You can also copy the virtual machine as a way of duplicating it (if you want to image it or clone it, to make one or more new virtual machines based on the first); be sure that this does not violate any licensing agreements with the manufacturers of the operating system or any applications installed in the virtual machine.
Solution
To copy the virtual machine:
Power off your virtual machine.
Note: Making a copy of a virtual machine while it is running or suspended can create a copy that may not boot.
Drag the virtual machine bundle to the location where you want the copied bundle to be. If you are copying it to the same folder or somewhere else on your hard drive, hold down the option key -- this tells Mac OS to copy the file rather than moving it. If you are moving the bundle to another drive or a network share, Mac OS copies the file automatically. The cursor is superimposed with a green circle and a plus sign, indicating that a copy will be made.
Note: This does not affect your current virtual machine.
If you power on the copied virtual machine, Fusion asks if you have moved the virtual machine or copied it. Select that you Moved It (unless you need to run the copied virtual machine at the same time as the original). This indicates that it is the same virtual machine, just starting from a new location, and keeps all of the settings the same.
Note: When you select the Copied It option, a new UUID and MAC address are generated, which can cause Windows to require re-activation and may cause network issues.
Tags
copy-vm
Update History
08/30/10 -- Re-wrote article in step format; clarified why a VM might be copied.
01/13/2012 -- Added video.
08/23/2012 - Added Fusion 5.x to Products
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