Opening a VMDK file using VirtualBox and Workstation is not as straightforward as many people might think. You can’t just double-click on the file and expect it to load, nor can you load it directly using your hypervisor.
To open a virtual image like VMDK, you’ll need to mount the file and then configure hardware resources and settings before your hypervisor can load the virtual machine.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and we’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to do so using VirtualBox and VMware Workstation Player.
How to Open a VMDK File in VirtualBox
VMDK is one of themost widely used virtual disk image formatsfor virtualization. After the release of VMware Workstation 5.0, VMDK was made as an open format. This means you can open a VMDK file using VirtualBox without compatibility issues.
To create a working VM using a VMDK file using VirtualBox, we must first create a VM, mount the VMDK image file as a virtual hard disk, and configure the VM to use the mounted file as its boot drive. Let’s begin!
Step 1: Create a New Virtual Machine
Step 2: Mount Your VMDK File
Mounting a VMDK file is the same asimporting a VDI file in VirtualBox.
It’s time to set our VMDK file as our boot drive.
Step 3: Delete Default Hard Disk
There will be two hard disks attached to your VM. The first will be the default hard disk generated during the VM’s creation. Since this drive does not contain any OS to boot, you’ll need to give boot priority to the second attached drive, which is your attached VMDK file.
And there you go! you may now open a VMDK file using VirtualBox.
How to Open a VMDK File in VMware Workstation
Although VMDK was specifically made to work with VMWare’s virtualization products like Workstation, you still need to mount your virtual disk image properly. Trying to open a VMDK file directly will only prompt you with a corrupt VMX file error.
This is because a VMDK file can only act as a virtual hard drive. Without configuring a VM to use this virtual hard drive, your VMDK file is essentially a hard drive without a PC running it.
So, to configure this virtual PC, you must first create a VM, mount your VMDK file, and set boot priority just like what we’ve done on VirtualBox. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Create a Virtual Machine
After you’ve created the VM, you may now mount your VMDK file.
Step 2: Mount Your Virtual Image File
Once you return to the VM settings menu, notice that you have attached two hard disks. VMWare Workstation will automatically set boot priority to whichever hard disk comes first. Since the first hard disk is the default one that doesn’t contain your VMDK file, your VM won’t have anything to boot. You have to set priority boot to the VMDK file you have recently mounted.
Step 3: Set Priority Boot Order
The fastest way to ensure your VMDK file gets boot priority is to delete the first hard disk. You can do so by selecting the hard disk and clicking theRemovebutton at the bottom of the menu. However, if you want to keep the first virtual hard disk, you will have to position it after your VMDK hard disk.
Congratulations! You can now open a VMDK file using VMWare Workstation!
Not ALl Virtual Disk Image Files Are the Same
So that’s how you open a VMDK file using VirtualBox and Workstation. If you were successful in following this guide, opening a VMDK file using VirtualBox and Workstation should now be easy for you. Remember, opening a VMDK file requires that you first create a VM, mount the file, and then set boot priority. If you keep that in mind, you should also be able to open other virtual disk image files on VirtualBox and Workstation, such as VDI, VHD, and VHDX.
