How to Install VMware Tools in Linux Mint 21

In this guide, we will explain how to configure VMware Tools on a Linux Mint virtual machine using VMware. Additionally, this guest software package optimizes the performance of your device. However, it allows file transfer between the VM and the physical computer.

Additionally, it enables features such as full-screen mode and more. We will explain the installation steps on both Linux Mint 21 and 19 & 18. We will also cover instructions for file transfer. In conclusion, we will improve your virtual system experience with VMware Tools.

How to Set Up and Configure VMware Tools on Linux Mint 21

After installing Linux Mint with the Workstation virtualization program, the first thing you need to do is install the virtual machine tools.

You can install VMware Tools for Workstation on Linux systems using two methods.

1. You can install it using the existing VM Tools software on the VM Workstation.
2. You can download and install VM Tools using a command via the terminal.

In this article, we will install guest tools via the terminal. Sometimes, it is more beneficial to install Linux machine tools on the terminal. Because, in some cases, installing VM Tools on a VM Workstation may cause errors.

In our previous article, we examined how to install Linux Mint with VMware. In this article, we will install these tools in the Linux virtual system installed on the VM Workstation virtualization program. And finally, we will test how to exchange files between the machine and our physical device.

Step-by-Step VMware Tools Installation

Mint’s latest release is 21 Virginia. After installing Linux Mint, the first thing you do is install VM Tools. Thanks to this software, you can use your virtual machine with higher performance. Additionally, you can use your VM in full-screen mode.

To install VMware Tools from scratch, follow the steps below.

Step 1

After running your virtual PC, you will see that the View / Fit Guest Now option is disabled. This is because you haven’t installed VM Tools.

Now, click on VM / Install VMware Tools to start the installation of the VM Tool on the virtual PC.

Step 2

After the installation image is mounted on the system, drag and drop the tar.gz file to the desktop.

Step 3

Next, open the Tools.tar.gz file. Then, drag the distributed folder to the desktop location.

Step 4

You will install it with the vmware-install.pl file in the Distrib folder.

Step 5

Open the terminal on the guest machine and list the vmware-tools-distrib folder. To start the installation of VM tools, execute the sudo ./vmware-install.pl command in the terminal. Press the Enter button repeatedly to complete the installation.

sudo ./vmware-install.pl
Copy

Step 6

After completing the installation of the Mint VM tools, restart the VM.

Step 7

Restart your Mint virtual guest system.

Step 8

After installation, you can now put your Mint virtual machine in full-screen mode. To do this, click View / Fit Guest Now on the guest OS.

Step 9

You can now use your virtual machine full screen and transfer files with your physical computer.

Step 10

Please create a new text document on your host and test whether file copying works by dragging and dropping it to your machine’s desktop.

The file copying process will be completed successfully between the host and the virtual system, as shown in the image below.

Video

Installing VM tools on the latest version 21 of Mint is the same as the steps above. So, you can watch the video below to install drivers for version 21!

Installing Guest Drivers for Linux Mint 18 & 19 Versions

After installing this package, you will be able to use the virtual machine at full resolution. Additionally, you will be able to use hardware devices such as USB 3.0 and Webcam and exchange documents or documents between your computer and the guest.

Steps:

Step 1

Start your virtual computer and then check Fit Guest Now in the View section.

As you can see in the image below, the guest package is not installed on your guest machine.

Step 2

First of all, to install Mint VM’s drivers, open the terminal on the desktop.

Step 3

Ping any site to check your Internet connection. For example, you can use the command. ping -c 3 www.google.com.

Step 4

To update existing software packages on your system, execute the sudo apt-get update command.

sudo apt-get updateCopy

Step 5

Follow the command below to download and install the software.

sudo apt-get install open-vm-tools-desktop -yCopy

Step 6

Now, restart your virtual system using the shutdown -r now command.

shutdown -r nowCopy

Step 7

After the virtual PC restarts, you can see that the Fit Guest Now option is active. Proceed with Fit Guest Now to extend the device’s screen.

Step 8

After clicking Fit Guest Now, the guest machine screen resolution will be as follows.

File Transfer Between Physical Computer and Virtual Machine

After installing VMware software on Linux Mint, you can transfer files between the physical computer and the VM.

Step 1

Create a test.txt file on the physical computer and try to transfer the file to the guest machine.

Step 2

The created text file was successfully copied to the virtual PC!

Step 3

Open the document file on the virtual PC and write 123 in it. Then, save the file by clicking the Save button.

Step 4

Drag and drop the test.txt file in the VM to the host machine. Then click Replace the file in the destination.

Step 5

Now, open the test.txt file on the physical PC. Then, check that the file content has changed.

Video

Conclusion

I want to summarize: Installing VMware Tools on Linux Mint increases performance. It also facilitates file transfer between the virtual machine and the computer. You can optimize your experience in your virtual systems by following the steps in this guide.

Additionally, you can enjoy features like full-screen mode. In addition, by exchanging files, you increase the functionality of the virtual environment. So, whether you use Mint 21, 19, or 18, guest software improves your VM usage.