Troubleshooting a failed VMware Tools installation in Fusion

Products

VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

This article provides the general steps to follow when VMware Tools installation fails. The troubleshooting steps are appropriate for all cases, and the articles in the Additional Information section of this article provide resolutions for specific cases.

For general information on installing VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine, see Installing VMware Tools in a Fusion virtual machine running Windows. For information on uninstalling VMware Tools from a Windows virtual machine, see Uninstalling and manually installing VMware Tools in VMware Fusion.

For information on installing VMware Tools in a Linux virtual machine, see:

Environment

VMware Fusion 11.x
VMware Fusion 10.x
VMware Fusion Pro 8.x
VMware Fusion 8.x
VMware Fusion Pro 10.x
VMware Fusion 4.x
VMware Fusion 7.x
VMware Fusion Pro 11.x
VMware Fusion 2.x
VMware Fusion 5.x
VMware Fusion 3.x
VMware Fusion 6.x

Resolution

To troubleshoot a failed VMware Tools installation:

Note: Each step below provides instructions and a link to a document, for performing the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and to identify the proper resolution. They are also ordered in the most appropriate sequence to minimize data loss. After completing each step, try to install VMware Tools again. Work through each troubleshooting step in order, and do not skip a step.

Make sure that a CD drive is connected to your virtual machine.
Create a new user account with administrative privileges. For more information, see:
- Windows 7 – The Microsoft article Create a user account
- Windows 8 - The Microsoft article Create a user account
- Windows Server 2008 / 2012 - The Microsoft article Create a New User Account
- Windows 10 - The Microsoft article Create a New User Account
Rule out Windows Installer issues by Microsoft Knowledge Base article 2438651.

Note: The preceding links were correct as of March 26, 2025. If you find a link is broken, provide feedback and a Broadcom employee will update the link.

If these steps do not resolve your issue, see the Additional Information section of this article for more specific resolutions.

If the issue continues to exist after trying the steps in this article, including any appropriate steps in the Additional Information section:

Collect the VMware Support information. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware Fusion.
File a support request with VMware Support and quote this Knowledge Base article ID (302484) in the problem description. For more information, see Contact Support - Broadcom Software.

Additional Information

If you encounter a specific issue or error when installing VMware Tools, see:

Installing VMware Tools in a Fusion virtual machine running Windows
Collecting diagnostic information for VMware Fusion
Failure to install VMware Tools: Cannot find the answer BINDIR in the installer database
Uninstalling and manually installing VMware Tools in VMware Fusion
Installing VMware Workstation or VMware Tools fails with the error: 1327 or 1606
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux virtual machine using Red Hat Package Manager (RPM)
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux virtual machine using a Compiler
Installing VMware Tools in an Ubuntu virtual machine