There are three ways to copy or transfer files inside the VM from the host computer. One is to turn off the VM, mount the VHDX hard drive file in the host computer and copy the files to be transferred. Second way is to create an ISO file and mount it inside the VM. Although it works if you have ISO creation software at your disposal, it requires extra effort. We are looking for a simple way to serve our purpose. Third way is to join both, the host and the VM, to the same local area network. This can be quite easy if you are connected to a network. But if you are not connected to a network, it becomes increasingly difficult.
Creating a private network between host and guest VM
In this article, we will take the third approach but with a twist. We will create a private network between the host and VM and transfer files (or even share host drives with the VM). Just follow the steps below to make this happen: After completing these steps, your host and guest Operating Systems will be connected to each other through a private network. You can use Remote Desktop (Run –> mstsc) to login to your VM and even change Remote Desktop Connection settings to show host drives inside the VM. Hopefully this will resolve the problem of sharing files between the host and the guest machines permanently. There are other methods like enabling guest integration services and then transferring files through PowerShell command line but I don’t prefer those methods are they are harder to manage if we have large amounts of files to transfer. What methods do you use to transfer files between VMs and the host?
