Syntax of vmrun Commands

The vmrun commands are divided into function categories.

The following tables list vmrun commands and parameters for Fusion according to their function. Parameters are listed one per line. Parameters enclosed in square brackets are optional. The vertical bar indicates a keyword choice.

The vmrun Power Commands and Parameters

Option	Parameters	Description
start	path to .vmx file [ gui | nogui ]	Starts a virtual machine. The default gui option starts the machine interactively, which is required to display the Fusion interface. The nogui option suppresses the Fusion interface, including the startup dialog box, to allow noninteractive scripting. Note: To start encrypted virtual machines, use the nogui flag. The vmrun utility does not support GUI mode with encrypted virtual machines.
stop	path to .vmx file [ hard | soft ]	Stops a virtual machine. Use the soft option to power off the guest after running shutdown scripts. Use the hard option to power off the guest without running scripts, as if you pressed the power button. The default is to use the powerType value specified in the .vmx file, if present.
reset	path to .vmx file [ hard | soft ]	Resets a virtual machine. Use the soft option to run shutdown scripts before rebooting the guest. Use the hard option to reboot the guest without running scripts, as if you pressed the reset button. The default is to use the powerType value specified in the .vmx file, if present.
suspend	path to .vmx file [ hard | soft ]	Suspends a virtual machine without shutting down the virtual machine, so local work can resume later. The soft option suspends the guest after running system scripts. On Windows guests, these scripts release the IP address. On Linux guests, the scripts suspend networking. The hard option suspends the guest without running the scripts. The default is to use the powerType value specified in the .vmx file, if present. To resume virtual machine operations after the suspend command finishes, use the start command. On Windows, the IP address is retrieved. On Linux, networking is restarted.
pause	path to .vmx file	Pauses a virtual machine.
unpause	path to .vmx file	Resumes operations of a virtual machine from where you paused normal operations.

The vmrun Snapshot Commands and Parameters

Option	Parameters	Description
listSnapshots	path to .vmx file [ showtree ]	Lists all snapshots in a virtual machine. The showtree option displays snapshots in tree format, with children indented under their parent.
snapshot	path to .vmx file snapshot name	Creates a snapshot of a virtual machine. Because Fusion supports multiple snapshots, you must provide the snapshot name. Because the forward slash defines path names, do not use the slash character in a snapshot name. Otherwise, specifying the snapshot path later becomes difficult.
deleteSnapshot	path to .vmx file snapshot name [ andDeleteChildren ]	Removes a snapshot from a virtual machine. Because Fusion supports multiple snapshots, you must provide the snapshot name. The virtual machine must be powered off or suspended. If the snapshot has children, they become children of the deleted snapshot's parent, and subsequent snapshots continue as before from the end of the chain. The andDeleteChildren option deletes the specified snapshot and its children recursively. See revertToSnapshot for solutions to name conflicts.
revertToSnapshot	path to .vmx file snapshot name or path to .vmx file Snapshot/"Snapshot 2"/"Snapshot N"	Sets the virtual machine to its state at snapshot time. However if the virtual machine was powered on at the time of the snapshot, vmrun reverts it to a suspended state, but does not resume running the virtual machine. If a snapshot has a unique name within a virtual machine, revert to that snapshot by specifying the path to the virtual machine's configuration file and the unique snapshot name. If several snapshots have the same name, specify the snapshot by including a full pathname for the snapshot. A pathname is a series of snapshot names, separated by forward slash characters (/). Each name specifies a new snapshot in the tree. For example, the pathname Snap1/Snap2 identifies a snapshot named Snap2 that was taken from the state of a snapshot named Snap1.

The vmrun Network Adapter Commands and Parameters

Only Fusion Pro supports the network adapter commands.

Option	Parameters	Description
listNetworkAdapters	path to .vmx file	Lists the network adapters in a virtual machine.
addNetworkAdapter	path to .vmx file Network adapter type [ Host nework ]	Adds a network adapter to a virtual machine. Note: The network adapter type can be nat, hostOnly, bridged, or custom. When the network adapter is nat, hostOnly, or bridged, the Host nework parameter is not required. Only when the network adapter type is custom, must you specify a value for the Host nework parameter. For example, vmrun addNetworkAdapter .vmx file custom vmnet3. You must name a custom virtual network with one of the names listed in the Custom section of the Network settings panel of the virtual machine or the Fusion Network Preferences panel. .
setNetworkAdapter	path to .vmx file Network adapter index Network adapter type [ Host nework ]	Updates a network adapter in a virtual machine. Note: The network adapter type can be nat, hostOnly, bridged, or custom. When the network adapter is nat, hostOnly, or bridged, the Host nework parameter is not required. Only when the network adapter type is custom, must you specify a value for the Host nework parameter. For example, vmrun addNetworkAdapter .vmx file custom vmnet3. You must name a custom virtual network with one of the names listed in the Custom section of the Network settings panel of the virtual machine or the Fusion Network Preferences panel.
deleteNetworkAdapter	path to .vmx file Network adapter index	Removes a network adapter from a virtual machine.

