How to Transfer VMware VM to Another Computer

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VMware developers a line of virtual machine programs for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. VMware creates virtual machines (VMs) that run guest operating systems inside the host operating system running on the computer. Each virtual machine has its own virtual hardware configuration and a VMDK file that contains an image of the operating system's virtual hard drive. You can transfer a VMware virtual machine from one computer to another by moving the directory containing these files, as long as the virtual machine is powered off first.

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Step 1

Power the virtual machine off if it's on by clicking the "Virtual Machine" menu in VMware, hovering the mouse cursor over "Power" and clicking "Power Off."

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Step 2

Select the virtual machine by clicking its name in the VMware window.

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Step 3

Click the "Virtual Machine" menu and click "Virtual Machine Settings."

Step 4

Click the "Options" tab at the top of the settings window that appears.

Step 5

Read the directory from the "Working Directory" box at the bottom-right corner of the Options pane. This directory contains the virtual machine's files.

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Step 6

Click "Start," click "Computer" and go to the virtual machine's working directory in your computer.

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Step 7

Transfer the virtual machine's working directory to another computer using a USB flash drive, a writable disc, or a network connection.

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Step 8

Click the "File" menu in VMware on the other computer and click "Open Virtual Machine."

Step 9

Go to the virtual machine's working directory and double-click the VMX file inside of it.

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