How to Exit the VMWare Console Mode

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You can use a keyboard command to exit Console Mode in VMWare ESXi.

VMWare ESXi is a type of virtualization software that you can install on your Windows or Linux server to create multiple virtual machines and share the server's resources between them. When diagnosing a serious problem with VMWare ESXi, VMWare Support may instruct you to go into Tech Support Mode, which is also known as Console Mode. If you have accidentally switched into Console Mode, you will need to perform an exit command in order to return to the standard mode.

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Step 1

Hold down the "Alt" key and press the "F1" key to pull up a new console window in which you can type commands.

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Step 2

Type "unsupported" into the console window and press the "Enter" key.

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Step 3

Enter the root password of your server and press "Enter" again. Now that you have been authenticated as the root user, you will be able to exit Console Mode.

Step 4

Type "clear" into the window and press the "Enter" key to get rid of all data from the Console Mode session.

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Step 5

Type "exit" and hit "Enter" to run the command that will end the Console Mode session.

Step 6

Hold down the "Alt" and "F2" keys to switch back into the standard mode.

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