VMware Fusion: Troubleshooting networking and internet connection issues
Symptoms
- The virtual machine does not have network connectivity
- You cannot connect to the Internet from the guest operating system
- Your virtual machine does not have an IP address
- Bridged, Host-only, or NAT networking fails
- After upgrading from a previous version of VMware Fusion, there is no Internet connection
- You see a red X over the network connection icon in the system tray
- Your Ethernet controller drivers are not installed.
- When you hover your mouse over the network icon in the system tray, you see one of these messages:
- Not connected
- No connections are available
Resolution
There are a number of reasons why the networking stops working in VMware Fusion. Validate each troubleshooting step to verify if it is true for your environment. Each step provides instructions or a link to a document to eliminate possible causes and take corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Do not skip a step.
After performing each numbered step, check whether your virtual machine has an Internet connection. If there is an Internet connection, do not proceed with further steps.
To troubleshoot your network and Internet connection:
- Ensure that your Mac has a working network connection. For more information, see Ensuring your Mac has a network connection for VMware Fusion (1026776).
- Ensure that the Firewall of your virtual machine is not blocking Internet access. For information on turning off your Firewall, see:
Windows 8 – The Microsoft article, Windows Firewall from start to finish
Windows 10 - The Microsoft article, Turn Windows Firewall on or off
Warning: Turning off your Firewall can leave your computer open to attack. This is a troubleshooting step only. If turning off the Firewall resolves the issue, refer the documentation of operating system for instructions to configure it properly so that it does not completely block this connection.
- Ensure that the anti-virus program of your virtual machine is not blocking Internet access. Refer the Help menu of the anti-virus program or see the documentation of the manufacturer for instructions on configuring it correctly.
- Run an anti-virus scan on your virtual machine to ensure that there are no viruses or other malware interfering with your Internet connection.
- Ensure that the network adapter is enabled. Perform the steps in this third-party article, How to Enable and Disable Network Connections in Windows.
- Change your adapter from NAT to Bridged, or vice versa. If one selection works, and the other does not, then the problem is with your network and not with Fusion or your virtual machine. For example, if NAT works and Bridged does not, it is because the router/network is configured not to assign two IPs for the same machine.
- To shut down the virtual machine, go to Virtual Machine > Shut Down or Virtual Machine > Shut Down Guest and then restart your Mac.
- After your Mac reboots, reopen Fusion. Ensure that the correct virtual machine type is set:
- Download and reinstall Fusion. This ensures that you have the most recent version, and that any missing or corrupted virtual network settings are replaced/repaired.
- Ensure that the Fusion's services are working properly. For more information, see Determining the status of VMware Fusion's host services (1020900).
- Uninstall and reinstall VMware Tools.
For more help troubleshooting networking and Internet connections, go to https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1016466.