I am running OS X Lion, VMware Fusion 4.1.2 which points to the Windows 7 installation created for Boot Camp.
When I am in my Windows 7 VM, I want to double click on files (.pdf., word .docx, .pptx, etc) and have them open using my MS Office for Mac and other native files. I think that this is doable but cannot figure out how.
In My VM settings, under Default Applications, I have the box checked to "Open your Windows files and web links using Mac applications". I do not have the "Open your Mac files and web links using Windows applications" checked, as I want everything to open natively in OS X, not Windows. There is a Configure button underneath the 2nd option that I listed and I have mailto and web pages mapped to OS X programs (Mail and Safari). If I try and add another to the Default Applications, there are options for News, RSS Feeds, File Transfers, and Remote sessions. How do I add custom mappings to default applications so that when I click on a .docx file in Windows 7 explorer (guest OS) it opens in word on OS X?
Best Answer
Once you've checked the "Open your Windows files and web links using Mac applications", the following should work (providing the file resides in one of the folders shared from the Mac according to this VMware Fusion guide):
Right-click on one of the file types you wish you open in the VM and click "Open" or "Open With..." if the program already has an associated application (if you selected "Open", in the window that appears, check the "Select the program from a list of installed programs" radio button and click OK).
In the window that appears there should be a VMware icon in the top-left that says "Default Host Application", select it and click OK. (You can also check the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" so that it opens with the host application next time too).
If the VMware icon is not in the top-left, you may have to drop down the list with the "Other Programs" heading and you should see it there instead.
The document in the VM should now open in the default application on the host. For example, a pdf should open with Preview and a docx with Word for Mac.