By default, the vSphere Client sessions close after 120 minutes of idle time, requiring the user to log in again to resume using the client. You can change the timeout value by editing the webclient.properties file.

You can configure the timeout of the vSphere Client by changing the value of the session.timeout property in the webclient.properties file.

Edit the Properties File of the vSphere Client

  1. On the computer where the vSphere Client is installed, navigate to the /etc/vmware/vsphere-ui file path where the webclient.properties file is located.
  2. Edit the file to include the line session.timeout = <custom_value>, where <custom_value> is the timeout value in minutes. Uncomment the line, if necessary.

    To set the client to never timeout, specify a negative or 0 value for the timeout.

    For example, to set the timeout value to 60 minutes, include the line session.timeout = 60.

  3. Restart the VMware vSphere Client service.

Change the Client Configuration in the vSphere Client

  1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Home > Administration.
  2. Under Deployment, select Client Configuration.
  3. In the Client Configuration pane, click Edit.

    The Edit client configuration dialog box appears.

  4. Enter a new value in minutes in the session timeout text box.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Restart the VMware vSphere Client service.