VMware vSphere: Enable Clipboard (Copy & Paste) in the Remote Console

Symptom and Cause

► Prerequisite: VMware Tools must be installed inside the virtual machine for copy & paste to work.

Solution A: Single VM via vSphere Client

1. Log in via a vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
2. Shut down the VM (clipboard settings can only be changed while the VM is powered off).
3. Right-click the VM ► Edit Settings.
4. Go to the Options tab ► Advanced ► General ► click Configuration Parameters.
5. Click Add Row and enter the following values:

Click OK to save and close the dialog. Start the VM — the clipboard will now work.

Solution B: All VMs on the ESXi/ESX Host

1. Log in to the ESXi/ESX host as the root user (SSH or direct console).
2. Back up the config file: cp /etc/vmware/config /etc/vmware/config.bak
3. Open the file in a text editor: vi /etc/vmware/config
4. Add the following three entries:

Save and close the file. The change takes effect only after restarting the VMs via the vSphere Client — not from within the guest OS.

► Warning: These settings do not persist across version upgrades. You will need to re-apply them after upgrading vSphere.

Note for vSphere 7 and 8

The underlying principle is identical in vSphere 7 and 8. The path in the HTML5 client has changed slightly:

• In vSphere 7/8 (HTML5 Client): Select VM ► Actions ► Edit Settings ► VM Options tab ► Advanced ► Edit Configuration
• The parameters isolation.tools.copy.disable and isolation.tools.paste.disable remain unchanged