Extract text from VMware policy files (VMPL)
To convert VMPL policy files to another format, you need VMware Workstation or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Virtual Machine Policy" file type, you need software like VMware Workstation or a similar tool.
A .VMPL file is a VMware Policy File used primarily by VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion (including the legacy VMware ACE). These files define strict security authorizations and usage restrictions for a Virtual Machine (VM). Administrators use them to lock down VMs, controlling whether a user can access the internet, connect USB drives, or modify system hardware settings.
The files are generated and enforced natively by VMware virtualization products. To actively use or apply the policy, VMware Workstation or Fusion is required.
The primary disadvantage of the .VMPL format is that it is heavily proprietary and entirely restricted to the VMware ecosystem. You cannot easily migrate these security policies to alternative hypervisors like Microsoft Hyper-V or Oracle VirtualBox. Furthermore, older policy files frequently break when upgrading VMware software versions, resulting in a frustrating "policies are too old" error that permanently blocks the VM from booting unless the file is manually deleted or bypassed.
Because these files are fundamentally configuration parameters, converting them to generic text formats like XML, TXT, or JSON is highly recommended for documentation, security auditing, or manual migration. While converting to text removes the file's ability to be automatically enforced by VMware, it completely exposes the locked security parameters so IT administrators can read and review the rules.
Because .VMPL files are closed-ecosystem configurations, standard online converters fail to parse them. Often, only the original virtualization software can properly compile or evaluate these rules.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VMPL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert VMPL file to , you can use VMware Workstation or similar software from the "Virtual Machine Security Policy" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to VMPL, try VMware Workstation or another comparable tool in the "Virtual Machine Security Policy" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our VMPL converter.