In this article, I will show you how to install VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur. By installing VMware tools on macOS, you enhance the performance of the virtual machine.
VMware Tools is a suite of utilities that enhances the performance of the virtual machine’s guest operating system and improves management of the virtual machine.
Without VMware Tools installed in your guest operating system, guest performance lacks important functionality. According to VMware, Installing VMware Tools eliminates or improves these issues :-
- Low video resolution
- Inadequate colour depth
- Incorrect display of network speed
- Restricted movement of the mouse
- Inability to copy and paste and drag-and-drop files
- Missing sound
- Provides the ability to take quiesced snapshots of the guest OS
- Synchronizes the time in the guest operating system with the time on the host
Note: You do not need a CD to install VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur. The VMware Tools installer is embedded in the VMware Fusion application itself. However, you may manually specify the VMware Tools .iso file and still install the tools on macOS.
Install VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur
Let’s install the VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur. Power on the macOS virtual machine and log in with your account. Right-click the Virtual Machine and select Install VMware Tools.
You should see the VMware Tools window that allows you to install VMware Tools and Uninstall VMware Tools. Click Install VMware Tools.
On the Introduction window, click Continue.
The destination is selected automatically, so you don’t need to choose anything. The VMware Tools on macOS will take 7.6 MB of disk space which is fine. To install VMware Tools on macOS Big Sur, click Install.
You will be asked to enter your account credentials to continue the installation. Enter the password and click Install Software.
The VMware tools are installed, and you should see the confirmation of tools installation. You must restart your Mac to complete the VMware Tools installation.
Login back to the virtual machine, and you will surely notice the difference. If the screen resolution is too high, you may want to adjust the resolution under Display settings.
Reinstall VMWare Tools on macOS
In some cases, the VMware tools may not work fine or may crash due to some issues. You can either uninstall the VMware tools and install it back. Or you can simply right-click the virtual machine and select Reinstall VMware Tools. This loads up the window where you get to install the VMware Tools again.
