VMware stores virtual machines as a package that includes the virtual machine settings file, filename.vmx, and the virtual disks.

When required, you must provide the path to the .vmx file. The examples that follow are of default paths to Windows and Linux virtual machine for Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS.

Unless you specify a file location for a virtual machine when you create it, Fusion saves the virtual machine package to a default location, which can vary. See Default File Location of a Virtual Machine.

Examples of the vmrun command include the relative path to the .vmx file instead of the absolute paths that follow.

  • your home directory/Virtual\ Machines.localized/Win10.vmwarevm/Win10.vmx
  • your home directory/Virtual\ Machines.localized/Ubuntu16.vmwarevm/Ubuntu16.vmx
Important: For vmrun commands that require VMware Tools, install the latest VMware Tools package and, especially after operating system updates, keep VMware Tools up‐to‐date.