You can configure when a parallel port is connected to a virtual machine and whether to send output to a physical port or to a file on the host system.

To configure parallel port settings for a selected virtual machine, select VM > Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the parallel port.

Note: Physical parallel port support is removed in VMware Workstation 17.6 and later on the Windows platform.
Table 1. Parallel Port Settings
Setting Description
Connected Connect the port while the virtual machine is running.
Connect at power on Connect the port when you power on the virtual machine.

If the guest operating system cannot access the parallel port device when you power on the virtual machine, deselect this setting. You can use the Removable Devices menu to enable access to the parallel port after the virtual machine is powered on.
Use a physical parallel port Select a host parallel port for the virtual machine to use.
Use output file Send output from the virtual parallel port to a file on the host system. Either locate an existing output file or browse to a directory and type a filename to create a new output file.