The vmrun Host Network Commands and Parameters

Only Fusion Pro supports the host network commands.

Option	Parameters	Description
listHostNetworks		Lists all networks on the host.
listPortForwardings	host network name	Lists all available port forwardings on a host network.
setPortForwarding	host network name protocol host port guest ip guest port [Description]	Sets a port forwarding on a host network. Note: To prevent the command from returning an error, use the sudo utility with this option. For example, sudo vmrun setPortForwarding.
deletePortForwarding	host network name protocol host port	Deletes a port forwarding on a host network. Note: To prevent the command from returning an error, use the sudo utility with this option. For example, sudo vmrun deletePortForwarding.

The vmrun Guest Operating System Commands and Parameters

The timeout, which is the wait for VMware Tools, is five minutes for all guest‐related commands.

Option	Parameters	Description
runProgramInGuest	path to .vmx file [ -noWait | -activeWindow | -interactive ] program name [ program arguments ]	Runs a specified program in the guest operating system. The -noWait option returns a prompt immediately after the program starts in the guest, rather than waiting for it to finish. This option is useful for interactive programs. The -activeWindow option ensures that the Windows GUI is visible, not minimized. It has no effect on Linux. The -interactive option forces interactive guest login. The option is useful for Windows Vista and Windows 7 or later guests to make the program visible in the console window. You must provide the full pathname of a program accessible to the guest. Also provide fully accessible path names for any files specified in the program arguments, according to the requirements of the program. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required.
fileExistsInGuest	path to .vmx file	Checks whether the specified file exists in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required.
directoryExistsInGuest	path to .vmx file directory path on guest	Checks whether the specified directory exists in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required.
setSharedFolderState	path to .vmx file share name path to folder on host writable | readonly	Modifies the writability state of a specified folder shared between the host and a guest virtual machine. The value for the share name parameter is a mount point in the guest file system. The value for the path to folder on host parameter is the exported directory on the host. To make a shared folder writable or read-only, include the writable or readonly parameter.
addSharedFolder	path to .vmx file share name path to folder on host	Adds a folder to be shared between the host and guest. The virtual machine must be running for the addSharedFolder option to take effect. The value for the share name parameter is a mount point in the guest file system. The value for the path to folder on host parameter is the exported directory on the host. On Windows guests, a delay might occur before shared folders are visible to the runProgramInGuest, fileExistsInGuest, and directoryExistsInGuest options.
removeSharedFolder	path to .vmx file share name	Removes the guest virtual machine’s access to a shared folder on the host. The virtual machine must be running for the removeSharedFolder option to take effect. The value for the share name parameter is a mount point in the guest file system.
enableSharedFolders	path to .vmx file [runtime]	Allows the guest virtual machine, specified by the .vmx file, to share folders with its host. After enabling, run the addSharedFolder option to specify each host folder to share. The optional [runtime] argument limits the sharing of folders until the virtual machine is powered off. Otherwise, the setting persists at the next power-on. Note: The enableSharedFolders option takes effect after the shut-down and restart of the guest. No error message appears.
disableSharedFolders	path to .vmx file [runtime]	Prevents the guest virtual machine, specified by the .vmx file, from sharing folders with its host. The optional [runtime] argument limits the stop applied to the sharing of folders until the virtual machine is powered off. Otherwise, the setting persists at next power on. Note: The disableSharedFolders option takes effect after the shut-down and restart of the guest. No error message appears.
listProcessesInGuest	path to .vmx file	Lists all processes running in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
killProcessInGuest	path to .vmx file process ID	Stops a specified process in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. The process ID can be any number listed after pid= in the output of the listProcessesInGuest option.
runScriptInGuest	path to .vmx file [ -noWait | -activeWindow | -interactive ] interpreter path script text	Runs the specified command script in the guest operating system. See the runProgramInGuest entry for an explanation of options. The interpreter path option runs the script. Provide the complete text of the script, not a filename. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
deleteFileInGuest	path to .vmx file path to file on guest	Deletes the given file from the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
createDirectoryInGuest	path to .vmx file directory path on guest	Creates the specified directory in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
deleteDirectoryInGuest	path to .vmx file directory path on guest	Deletes the specified directory from the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest
createTempfileInGuest	path to .vmx file	Creates a temporary file in the guest operating system, and returns the path name of the temporary file created. The path name varies according to the operating system. You can run the deleteFileInGuest option to remove the file. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
listDirectoryInGuest	path to .vmx file directory path on guest	Lists contents of the specified directory in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
CopyFileFromHostToGuest	path to .vmx file file path on host file path in guest	Copies a file from the host to the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. Specify the source filename, or host filename, before the destination filename, or guest filename.
CopyFileFromGuestToHost	path to .vmx file file path in guest file path on host	Copies a file from the guest operating system to the host. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. Specify the source filename, or guest filename, before the destination filename, or host filename.
renameFileInGuest	path to .vmx file original filename new filename	Renames or moves a file in the guest operating system. VMware Tools and a valid guest login are required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. Specify the source filename, or original filename, before the destination filename.
connectNamedDevice	path to .vmx file device name	Connects the device named in the command to the guest operating system. You can only run this command when the virtual machine is powered on. You can use device names, such as sound, serial0, Ethernet0, sata0:1, etc. Note: After you use the vmrun connectNamedDevice command to connect a disconnected sound device to a running virtual machine, powering off the virtual machine might disconnect the sound device from the virtual machine, even though the virtual machine settings list the sound device as connected.
disconnectNamedDevice	path to .vmx file device name	Disconnects the device named in the command from the guest operating system. You can only run this command when the virtual machine is powered on. You can use device names, such as sound, serial0, Ethernet0, sata0:1, etc. Note: After you use the vmrun disconnectNamedDevice command to disconnect a connected sound device from a running virtual machine, powering off the virtual machine might reconnect the sound device to the virtual machine, even though the virtual machine settings list the sound device as disconnected.
captureScreen	path to .vmx file output path on host	Captures the screen of the virtual machine to a local file. The specified output file on the host is in PNG format. A valid guest login is required. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest.
writeVariable	path to .vmx file [ guestVar | runtimeConfig | guestEnv ] variable name variable value	Writes a variable to the virtual machine state or guest. You can set a non‐persistent guest variable, guestVar, a runtime configuration variable,runtimeConfig, as stored in the .vmx file, or an environment variable, guestEnv, in the guest operating system. A guest variable is a runtime‐only value that provides a simple way to pass runtime values in and out of the guest. Environment variables require VMware Tools and a valid guest login. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. With Linux, setting the guest environment also requires root login.
readVariable	path to .vmx file [ guestVar | runtimeConfig | guestEnv ] variable name	Reads a variable from the virtual machine state or guest. You can get a guest variable, a runtime configuration as stored in the .vmx file, or environment variables in the guest operating system. Reading the guestEnv variable requires a valid guest login. For example, you can use the -gu and -gp options to log in to the guest. See the writeVariable entry for a description of variable types.
getGuestIPAddress	path to .vmx file [ -wait ]	Retrieves the IP address of the guest. When you use the [ -wait ] option, the command waits until the IP address is available. For example, the IP address is not available until the virtual machine powers on. If the network is not ready, the command returns to the command-line prompt immediately.

