cant copy/paste from guest to host

[gokufast]

i was searching trying to solve this problem but nothing, the problem is that i cant copy any file from the guest and paste in the host.

I try to uninstall the vmware tools and install it again and nothing, reinstall vmware tools and nothing.

it happens when i try to copy text or files, any text and any size/type of files.

but, when i try to copy any file/text from de host to the guest it copy in the VM.

it is a problem of my host? vmwaretools? vmware workstation?

Host: Windows 7 64bits

Guest 1: Windows 7 64bits

Guest 2: Windows XP.

[LouKur]

This has been intermittently broken since at least VMWare Workstation 7.0. At least that version has a work-around solution:

Windows guests

1. Click to Start > Run.
2. Type:
   C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\VMwareUser.exe
3. Click OK.

Later versions of VMWare no longer include the VMware Tools folder nor is program VMwareUser.exe included.

VMWare should either fix this or resume sending out VMwareUser.exe. or equivalent.

Lou

[cwcarlson]

I was unable to find a solution that did not require restarting the VM.  I'm running VMWare 9.0.4 build-1945795 on Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit 6.1.7601, Service Pack 1.

I did find that shutting down the VM, closing the application completely and restarting it fixed it.  It's a pain, but it worked for me.

I've had this happen a few times, and I'm not sure what causes it.  I run Ubuntu Linux in the VM, and sometimes when I reboot after doing an update it quits copy/paste.  The only solution so far is what I describe above.

[Rymdkrig]

I have had the same issue. Installing newer versions of vmware-tools or patches to it has not helped. What did help me was to right click the VMware icon in the host and choose run as administrator. I have set this option permanently in properties -> Shortcut -> Advanced.

host: Win 7 64-bit

guest: Linux 64-bit

[dadalowg2]

I had the same issue for a while. I have Fusion 8.x and both Unity View and Copy/paste was not working. I was able to resolve it by enabling the VMware tools core service in the startup tab in task manager. This service was disabled.

[shakov]

No more copy/paste after latest update of Fusion 8 on OS X. Clipboard sharing is enabled.

I can't believe I payed for this product.

[xlrotor]

After much frustration with this recurring problem, post 25 worked for me. Yipee!

[xlrotor]

I spoke too soon.  That didn't work.  I can copy from guest to host, but not host to guest.

[niagarasys]

It's amazing that this bug still exists almost 4 years later after someone posted it.

VMware version: 12.0.0 build-2985596

Host OS: Windows 7 Professional x64 with all updates as of Nov. 2016

Guest OS: Windows 7 Home Premium x64 with no updates

Resolution:

• Shut your guest down
  • Virtual Machine Settings | Options
    • Guest Isolation
      • uncheck Enable drag and drop
      • uncheck Enable copy and paste
• Power up the guest
• Shut your guest down
  • Virtual Machine Settings | Options
    • Guest Isolation
      • uncheck Enable drag and drop
      • uncheck Enable copy and paste

I have this bug every once in a while and forget how to resolve it so googling brings me here. I figured I'd post the full steps that resolve it for me in the event it saves someone else from clicking through the pages.

[AmmarKhan]

Hi Guys,

I found another solution to this problem without restarting the VM or host.

Problem: VMWare copy/paste (Text Only) stops working randomly. It works most of the time but sometimes it stops working. Copy/Paste for files is working fine but not the Text.

Solution: I clicked on the close icon for the Virtual Machine from the top right corner and it asks from the user whether he wants to Suspend, Poweroff, Run in Background or Cancel the operation. So i clicked on the "Run in Background" which closed the VMWare screen but it remained in the background. So i went to the taskbar and clicked on the VMWare icon where it displays the Number of Running Virtual machine. It should display at least one VM running since you recently closed the VM which is still running in background. Right click on it and then open VMWare and it should display your VM which is still running. Switch to it and now you should be able to do the copy paste.

Hopefully this solution will work for some of the users who experience the problem like me.

Thanks.

[ernstAl]

I have the same problem.

Windows 7 , copy paste enabled, tools installed, so far so good, copy pate WORKS

then, OUT OF A SUDDEN, it stops working, n matter what day, hour, config it is, it just stop working.

then, SOMETIMES out of a nowhere, it starts to work again, then stops working..

I can copy OUT OF a vm machine, but not INTO it. suspending does not help, shutting down or restarting does not help.

quitting all the vmware workstation alltogether helps, but i hate this solution, as i have no clue why it does SUDDENLY stop working in the first place.

also, in certain machines, copy paste stop its function on JPG images, or files (text and SMALL size images are copy-able)

its strange, as it has no logic what so ever.  and its been like this for years, never found or could not replicate the issue

VMWARE has its OWN SOUL and mind  !!!!

[FunnyFanny]

Let's face it, this is one of those problems that VMWare are never going to fix - it's been around since about version 3 or 4, like the mysterious black screen and non-working Shared Folders. I am frankly sick and tired of uninstalling and re-installing Tools, un-checking and re-checking Guest Isolation options, re-starting the VM, upgrading VMWare Workstation, etc, etc, etc, etc. Sooner or later (usually sooner) it's just going to break again.

