Unable to Download Files from Guest OS folders via vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When using the VMware vSphere Client or vCenter Server, users may find they are unable to browse, see, or download specific files located inside a Virtual Machine’s Operating System.
• Users often attempt to use the "Browse Datastore" function expecting to see the files within the Guest OS, but only see files like .vmdk, .vmx, and .log.

Environment

VMware vCenter server

Cause

This behavior is by design. vCenter and the vSphere Datastore Browser are designed to manage the "virtual hardware" and container files of the VM, not the data residing inside the Guest Operating System's file system.

• Isolation: For security reasons, the hypervisor (ESXi) maintains a strict boundary between the host storage and the guest's internal data.

• Datastore vs. Guest OS: The Datastore Browser views the disk from the outside. It sees a single large virtual disk file (VMDK), but it cannot "reach inside" that disk to see individual folders or files while the VM is running.

Resolution

To transfer files from a Guest OS to your local machine use standard protocols like SCP, SFTP etc.