The vmrun General Commands and Parameters

Option	Parameters	Description
list		Lists all running virtual machines.
upgradevm	path to .vmx file	Upgrades a virtual machine to the current virtual hardware version. Has no effect if the virtual hardware version is the most recent supported. Power off the virtual machine, such as with the vmrun stop command. Wait a short period of time for the command to finish. Then run the vmrun upgradevm command.
installTools	path to .vmx file	Prepares to install VMware Tools in the guest operating system. In Windows guests with autorun enabled, the VMware Tools installer starts by itself. In Linux guests without autorun, the command connects the virtual CD‐ROM drive to the VMware Tools ISO image suitable for the guest, but the installer does not start. You must complete the installation with additional manual steps, as described in the product documentation.
checkToolsState	path to .vmx file	Checks the status of VMware Tools in the guest. The possible states are unknown, installed, and running.
deleteVM	path to .vmx file	Deletes a virtual machine.
clone	path to .vmx file destination .vmx file path full|linked [-snapshot=Snapshot Name] [-cloneName=Name]	Only Fusion Pro supports the clone option. Creates a copy of the virtual machine.

The vmrun Template Virtual Machine Commands and Parameters

Option	Parameters	Description
downloadPhotonVM	path to save the downloaded VM	Downloads a VMware Project Photon operating system virtual machine.