How to Start a VM Automatically on Boot with VMware Workstation

TL;DR

Want your VMware Workstation VM to start automatically when your system boots? On Windows, use Task Scheduler. On Linux, create a systemd service. This guide walks you through both.

I know windows right ? :) yeah sometimes we gotta deal with windows too !

Why Auto-Start VMs at Boot?

Automatically starting your virtual machines is useful for:

• Labs or dev environments
• Home labs with pfSense or Domain Controllers
• Servers hosted in VMs
• Reducing manual steps after reboots

Let's cover how to do it on Windows and Linux.

🔧 Prerequisites

• VMware Workstation Pro installed
• A VM configured and working
• Admin/root privileges

🪟 Windows: Using Task Scheduler

Step 1: Get the VMX Path

Find the .vmx file path for your VM. Example:

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Virtual Machines\Ubuntu\Ubuntu.vmx

Step 2: Open Task Scheduler

• Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc, press Enter.

Step 3: Create a New Task

• Action > Create Task
• Under General:
  • Name: Start Ubuntu VM
  • Run with highest privileges
  • Configure for: Windows 10/11

Step 4: Trigger on Startup

• Go to Triggers tab → New:
  • Begin the task: At startup

Step 5: Add Action

• Go to Actions → New:
  • Action: Start a program
  • Program/script: "C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmrun.exe"

Add arguments:

start "C:\Path\To\YourVM.vmx"

Step 6: Conditions & Settings

• Conditions: Uncheck Start only if on AC power if needed
• Settings: Allow task to be run on demand

Save the task. Done ✅

🐧 Linux: Using systemd

Step 1: Find vmrun

Typically located in:

/usr/bin/vmrun

Step 2: Test Command

Try this in terminal to start the VM:

vmrun start /home/youruser/vms/Ubuntu/Ubuntu.vmx nogui

Use nogui for headless boot.

Step 3: Create systemd Service

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vm-auto-start.service

Paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=Auto Start VMware VM
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
ExecStart=/usr/bin/vmrun start /home/youruser/vms/Ubuntu/Ubuntu.vmx nogui
ExecStop=/usr/bin/vmrun stop /home/youruser/vms/Ubuntu/Ubuntu.vmx nogui
User=youruser
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace youruser and .vmx path accordingly.

Step 4: Enable the Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vm-auto-start.service
sudo systemctl start vm-auto-start.service

Reboot to test. Your VM should start on boot 🎉

🧠 Pro Tips

• Use nogui to avoid starting the full VMware GUI on boot
• Combine with snapshot restore if you want stateless VMs
• Use shutdown triggers to gracefully stop VMs

✅ Conclusion

Whether you're running a lab, development server, or essential service, boot-time VM startup ensures your virtual machines are ready whenever your system is.

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