Virtual Machine Change Configuration privileges control the ability to configure virtual machine options and devices.

You can set this privilege at different levels in the hierarchy. For example, if you set a privilege at the folder level, you can propagate the privilege to one or more objects within the folder. The object listed in the Required On column must have the privilege set, either directly or inherited.

Table 1. Virtual Machine Change Configuration Privileges
Privilege Name in the vSphere Client Description Required On Privilege Name in the API
  • Change Configuration
    • Acquire disk lease

Allows disk lease operations for a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.DiskLease
  • Change Configuration
    • Add existing disk

Allows adding an existing virtual disk to a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.AddExistingDisk
  • Change Configuration
    • Add new disk

Allows creation of a new virtual disk to add to a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.AddNewDisk
  • Change Configuration
    • Add or remove device

Allows addition or removal of any non-disk device.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.AddRemoveDevice
  • Change Configuration
    • Advanced configuration

Allows addition or modification of advanced parameters in the virtual machine's configuration file.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.AdvancedConfig
  • Change Configuration
    • Change CPU count

Allows changing the number of virtual CPUs.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.CPUCount
  • Change Configuration
    • Change Memory

Allows changing the amount of memory allocated to the virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.Memory
  • Change Configuration
    • Change Settings

Allows changing general virtual machine settings.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.Settings
  • Change Configuration
    • Change Swapfile placement

Allows changing the swapfile placement policy for a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.SwapPlacement
  • Change Configuration
    • Change resource

Allows changing the resource configuration of a set of virtual machine nodes in a given resource pool.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.Resource
  • Change Configuration
    • Configure Host USB device

Allows attaching a host-based USB device to a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.HostUSBDevice
  • Change Configuration
    • Configure Raw device

Allows adding or removing a raw disk mapping or SCSI pass through device.

Setting this parameter overrides any other privilege for modifying raw devices, including connection states.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.RawDevice
  • Change Configuration
    • Configure managedBy

Allows an extension or solution to mark a virtual machine as being managed by that extension or solution.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.ManagedBy
  • Change Configuration
    • Display connection settings

Allows configuration of virtual machine remote console options.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.MksControl
  • Change Configuration
    • Extend virtual disk

Allows expansion of the size of a virtual disk.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.DiskExtend
  • Change Configuration
    • Modify device settings

Allows changing the properties of an existing device.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.EditDevice
  • Change Configuration
    • Query Fault Tolerance compatibility

Allows checking if a virtual machine is compatible for Fault Tolerance.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.QueryFTCompatibility
  • Change Configuration
    • Query unowned files

Allows querying of unowned files.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.QueryUnownedFiles
  • Change Configuration
    • Reload from path

Allows changing a virtual machine configuration path while preserving the identity of the virtual machine. Solutions such as VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager use this operation to maintain virtual machine identity during failover and failback.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.ReloadFromPath
  • Change Configuration
    • Remove disk

Allows removal of a virtual disk device.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.RemoveDisk
  • Change Configuration
    • Rename

Allows renaming a virtual machine or modifying the associated notes of a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.Rename
  • Change Configuration
    • Reset guest information

Allows editing the guest operating system information for a virtual machine.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.ResetGuestInfo
  • Change Configuration
    • Set annotation

Allows adding or editing a virtual machine annotation.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.Annotation
  • Change Configuration
    • Toggle disk change tracking

Allows activating or deactivating of change tracking for the virtual machine's disks.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.ChangeTracking
  • Change Configuration
    • Toggle fork parent

Allows activating or deactivating a vmfork parent.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.ToggleForkParent
  • Change Configuration
    • Upgrade virtual machine compatibility

Allows upgrade of the virtual machine’s virtual machine compatibility version.

Virtual machines

VirtualMachine.Config.UpgradeVirtualHardware