Virtual Device Serial0 Will Start Disconnected [verified] May 2026

If you don't use serial ports, delete the device. If you might use them later, leave it disconnected – your VM will run perfectly either way. This article applies to VMware Workstation Pro/Player 15–17, VMware Fusion 11–13, and ESXi 6.5 through 8.0. For older versions, the behavior and fix remain fundamentally the same.

A: In VMware Workstation, you cannot suppress warnings globally. The only way is to connect the port to a valid target (file or pipe) or remove it. virtual device serial0 will start disconnected

The message "Virtual device serial0 will start disconnected" is VMware’s polite way of telling you: "Hey, you have a serial port, but nothing is plugged into it." If you don't use serial ports, delete the device

serial0.present = "TRUE" serial0.startConnected = "FALSE" Change to: For older versions, the behavior and fix remain

This comprehensive article explains exactly what this message means, why it appears, when it is a problem, and how to fix or suppress it. In simple terms, the message indicates that the virtual machine has a configured serial (COM) port (serial0), but for some reason, that port will not be connected to a host resource when the VM powers on.