To drag and drop files from Windows to a VM on VMware Workstation Player 15, you need to enable the feature in the virtual machine's Guest Isolation settings while the VM is powered off, and you must first setup a network in vmware workstation so the host and guest can communicate. This guide shows you exactly how to turn on drag and drop files vmware workstation player 15, transfer your files, and fix common issues if the feature stops working.
What you need before you enable drag and drop files on VMware Workstation Player 15
Before you start, make sure you have the following in place. First, you need VMware Workstation Player 15 installed on your Windows host. Second, you need an existing virtual machine with a supported guest operating system (such as Windows, Linux, or macOS) and VMware Tools installed inside that guest. Third, you need administrative access to both the host Windows system and the virtual machine to change settings and install software if required. If you haven't yet created a VM or installed a guest OS, you might want to first install an operating system on a VMware virtual machine before proceeding with drag and drop.
Open the virtual machine settings while the VM is powered off
Drag and drop cannot be enabled while the VM is running. So, shut down the virtual machine completely. In the VMware Workstation Player 15 library, select the VM you want to modify. Then click the "Edit virtual machine settings" option. This opens the Virtual Machine Settings dialog box where you can change hardware and option configurations.
Enable drag and drop under guest isolation
In the Virtual Machine Settings dialog box, click the "Options" tab at the top. From the list on the left, select "Guest Isolation". On the right side, you will see two checkboxes: "Enable drag and drop" and "Enable copy and paste". Check both boxes. While the drag and drop checkbox is the primary one for file transfer, enabling copy and paste is recommended because it also allows you to move text and small data snippets between host and guest. After checking both, click "OK" to save the changes and close the dialog.
Power on the VM and drag files from Windows to the guest
Now that the setting is enabled, power on the virtual machine. Wait for the guest operating system to fully boot and for VMware Tools to load (you may see a tray icon in the guest). On your Windows host, open File Explorer and navigate to the files or folders you want to transfer. Select the items by clicking them, or hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple files. Drag the selected items over the VMware Workstation Player window. When the cursor is over the VM window, release the mouse button to drop the files. The files will be copied to the location where you drop them inside the guest OS, usually the desktop or the folder you have open. If you need to transfer a large virtual disk file, you might also consider how to use a VHD in VMware Workstation as an alternative method, but for everyday documents and images, drag and drop is the fastest.
How to fix drag and drop not working
If drag and drop doesn't work, follow these checks in order. First, verify that VMware Tools is installed and running inside the guest operating system. VMware Tools is essential for drag and drop to function; you can check by right-clicking the VMware Tools icon in the system tray (Windows guest) or running vmware-toolbox-cmd -v in a terminal (Linux guest). Second, confirm that both Guest Isolation checkboxes are checked, but remember you must power off the VM to change these settings. Third, restart the VM after making any changes. If the issue persists, shut down the VM, re-open the Guest Isolation settings, uncheck both boxes, click OK, then reopen settings and check them again. This resets the configuration. In most cases, reinstalling VMware Tools or restarting the host and guest resolves the problem. If you still have trouble, check that your VMware Workstation Player 15 is updated to the latest build, as older versions may have bugs with drag and drop on certain guest operating systems.