[slb]

Totally agree.  Did all the usual tricks - more than four years worth of them - and still not working in:

Host: macOS 10.12.2

Guest OS: Windows 10x64

I can't believe how much time I've wasted on this.  It's embarrassing.

[jdholman]

I've tried the "Run in background" trick in 12.5 and it worked amazingly pasting into my Windows 10 Guest from a Windows 10 Host.

[Fitz35]

I'm having the same problem. It worked fine on Workstation 12.5.2 but when I  upgraded to 12.5.4 copy and past stopped working.

I've tried the solutions suggested and no luck.

As a work around: I created a share on my Windows 10 host and connected my VMs to the share. This isn't a long term solution, but it lets me get the files I need between the VMs and the host.

[rthbeta1]

If you are running a version of Linux as a guest, you will likely need to install open-vm-tools-desktop package to enable the Copy/Paste functionality.  It looks like it's NOT installed by default. 

open-vm-tools is the open-source distributed replacement for vmware-tools.

From KB 2073803:

VMware support for Open VM Tools

OVT consists of these packages:
open-vm-tools package

This package contains the core OVT user-space programs and libraries, including vmtoolsd. These features are enabled by this package:

Synchronization of the guest OS clock with the virtualization platform

Enables the virtual infrastructure to perform graceful power operations (shut down) and file system quiescing of the virtual machine

Provides a heartbeat from guest to the virtualization infrastructure to support vSphere High Availability (HA)

Publishes information about the guest OS to the virtualization platform, including resource utilization and networking information

Provides a secure and authenticated mechanism to perform various operations within the guest OS from the virtualization infrastructure

Accepts additional plug-ins that can extend or customize OVT functionality

open-vm-tools-desktop package

This optional package extends OVT with additional user-space programs and libraries to improve the interactive functionality of virtual machines. This package depends on X and therefore must be installed only when X is available. These features are enabled by this package:

Enables resizing of the guest display to match host console window or the VMware Remote Console Window for vSphere

Enables text copy and paste operation between host and guest UI (either direction)

Enables drag and drop operation between guest and host (either direction) for the VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion products (not supported on vSphere)

[GordnF]

I just wish VMWare would be honest about this. The copy and paste problem is one that has existed since about version 3 or 4 and is still with the product.l VMWare really have no interest in resolving it or they would have done so by now.

[PaulHNJ]

In my situation, I had converted a physical to virtual, which made it in VMWare Workstation 11 format.  I couldn't get copy/paste between the host and client working until I converted it to be in VMWare Workstation 12 format (matching my PC).

-Paul

[Lannie]

Aaargh! Just upgraded my Macbook Pro to High Sierra and VMWare Fusion to 10 -- optimized for High Sierra -- hoping that would fix the problem, and upgrade VMware Tools, but no joy. (Ubuntu 14.04 guest.) I tried a bunch of the "fixes" in this thread but no luck. However I did want to mention that I set up a shared folder (Sharing a folder from your Mac to a virtual machine (1004055) | VMware KB ) and that works, so at least that lets me move files. For copy/paste text, I guess I gotta keep going through a Google doc.

[Kvarkas]

A very annoying occurrence that I sometimes suffer is when all of a sudden the copy and paste function stops working when I am connected to a remote machine. Turns out the problem is coming from a little process called rdpclip. Rdpclip (remote desktop clipboard) is responsible for managing a shared clipboard between your local host and the remote desktop (the process runs on the remote machine not your local host).

So what do I do when clipboard stops working?

Luckily fixing the issue is pretty straightforward and involves a few simple steps.

1. Load up task manager (right click taskbar and select Task Manager)
2. Go to the Processes Tab
3. Select rdpclip.exe
4. Click End Process
5. Go to the Application Tab
6. Click New Process
7. Type rdpclip
8. Click Ok

There, copy and paste should now work normally again.

It happens so often, this process is annoying! What do I do to fix it permanently?

Unfortunately, I don’t know why rdpclip stops working nor how to fix it permanently; however, there is a way to make it easier if it happens often.

• Create a new bat file and call it whatever you want to say, clipboard.bat.
• Write the following two commands on separate lines in the new bat file
  • Taskkill.exe /im rdpclip.exe
  • Rdpclip.exe
  • Save the bat file and drag it into the toolbar quick launch section

Now whenever your copy and paste operation fails to restore it, all you need to do is click this new batch file which will kill rdpclip and restart it. Still a workaround but at least it’s a quick procedure.

OS X clipboard (officially known as “pasteboard”) gets stuck sometimes also and won’t accept any new ‘copied’ content.

So, to fix a stuck clipboard (pasteboard) problem, you simply need to:

1. Open your application folder

2. Open the utilities subfolder

3. Open the Activity Monitor app

4. Type “pboard” into the search box at the top right

5. In the search results below, there should only be one result — a row listing the “pboard” process. Highlight it by clicking on it.

6. Click the “x” button at the top left of the window which represents ‘quit this process’

Once you’ve done that, OS X will kill the faulty PBoard process and re-establish it with a fresh one automatically. Your clipboard should be back to normal.

Profit!

[Lannie]

Thanks, Kvarkas, but I tried your OS X instruction and it worked not at all.