How do you share a folder in Fusion?

[bollweevil]

I am utterly baffled. I have seen all sorts of threads about how to make a shared folder appear, but how do I create it in the first place? People mention "Options" in Fusion, which I cannot find, and "Add Shared Folder", which I cannot find. The Fusion help doesn't mention how to do the first step of creating the folder, although it describes the next four hundred steps in detail.

 

[Trip.Tucker]

You can drag files directly from the Fusion window onto your OS X desktop. If you want to share files on the network, that would require setting up a Windows share within Windows.

 

[mkelly]

How to create a shared folder in Fusion

You can specify a folder on your Mac that is shared to your virtual machine in Fusion, without having to use any kind of network file sharing protocol.

To do this:

1. Pick an existing folder to share or create a new one in OS X - remember where it is located.
2. Open VMware Fusion but do *not* launch a virtual machine.
3. In the Virtual Machine Library window, click once on the Virtual Machine you'd like to configure with a shared folder.
4. Click the "Settings" button (bottom part of Virtual Machine Library window)
5. A new Settings window will open for that Virtual Machine. You'll notice a Sharing icon. Click it.
6. Click the "Share folders on your Mac" checkbox.
7. Click the + button and select the folder you would like to share (the one you identified in step 1)
8. Optionally, you can click the checkboxes next to Desktop/Documents/Music/Pictures to share those folders (I usually don't bother, and just share a specific folder)
9. You can also set permissions for VMware on the folder at this point (Read only, or read/write, etc.)
10. Close the settings window and start up your virtual machine!

You'll need to install the VMware tools in your virtual machine in order to access the shared folder - you should see a Shared Folders icon on your desktop if you're running Windows in your VM. Voila!

 

[bollweevil]

[*]Click the + button and select the folder you would like to share (the one you identified in step 1)

The PLUS BUTTON! I wasn't seeing the plus button. That was the one and only problem between me and blissful success. This is why you're not supposed to use computers at 4 AM. Thanks.