Getting Drag and Drop between Win Host and Linux Distro with VMWare, Virtual Box

[buster]

There is always an easier way to do things is a motto of Harry's and setting up drag and drop requires no great feat anymore. Here's how to do it simply:

VMWare: (I have an outdated VMware, but I assume the new release is similar.)

I first installed Synaptic in the Linux Distro, and then searched for and installed

open-vm-tools

open-vm-tools-desktop

A reboot maybe required. I can't remember.

VirtualBox could not be easier. Faster than its competitor.

Open Virtual Machine Settings:   While the virtual machine is off, open its settings by selecting it in the VirtualBox Manager and clicking "Settings".

Go to Advanced:   In the settings window, navigate to "Advanced" on the left-hand side.
 
Configure Shared Clipboard:   Under "Shared Clipboard," choose "Bidirectional" to allow copying text and data in both directions.
 
Configure Drag and Drop:   Similarly, for "Drag and Drop," choose "Bidirectional" to enable drag and drop in both directions.

Save and Start:   Click "OK" to save the changes and then start the virtual machine.

Test:   After the machine is running, try dragging files from the host to the guest and vice-versa to confirm the functionality.

[buster]

So to finish off this little tale of discovery, I have to say by the time I finished adding and exploring, my Win10 computer hard drive was getting crowded, so I felt forced to get rid of stuff. I am now with two virtual machines:

VMWare has only Kubuntu running very well and

VirtualBox has only Mint, also running well.

Because VirtualBox sets up drag and drop so easily, I may in future use only VirtualBox.

The next inquiry will be to see if VirtualBox handles drag and drop with xfce desktops, which I never managed with VMWare.

[buster]

Well, well. It shouldn't be so easy. I can now drag and drop with MX for the first time in a VirtualBox. VB did not always have this capacity apparently but it is available now . I cannot confirm that this 30 second solution will work for you, but it worked for me. This from the MX site, though I did my search on Google:


Steps to Enable Drag-and-Drop:

    1. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions (Which I did not have to do, having done it for VB right after I installed VB:

    This is usually done within the MX Linux guest operating system after booting it up. You can typically access the installation menu from the VirtualBox guest machine's menu bar by selecting "Devices" > "Insert Guest Additions CD Image". Follow the instructions provided in the MX Linux guest to install the Guest Additions.

2. Enable Drag-and-Drop in VirtualBox:

    While your MX Linux VM is running, go to "Devices" > "Drag and Drop" in the VirtualBox menu.

Select "Bidirectional" to enable drag-and-drop in both directions (host to guest and guest to host).

3. Verify Functionality:
Now you should be able to drag and drop files between your host system and the MX Linux guest.

4. Also do Shared Clipboard while you're at it.

[ssfc72]

Thanks Buster, for posting the details about how you got drag and drop to work on VirtualBox.

[buster]

If anyone is having trouble with drag and drop please add something to the thread and I'll expand on the process.

I also  recently found out that MX uses Strawberry as at least one of the included music players.