Editing the NAT Configuration File

If you are an advanced user, you can edit the NAT configuration file to modify NAT settings.

The location of the NAT configuration file depends on the host operating system.

Table 1. NAT Configuration File Location

Host Operating System	NAT Configuration File Location
Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10	C:\ProgramData\VMware\vmnetnat.conf
Linux	/etc/vmware/vmnet8/nat/nat.conf

The NAT configuration file is divided into sections, and each section configures a part of the NAT device. Text surrounded by square brackets, such as [dns], marks the beginning of a section. Each section contains one or more configuration parameters. The  configuration parameters take the form ip = 192.168.27.1/24.

On a Windows host system, you can change the NAT configuration by using the virtual network editor. You do not need to edit the NAT configuration file. On a Linux host system, you must edit the NAT configuration file to modify the NAT configuration.

Important:

Make a backup copy of the NAT configuration file. If you edit the NAT configuration file and then use the virtual network editor, your edits might be lost.