VMware Workstation: Configure VM not to use host display scaling for Linux guest with Wayland Gnome

VMware Workstation: Configure VM without Host Display Scaling for Linux Guest (Wayland, Gnome)

In this article, we will discuss how to configure a virtual machine (VM) in VMware Workstation version 17 when running on a Linux distribution using Wayland and Gnome as the desktop environment, without making use of the host display scaling feature. This guide will help you to avoid issues such as the guest operating system appearing blurry, which may occur when using host display scaling on certain configurations.

Background

When VMware Tools is installed in a Windows guest OS on a Linux host OS with Wayland and Gnome, the default behavior is to use the host display scaling. However, using the host display scaling in some configurations may lead to undesirable outcomes in the guest OS, such as blurriness or incorrect resolution.

This issue occurs because the guest OS relies on the display scaling settings of the host to maintain the expected resolution and pixelation. Wayland, as a display server, handles display scaling differently than X.org, and this difference can create display-related issues in the guest OS.

Disabling Host Display Scaling and Configuring VM to Match Host Resolution

To work around this issue, you can configure your VM not to use the host display scaling by manually setting the display resolution in the VM settings. This will allow the guest OS to maintain the correct resolution and avoid potential display issues.

Step 1: Removing VMware Tools in the Guest OS

First, you need to remove VMware Tools from the guest operating system. To accomplish this, follow these steps inside the guest OS:

1. In the guest OS, open a terminal
2. Run vmware-uninstall-tools.pl
3. Restart the guest OS

Step 2: Modifying VM Settings

After removing VMware Tools, you can adjust the VM settings to disable host display scaling. To accomplish this, follow these steps:

1. Close the guest OS and exit VMware Workstation
2. Right-click on the VM in VMware Workstation's library and choose Settings...
3. Navigate to the Display section and adjust the Monitor settings as follows:
1. Uncheck the box for Use host display scaling
2. Set Custom resolution to the host resolution (1920x1080 or other)
4. Click OK to save the settings and close the settings window

Step 3: Reinstalling VMware Tools in the Guest OS

Now, you can reinstall VMware Tools within the guest operating system. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start the VM and log in to the guest OS
2. In the VMware Workstation menu, click Install VMware Tools
3. Follow the prompts and complete the installation of VMware Tools

In this article, we discussed a method to configure VMware Workstation on a Linux host with Wayland and Gnome as the desktop environment without applying host display scaling for a Windows 10 guest OS. You learned how to:

• Remove VMware Tools from the guest OS
• Disable host display scaling in the VM settings
• Adjust the VM display resolution
• Reinstall VMware Tools in the guest OS

References

• VMware Open-VM-Tools documentation
• VMware Tools downloads