How to Install Open-VM Tools on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Clipboard sync, automatic display resizing, and shared folders stop working quickly when VMware guest tools are missing. To install Open VM Tools on Ubuntu Linux, use the maintained open-vm-tools packages in Ubuntu’s default repositories instead of the legacy VMware Tools ISO installer.

These steps work on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 LTS guests running on VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, VMware Player, or ESXi. If you searched for VMware Tools on Ubuntu 24.04, the current Ubuntu package names are open-vm-tools-desktop for desktop guests and open-vm-tools for headless guests.

Install Open VM Tools on Ubuntu

Update Ubuntu Packages Before Installing Open VM Tools

Start by refreshing package metadata and applying pending upgrades. The -y flag accepts APT’s confirmation prompt for the package commands shown in this article:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

These commands use sudo for tasks that need root privileges. If your user does not have sudo access yet, follow the guide on adding a user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

For a deeper walkthrough of package maintenance, see the guide on updating packages on Ubuntu.

Confirm the Ubuntu VM Runs on VMware

Open VM Tools only activates VMware-specific services when Ubuntu is running as a VMware guest. Check the hypervisor before installing:

systemd-detect-virt

A VMware guest should return:

vmware

If the command returns oracle, kvm, microsoft, or no output, use that platform’s guest tools instead. Open VM Tools can still install on other hypervisors, but its service stays inactive because the VMware runtime interface is missing.

Choose the Correct Open VM Tools Package on Ubuntu

Ubuntu provides Open VM Tools packages in its default repositories, and VMware maintains the upstream open-vm-tools project. VMware recommends distribution repository packages where they are available, so there is no separate Ubuntu .deb download path to follow for these supported LTS releases. Pick the package that matches how your VM is used:

Package	Environment	Includes	Best For
open-vm-tools-desktop	Desktop GUI	Core tools plus clipboard sync, drag and drop, and dynamic display resize	Ubuntu Desktop guests
open-vm-tools	Server or headless	Core tools only, without desktop integration features	Ubuntu Server guests
open-vm-tools-dev	Development	Headers and libraries for building against Open VM Tools	Developers and contributors

Most desktop users should install open-vm-tools-desktop. If the VM has no GUI, install open-vm-tools only.

Compare Open VM Tools Desktop and Server Packages on Ubuntu

open-vm-tools-desktop depends on open-vm-tools, so desktop users usually install only the desktop package. Installing both package names together also works, but it is redundant for normal desktop guests. The package name matters: apt install vmware tools is not valid on Ubuntu because the repository packages use the Open VM Tools names.

Install Open VM Tools Desktop Package on Ubuntu

Install Open VM Tools on Ubuntu Desktop with the desktop package:

sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools-desktop

Install Open VM Tools Server Package on Ubuntu

For headless Ubuntu guests, install only the base package:

sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools

Install Open VM Tools Development Package on Ubuntu (Optional)

If you need development headers and libraries, install the optional package:

sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools-dev

Reboot the Ubuntu VMware Guest

Reboot once installation finishes so VMware guest services start cleanly with the current kernel session:

sudo reboot

Verify Open VM Tools Installation on Ubuntu

After rebooting, confirm the package and service state before moving on.

Check the Installed Open VM Tools Package Version

Check the installed package source with apt-cache policy:

apt-cache policy open-vm-tools

Example output from Ubuntu 26.04:

open-vm-tools:
   Installed: 2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1
   Candidate: 2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1
   Version table:
 *** 2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages

Package revisions differ by release. Ubuntu 26.04 currently uses 2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1, Ubuntu 24.04 uses 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, and Ubuntu 22.04 uses 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3.

Check Open VM Tools Service Status

Start with a quick enabled and active-state check:

systemctl is-enabled open-vm-tools
systemctl is-active open-vm-tools

On a VMware guest, the desired service state is:

enabled
active

If your VM is not on VMware, the second line may be inactive. In that case, inspect details with systemctl status open-vm-tools.service and use the non-VMware troubleshooting section.

