Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago

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VMWare Workstation cannot connect to the virtual machine, Make sure you have rights to run the program, access all directories the program uses, and access all directories for temporary files. Failed to connect pipe to virtual machine: The system cannot find the file specified.

VMware Workstation Pro is now completely free, but some users may encounter an error when launching virtual machines: "VMware Workstation cannot connect to the virtual machine. Make sure you have the rights to run the program." This video shows the quick and easy fix — just run VMware as administrator. Learn how to permanently set VMware Workstation to always run with admin privileges to avoid the error in the future. Whether you're new to VMware or just rediscovering it after the switch to free licensing, this guide will help you get your virtual machines up and running in no time.

Fix the error
Run as administrator
Enable compatibility settings
Simple VMware Workstation Pro troubleshooting