You can convert a standard virtual machine to a shared virtual machine or create a shared virtual machine by creating a clone of a standard virtual machine. Workstation Pro stores shared virtual machines in the shared virtual machines directory.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the virtual machine is not encrypted.

  • Verify that the virtual machine is not configured to use a physical disk.

  • Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

  1. Select the virtual machine and select VM > Manage > Share, or drag the virtual machine to the Shared VMs item.
  2. Type a name for the shared virtual machine.
  3. Select how to create the shared virtual machine.

    Option

    Description

    Move the virtual machine

    Convert the standard virtual machine to a shared virtual machine. Workstation Pro moves the virtual machine files to the shared virtual machines directory. If you decide to prevent remote access to virtual machine at a later time, you can change the virtual machine back to a standard virtual machine.

    Make a full clone of the virtual machine

    Create a shared virtual machine by cloning the virtual machine. Workstation Pro creates the clone in the shared virtual machines directory. The clone is a complete and independent copy of the virtual machine and additional disk space is required to store it.
  4. Click Finish to share the virtual machine and click Close to exit the wizard.

    A clone can take several minutes to create, depending on the size of the virtual disk that is being duplicated.

Results

If you converted a standard virtual machine to a shared virtual machine, the virtual machine appears under the Shared VMs item in the library. If you cloned a standard virtual machine, the clone appears under the Shared VMs item and the original virtual machine remains under My Computer.

What to do next

If the virtual machine uses a static IP address, change it after cloning a standard virtual machine to a shared virtual machine.