Why can I not uninstall VMware Tools after the migration?

Because its installer looks for VMware virtual hardware and stops when it does not find it. On KVM that check always fails, so the package has to be removed by hand, or before leaving VMware.

Is it safe to leave VMware Tools installed?

The VM works, but you keep services and drivers for hardware that is gone, an installed product that can no longer be updated and that vulnerability scanners keep flagging, and often a hidden network adapter that holds the old IP. Removing them is cleaner.

Should I remove VMware Tools before or after migrating?

Before is simpler, because the uninstaller still works. After is the only option when you migrate from a backup or want the source untouched. On Windows VMs Moov removes them on the first boot on the target, so the order stops mattering.

How do I remove VMware Tools on Linux?

Remove the open-vm-tools package with your package manager: apt remove open-vm-tools, dnf remove open-vm-tools or zypper remove open-vm-tools. For tools installed from the old tarball, run vmware-uninstall-tools.pl.

Does this also apply after migrating to Hyper-V or Azure?

The cause and the manual removal on Windows are the same on any platform that is not VMware. Moov itself migrates to Proxmox VE, oVirt / OLVM / RHV and HPE VM Essentials.

Moov · How-to guides

How to remove VMware Tools after migration to Proxmox or KVM

Once a VM has left VMware, the VMware Tools uninstaller usually refuses to run because it no longer finds VMware hardware, and the entry stays in Programs and Features. The tools do nothing useful on KVM: their services keep loading, their drivers stay installed for devices that no longer exist, and the old vmxnet3 adapter can keep holding the static IP. Remove them before the migration if you can, or force the removal afterwards.

Why the uninstaller fails

The VMware Tools installer checks the hardware before it does anything. On Proxmox, oVirt or HPE VM Essentials the virtual hardware is QEMU, the check fails and the uninstall stops. Nothing is broken: the package is tied to a platform the VM no longer runs on.

The clean order is to uninstall while the VM is still on VMware. That is often not possible. When you migrate from a backup, or when the source has to stay untouched as your way back, the VM arrives on KVM with the tools inside.

The network leftover has its own cause. Windows stores the IP configuration per adapter. The vmxnet3 card is gone, but its entry remains as a hidden device that still owns the static address, so the new VirtIO card comes up on DHCP or raises a conflict warning.

Remove VMware Tools by hand

On Windows the forced removal edits the registry, so take a snapshot first. On Linux it is one package.

01
Take a snapshot
Snapshot the VM on the target before touching anything, so you can roll back if a step goes wrong.
02
Try the normal uninstall
Open Programs and Features, select VMware Tools and choose Uninstall. If it completes, restart and go straight to the hidden adapter step.
03
Stop and delete the services
From an elevated prompt. A service that does not exist on your version only returns an error you can ignore.
```
sc stop VMTools
sc delete VMTools
sc delete VGAuthService
sc delete vmvss
```
04
Delete the installer entries from the registry
Find the VMware Tools product key, which is a GUID, and delete it under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and its matching entry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Products. Then delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Tools. This PowerShell command shows the key without changing anything.
```
Get-ChildItem HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall |
  Get-ItemProperty | Where-Object DisplayName -eq 'VMware Tools' |
  Select-Object PSChildName, DisplayVersion
```
05
Delete the files
Remove C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools and C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Tools, then restart.
06
Remove the hidden vmxnet3 adapter
In Device Manager choose View › Show hidden devices, expand Network adapters and uninstall the greyed-out vmxnet3 Ethernet Adapter. The static IP is free again for the VirtIO card.
07
On Linux, remove the package
Use the package manager of your distribution. If the tools were installed from the old VMware tarball, run vmware-uninstall-tools.pl instead.
```
sudo apt remove --purge open-vm-tools
sudo dnf remove open-vm-tools
sudo zypper remove open-vm-tools
```

Moov v1.0.44

How Moov removes VMware Tools

With Moov the removal is part of the migration of a Windows VM. With the VM powered off Moov only leaves the step prepared: the uninstall itself runs on the first boot on the target, because it is the VMware uninstaller running inside Windows. The source VM is never touched, because the migration starts from the Veeam backup.

Download the appliance

The uninstall starts a few minutes after the first boot on the target and takes about 3 minutes. With Instant VM Migration the VM is already in service while it runs.
If the uninstaller refuses to run outside VMware, Moov removes VMware Tools itself, without going through the uninstaller, so the result is the same.
The QEMU guest agent, installed on that same first boot, takes their place: it reports the IP address, freezes the file system for backups and runs commands in the guest.
Static IPs are reapplied to the new network cards, matched by MAC on Windows guests with several interfaces.
The source is a Veeam restore point. The original VM on VMware keeps its tools and stays intact as your way back.
The automatic removal covers Windows guests. On Linux, remove open-vm-tools with the package manager, as in the last step above.

Frequently asked questions

Why can I not uninstall VMware Tools after the migration?: Because its installer looks for VMware virtual hardware and stops when it does not find it. On KVM that check always fails, so the package has to be removed by hand, or before leaving VMware.
Is it safe to leave VMware Tools installed?: The VM works, but you keep services and drivers for hardware that is gone, an installed product that can no longer be updated and that vulnerability scanners keep flagging, and often a hidden network adapter that holds the old IP. Removing them is cleaner.
Should I remove VMware Tools before or after migrating?: Before is simpler, because the uninstaller still works. After is the only option when you migrate from a backup or want the source untouched. On Windows VMs Moov removes them on the first boot on the target, so the order stops mattering.
How do I remove VMware Tools on Linux?: Remove the open-vm-tools package with your package manager: apt remove open-vm-tools, dnf remove open-vm-tools or zypper remove open-vm-tools. For tools installed from the old tarball, run vmware-uninstall-tools.pl.
Does this also apply after migrating to Hyper-V or Azure?: The cause and the manual removal on Windows are the same on any platform that is not VMware. Moov itself migrates to Proxmox VE, oVirt / OLVM / RHV and HPE VM Essentials.

Related guides

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