How to Copy VMware Fusion Virtual Machine to Another Computer

Imagine spending countless hours configuring and customizing your virtual machine on VMware Fusion, only to have it all disappear when you switch to a new computer. Fear not!

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to copy your VMware Fusion virtual machine onto another computer effortlessly.

With just a few straightforward steps, you’ll be back up and running in no time – saving time and effort while storing your precious virtual machine safely.

Get ready for a smooth transition between computers with our easy-to-follow guide!

Introduction to VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion is a virtualization software for MacOS developed by VMware. With no rebooting required, it enables you to run Windows and other x86-based operating systems on a Mac side-by-side with your existing Mac applications.

To copy a VMware Fusion virtual machine to another computer, you must first export the VM from Fusion. You can do this by selecting the VM in the Library and clicking the “Export…” button in the toolbar.

Once the VM is exported, you can import it into another instance of VMware Fusion on another computer.

Understanding What a Virtual Machine Is and How It Works

A virtual machine (VM) is a software program that emulates the hardware of a physical computer. This allows you to run multiple operating systems (OSes) on the same hardware, which is helpful for various tasks such as software development, testing, and web hosting.

VMs are created using a hypervisor, a type of software that virtualizes the hardware of a computer. The most popular hypervisors are VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, and VirtualBox.

When you create a VM, you install an OS into the VM just as you would on a physical computer. Once the OS is installed, you can run any software that is compatible with that OS inside the VM.

VMs are isolated from each other and the physical host computer. This means that if one VM crashes, it will not affect the other VMs or the host computer. This isolation also provides security benefits, as VMs can isolate sensitive tasks from less secure environments.

There are many uses for VMs, but some of the most common are:

• Software development: VMs can create safe environments for developing and testing new software without risking corrupting the host OS or other applications.
• Web hosting: VMs can be used to host websites and web applications. This isolates the website from other applications on the same server and provides increased security.
• Application virtualization: Some applications cannot be installed directly on a VM because

Steps to Copy a Virtual Machine from One Computer to Another

The process is pretty straightforward, assuming you have a VMware Fusion virtual machine running on one Mac and want to move it to another. Here are the steps:

1. On the Mac with the VMware Fusion virtual machine, open Finder and go to the location of the virtual machine. The default location is in the Documents folder.
2. Right-click on the virtual machine folder and choose Compress. This will create a ZIP file of the virtual machine.
3. Copy the ZIP file to the other Mac using any preferred method (AirDrop, Dropbox, etc.).
4. On the other Mac, double-click on the ZIP file to uncompress it. This will create a new folder with the same name as the ZIP file, minus the .zip extension.
5. Move the new folder to where you want to keep your virtual machines on that computer (again, the default location is in the Documents folder).

And that’s it! You can now launch VMware Fusion on that computer, and your copied virtual machine will appear in its library alongside any other VMs you have on that computer.

Transferring Files: USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive

Once you have your VMware Fusion virtual machine image (.vmwarevm file) and any other associated files, you can transfer them to another computer using a USB flash drive or external hard drive.

To transfer the files using a USB flash drive:

1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.
2. Copy the .vmwarevm file and any other associated files to the USB flash drive.
3. Eject the USB flash drive from your computer and connect it to the other computer.
4. Copy the .vmwarevm file and any other associated files from the USB flash drive to the other computer’s hard drive. You can store them in any location on the hard drive.
5. Launch VMware Fusion on the other computer and open the .vmwarevm file you copied. The virtual machine will be added to VMware Fusion’s library on the other computer.

To transfer the files using an external hard drive:

1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer.
2. Copy the .vmwarevm file and any other associated files to the external hard drive.
3. Eject the external hard drive from your computer and connect it to the other computer.
4. Copy the .vmwarevm file and any other associated files from the external hard drive to the other computer’s hard drive. You can store them in any location on the hard drive.
5. Launch VMware Fusion on the other computer and open the .vmwarevm file you copied. The virtual machine will be added to VMware Fusion’s library on the other computer.

Loading Virtual Machine on the Target Computer

Loading a virtual machine on a target computer is fairly simple. The first step is to open up the VMware Fusion interface and click on the “New” button. This will bring up a window asking for the name and location of the virtual machine.

The next step is to select the “Import from another application” option and browse to the location of the OVA file. Once the file has been selected, click the “Open” button.

The next step is to select the destination where you want to save the virtual machine. After that, click the “Finish” button, and VMware Fusion will do the rest.

Configuring New Virtual Machine for Use

Assuming you have installed VMware Fusion on the new computer, open VMware Fusion and select your virtual machine from the Library.

Right-click on the virtual machine in the Library panel and select Settings from the context menu. In the Hardware tab, select Processors.

You will see a message telling you that changing processor settings will power off the virtual machine. Click OK to continue.

In the Virtual Machine Processor Configuration window, change the Number of Processors setting to match the old computer’s.

The default is 2, so if your old computer had four processors, you would set this to 4. Next, under Memory & Performance, click Advanced Options and make sure that Enable Hypervisor Applications in this virtual machine is checked.

This will ensure that apps like Parallels Desktop can run inside your virtual machine.

Click OK to close the Settings window, and then click Power On from the Library panel toolbar to start your virtual machine.

Best Practices for Securing Your Data and Maintaining the Security of Your System

1. Keep your system and data backed up regularly. This will help you recover in case of a security breach or other data loss.
2. Use strong passwords and never reuse passwords across different systems or accounts.
3. Keep your software updated, including your operating system, web browser, and third-party applications. You can help protect yourself against known vulnerabilities by running the latest software versions.
4. Be cautious about opening email attachments or clicking on links in email messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted source. These are common ways for attackers to deliver malware to your system.
5. Install and configure security software on all your computers and devices, such as a firewall and antivirus program. Regularly update these programs and run scans to ensure your system is malware-free.

Conclusion

Copying VMware Fusion virtual machines from one computer to another is a fairly straightforward process that only requires you to use basic tools such as the Finder, Terminal, and Disk Utility.

With these steps, you can easily move a virtual machine from one computer to another with minimal effort.

And by taking advantage of the snapshot feature, you can keep track of vital changes made in a particular VM version while having multiple versions stored on different computers should something go wrong.