Creating and editing config.ini for VMware Workstation on Windows hosts

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Some Knowledge Base articles tell me to edit the config.ini file, but I can't find it. Where is it? How do I create it if it doesn't exist?

Environment

VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 7.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 6.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 5.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 12.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 4.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Windows)

Resolution

The config.ini file may not exist if you have not changed the default configuration setting from the Edit > Preferences menu.

To see if the file already exists, look for it in:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Workstation

Notes:

Make sure you are looking on the Windows host on which you have installed the VMware software. You should not look for this file in your virtual machine.

• On Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 2008 Server R2 and Windows 10 hosts, look for the file in:
  
  %PROGRAMDATA%\VMWare\VMware_Product_Name\config.ini
   

  Product	Version	Configuration File
  VMware Workstation	4.x to 11.x	%PROGRAMDATA%\VMWare\VMware Workstation\config.ini
  VMware Workstation Pro	12.x and later
  VMware Workstation Player	12.1 and later
  VMware Workstation Player Pro	12.1 and later
  VMware Player	4.x to 11.x	%PROGRAMDATA%\VMWare\VMware Player\config.ini
  VMware Workstation Player	12.0
  VMware Workstation Player Pro	12.0

  
  
  Note: This folder is normally hidden by default. In order to make this folder viewable/accessible:
   
  1. Open a new folder.
  2. Go to Tools > Folder Options.
  3. Click the View tab, and select Show hidden files, folders and drives.

To create the file if it does not exist:

1. Open Notepad.
   
   Caution: Do not use Word or Wordpad, because these editors create extra characters in the text file that render the configuration settings that you add unreadable.
    
2. Save a new, empty text file named config.ini in the location above.