The Display option in the virtual machine settings in VMware Workstation is missing

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• While running a virtual machine migrated from an older version of VMware Workstation, the Display option in is not available in VM > Settings > Hardware
• You are unable to accelerate 3D in the virtual machine

Environment

VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Windows)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Windows)
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 12.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 7.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 7.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 12.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Linux)
VMware Workstation 10.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows)

Cause

VMware workstation 5.x and later versions support the 3D acceleration feature. However, virtual machines with hardware compatibility prior to Workstation 5, do not have the display settings available.

Note: With hardware 3D acceleration, three-dimensional rendering on the virtual machine uses the graphics processor on your video card, instead of using valuable CPU resources drawing 3D images. To enable the function, select Accelerate 3D graphics from VM > Settings > Hardware > Display.

Resolution

To resolve this issue:

1. Shut down the virtual machine.
2. Upgrade the virtual hardware.
   
   
   1. Right-click the virtual machine and click Manage.
   2. Click Change Hardware Compatibility. The Change Hardware Compatibility Wizard appears.
   3. Click Next.
   4. Select Workstation 8 in the Hardware Compatibility dropdown.
   5. Click Next.
   6. When prompted, create a clone or alter the virtual machine.
   7. Click Next.
   8. Click Finish.
   9. Click Close.
      
      
3. Edit the virtual machine settings.
4. Select the Display option.
5. Select the Accelerate 3D graphics option.
6. Click OK.

Additional Information

Virtual machine hardware versions

Impact/Risks:

When the virtual machine is upgraded to the new hardware version, some of the old features may not be available.