files to find path definition or different option, but without success....

i was suspecting the VM name containing spaces in path... but the copy/past file path is /home/user/.cache/.xxxx/file.txt then normaly VM path is not used in this path construction, .....

[TéJi2]

same problem here BUT on same host (debian 11), i have some VM accepting C/P to VM and others not.
cannot find why...
i tried 3 new VM with same iso install than a C/P not-working VM. and all 3 work for C/P !!!!
Then i was thinking "new VM work, old not"... (REM : old = created on old VMware version.
i created a new VM, with old vmdk disk from "C/P not working VM". then only the "c" disk is old ... not working !!!
desinstall/resinstall vmwtools.... not working !!!
cannot undestand why some work and others not....

[marshoc]

I think this is a problem with dolphin.  Looking at this problem again, I noticed the original poster mentions using dolphin which I am also using and TéJi2 saying sometimes it works.  If it works sometimes then the problem must be on the Linux host side.  I just copied a file from my VM and then looked at the clipboard using the klipper widget.  I can see the copied file in klipper.  From there I clicked on invoke action and used okular to open the copied file with no problem (copied file was a pdf). The qr code generated by klipper shows the URI as file:///tmp/VMwareDnD/HMxYQw/filename.pdf  which is a symlink to /home/user/.cache/vmware/drag_and_drop/HMxYQw.

It seems dolphin has a problem with the file:///tmp URI.  I don't know why dolphin has this problem but I tried pasting using nautilus/files and it worked as expected.  No idea how to get it to work with dolphin but at least I have a few workarounds now.

[TéJi2]

i always use nautilus because i work with debian/gnome.

i got a spacial case today : on same host (my debian), same VM (win 11 + vmtools) : 

- tiny11.txt accept to C/P from vm to host

- tools-4.0.223.0.zip does NOT accept to C/P from vm to host

- tools-4.0.223.0.zip RENAMED to aaa.txt or aaa.bin ACCEPT to C/P from vm to host !!!!!!!

- tools-4.0.223.0.zip RENAMED to aaa.zip NOT ACCEPT to C/P from vm to host !!!!!!!

each time the link in tmp is good.... i dont' understand but i hope those info may help ....

[TéJi2]

- this solution (rename to txt) don't work on another VM (win 7) : On this VM, NOTHING can be C/P 😞

- another win 11 make same "zip not ok", but "txt is ok" ....