How to Install Open-VM Tools on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 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 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. Commands are the same across these supported Ubuntu LTS releases.

Install Open-VM Tools on Ubuntu

Update Ubuntu Packages Before Installing Open-VM Tools

Start by refreshing package metadata and applying pending upgrades:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This guide uses sudo for commands that need root privileges. If your user does not have sudo access yet, follow our guide on adding a user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

If you want a deeper walkthrough of package maintenance, see our guide on updating packages on Ubuntu.

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. 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 (no 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 vs Open-VM-Tools-Desktop on Ubuntu

open-vm-tools-desktop depends on open-vm-tools, so desktop users usually run only sudo apt install open-vm-tools-desktop. Install both names together only if you prefer explicit package lists in scripts.

Install Open-VM Tools Desktop Package on Ubuntu

Install the desktop package for full VMware guest integration:

sudo apt install open-vm-tools-desktop

Install Open-VM Tools Server Package on Ubuntu

For headless Ubuntu guests, install only the base package:

sudo apt install 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 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

Run:

apt-cache policy open-vm-tools

Example output from Ubuntu 26.04:

open-vm-tools:
  Installed: 2:13.0.10-1build1
  Candidate: 2:13.0.10-1build1
  Version table:
 *** 2:13.0.10-1build1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages

Version numbers differ by release. Current repository candidates observed during validation were 2:13.0.10-1build1 on Ubuntu 26.04, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2 on Ubuntu 24.04, and 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3 on Ubuntu 22.04.

Confirm the Ubuntu Guest Is Running on VMware

Open-VM Tools is intended for VMware guests. Verify the active hypervisor first:

systemd-detect-virt

vmware

If this command returns a different platform, go to the non-VMware troubleshooting section before expecting VMware integration features to work.

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 expected output 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:

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  2:13.0.10-1build1  amd64  Open VMware Tools for virtual machines hosted on VMware (CLI)

Install the desktop package, then reboot:

sudo apt install 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  2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2  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 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:

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

For full post-removal verification, use the dedicated removal section below.

Remove Open-VM Tools from Ubuntu

When you no longer need VMware guest integration, remove Open-VM Tools packages and clean up orphaned dependencies.

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

sudo apt autoremove

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

Verify package state after removal:

apt-cache policy open-vm-tools

open-vm-tools:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2:13.0.10-1build1
  Version table:
     2:13.0.10-1build1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages

Confirm no installed package entries remain:

dpkg -l open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii'

No output

Frequently Asked Questions About Open-VM Tools on Ubuntu

Conclusion

Open-VM Tools is now running on your Ubuntu guest, and this is the expected state when you install Open-VM Tools on Ubuntu from the default repositories. Keep the package updated with your normal system maintenance cycle, and if you run mixed lab environments, review our guide on installing VirtualBox on Ubuntu.