Troubleshoot Open VM Tools Issues on Ubuntu

Use these checks when Open VM Tools does not behave as expected after installation.

Fix Open VM Tools Service Not Running After Reboot

When the service does not start, you may see output like this:

open-vm-tools.service - Open VMware Tools
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/open-vm-tools.service; enabled)
     Active: inactive (dead)

Collect a quick state check and recent logs:

systemctl is-enabled open-vm-tools
systemctl is-active open-vm-tools
sudo journalctl -u open-vm-tools --no-pager | tail -20

If the service is disabled or inactive on a VMware guest, re-enable and start it:

sudo systemctl enable --now open-vm-tools

Verify the fix:

systemctl is-enabled open-vm-tools
systemctl is-active open-vm-tools

enabled
active

Fix Clipboard, Drag and Drop, and Auto-Resize Not Working

These desktop features require open-vm-tools-desktop. First, check installed packages. The grep command filter returns only installed Open VM Tools package rows:

dpkg -l | grep -E '^ii[[:space:]]+open-vm-tools(-desktop)?'

If only the base package is installed, output looks similar to:

ii  open-vm-tools  2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1  amd64  Open VMware Tools for virtual machines hosted on VMware (CLI)

Install the desktop package, then reboot:

sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools-desktop && sudo reboot

After reboot, verify the desktop package is installed:

dpkg -l open-vm-tools-desktop | grep '^ii'

ii  open-vm-tools-desktop  2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1  amd64  Open VMware Tools for virtual machines hosted on VMware (GUI)

Fix Open VM Tools Features After Ubuntu Kernel Updates

If features stop working right after a kernel update, reinstall the packages and reboot to refresh guest integration components:

sudo apt reinstall -y open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop && sudo reboot

Verify service state after reboot:

systemctl is-active open-vm-tools

active

Fix Open VM Tools Service Failures on Non-VMware Hypervisors

open-vm-tools is built for VMware guests. On VirtualBox, KVM, Hyper-V, or physical hardware, the service can stay inactive because VMware backdoor interfaces are not present.

Confirm the virtualization platform and inspect recent logs:

systemd-detect-virt
sudo journalctl -u open-vm-tools --no-pager | tail -20

oracle
Mar 05 11:30:38 ubuntu-24-04 systemd[1]: open-vm-tools.service - Service for virtual machines hosted on VMware was skipped because of an unmet condition check (ConditionVirtualization=vmware).

If the system is not a VMware guest, remove Open VM Tools and use that hypervisor’s guest integration stack instead. For VirtualBox guests, the Guest Additions workflow is covered in the guide to installing VirtualBox on Ubuntu.

sudo apt remove --purge -y open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop open-vm-tools-dev
sudo apt autoremove -y

Use the removal workflow to confirm package state afterward.

Remove Open VM Tools from Ubuntu

When you no longer need VMware guest integration, remove Open VM Tools packages and clean up orphaned dependencies. For a broader explanation of purge, remove, and autoremove behavior, see the guide to removing packages on Ubuntu.

sudo apt remove --purge -y open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop open-vm-tools-dev

sudo apt autoremove -y

The purge step removes Open VM Tools configuration files under /etc/vmware-tools/, including tools.conf and related service scripts.

Confirm no installed package entries remain:

dpkg-query -W -f='${db:Status-Abbrev} ${binary:Package}\n' open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop open-vm-tools-dev 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "No Open VM Tools packages are installed."

No Open VM Tools packages are installed.

The package candidate can still appear because the Ubuntu repository remains enabled. That is normal after removal:

apt-cache policy open-vm-tools

open-vm-tools:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
     2:13.0.10-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages

Conclusion

Open VM Tools is now installed from Ubuntu’s default repositories, with the desktop or server package matched to the VMware guest you are running. Keep it updated through normal apt upgrade maintenance so Ubuntu receives future Open VM Tools fixes through the same package update path.