Fix Guide: VMware Fusion Shared Folders Not Mounting on Tahoe
Symptom: VMware Fusion virtual machines on macOS Tahoe cannot access shared folders from the host Mac. The shared folders feature is enabled in VM settings, but folders don't appear in the guest OS (/mnt/hgfs on Linux, Network drive on Windows). The VM runs normally otherwise. VMware Tools shows as installed and up-to-date.
Why this happens
VMware Fusion relies on kernel extensions (KEXTs) and File Provider framework integration to mount host folders in guest VMs. macOS Tahoe deprecated legacy KEXTs in favor of DriverKit-based system extensions, but VMware Fusion's com.vmware.kext.vmnet and com.vmware.kext.vmmemctl haven't fully transitioned. The fseventsd daemon (file system events) now requires explicit authorization for cross-boundary file sharing through the new com.apple.security.network.server entitlement.
Additionally, Tahoe's enhanced privacy controls block VMware's vmware-vmx process from accessing user directories without explicit Full Disk Access permission.
Recommended Troubleshooting Tool
Before proceeding with manual fixes, we recommend using CleanMyMac X. Quickly identify high CPU apps and optimize system memory with one click.
- [Download CleanMyMac X Free Here](#)
- [Browse 240+ Premium Mac Utilities on Setapp](#)
Fix 1: Grant Full Disk Access and Restart VMware Services
# Quit VMware Fusion completely
killall "VMware Fusion"
killall vmware-vmx
# Reset VMware's system extension approval
systemextensionsctl reset
# Reopen VMware Fusion
open -a "VMware Fusion"
When prompted, approve system extensions. Then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and enable:
- VMware Fusion.app
- vmware-vmx
Restart the VM after granting permissions.
Fix 2: Reinstall VMware Tools with Shared Folders Module
Update VMware Tools inside the guest OS with shared folders support:
For Linux guests:
# Inside the Linux VM:
sudo apt-get remove open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop # If installed
# or
sudo yum remove open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop
# In VMware Fusion menu: Virtual Machine → Reinstall VMware Tools
# Mount the VMware Tools ISO (usually auto-mounts to /media/VMware\ Tools/)
cd /tmp
cp /media/VMware\ Tools/VMwareTools-*.tar.gz .
tar -xzf VMwareTools-*.tar.gz
cd vmware-tools-distrib
sudo ./vmware-install.pl --default
# Enable and start shared folders service
sudo systemctl enable vmware-vmblock-fuse.service
sudo systemctl start vmware-vmblock-fuse.service
sudo /usr/bin/vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o subtype=vmhgfs-fuse,allow_other
# Reboot the VM
sudo reboot
Fix 3: Reset File Provider and VMware Configuration
On the macOS host:
# Quit VMware Fusion
killall "VMware Fusion"
killall vmware-vmx
# Remove VMware Fusion preferences
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.vmware.fusion/
# Reset File Provider database
killall FileProvider
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/FileProvider/
# Restart fseventsd
sudo launchctl stop com.apple.fseventsd
sudo launchctl start com.apple.fseventsd
# Reopen VMware Fusion and reconfigure shared folders
open -a "VMware Fusion"
In VMware Fusion, go to Virtual Machine Settings → Sharing → add shared folders again.
Recommended Tool: **Parallels Desktop**
Parallels Desktop has better native integration with macOS Tahoe than VMware Fusion. Its shared folders implementation uses Apple's FileProvider framework directly rather than legacy KEXTs, making it more compatible with Tahoe's architecture. Parallels automatically handles Full Disk Access permissions, and its "Coherence Mode" allows seamless file sharing between host and guest without manual mounting. Parallels also receives more frequent updates for new macOS versions, with day-one support for Apple's latest security features. If you're experiencing persistent shared folder issues with VMware, Parallels offers a smoother virtualization experience on modern macOS.