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If you have a smart card reader and want to use it from a virtual machine with VMware Workstation Pro, you must have noticed that this was possible.
However, you have probably also noticed that VMware Workstation Pro offers you 2 options to use your smart card reader from your virtual machine.

1. Connect the physical smart card reader
2. Connect the virtualized smart card reader

1. Connect the physical smart card reader

As you can see at the bottom right of the VMware Workstation Pro window, connecting a smart card reader to your physical computer will cause 2 new icons to appear :

• the 1st (which looks like a smart card) allows you to connect the physical smart card reader to your virtual machine.
  Thus, your virtual machine will see the real smart card reader, as well as its smart card (if you have inserted one).
• the 2nd (which looks like a brace) allows you to share the smart card reader with several virtual machines.
  This means that you can connect the same smart card reader to several virtual machines simultaneously.
  However, the operating system will see a virtualized card reader and not the real smart card reader used.

If you go to the "VM -> Removable Devices" menu, you will see that 2 options are available for your smart card reader :

• OmniKey Smart Card Reader USB : to connect the physical smart card reader to this virtual machine only.
• Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0 : to connect a virtualized smart card reader to be able to connect the physical smart card reader to several virtual machines simultaneously.

To connect the smart card reader to your virtual machine, click : VM -> Removable Devices -> OmniKey Smart Card Reader USB -> Connect (Disconnect from Host).

Once the smart card reader is connected, it will appear as "Microsoft Usbccid Smartcard Reader (WUDF)" in your virtual machine's device manager.

Note that once the physical smart card reader is connected to this virtual machine, the option to share the smart card reader will disappear from the icons (at bottom right of the window), as well as from the "VM - > Removable Devices" menu.

Once the smart card is inserted, the driver will also be downloaded automatically by Windows.
If not, the smart card will appear as "Unknown Smart Card".

In this case, install the driver for this smart card provided by its manufacturer.
In our case, it's a "THALES IDPrime MD940" smart card and the driver to install is "SafeNet Minidriver".

In our case, installing the SafeNet Minidriver automatically installs the "SafeNet Smart Card" driver provided by "Thales DIS CPL USA, Inc".
Click Install.

Now, your smartcard is recognized correctly (even though it's a physical smartcard reader connected to a virtual machine).

To show you the difference between the 2 options offered by VMware Workstation Pro, we have installed the management software for our smart cards in this virtual machine.
In our case, it's the program : SafeNet Authentication Client.

If we go to the advanced interface of this program and select our smart card (which is currently inserted in our physical smart card reader), we can see that:

• Reader name : this program sees our physical smart card reader (OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0).
• Product name : the inserted smart card is also correctly detected.

Warning : when you use a physical smart card reader with a virtual machine running on VMware Workstation Pro, we recommend that you disconnect it before shutting down the virtual machine concerned.
Indeed, in some cases, if the smart card reader has remained connected to the virtual machine, shutting down the virtual machine can cause VMware Workstation Pro to crash.

To disconnect the smart card reader in VMware Workstation Pro, click : VM -> Removable Devices -> OmniKey Smart Card Reader USB -> Disconnect (Connect to host).

Once the physical smart card reader is disconnected, the 2 icons relating to it will reappear in grey.

2. Connect the virtualized smart card reader

So that you can use the same physical smart card reader from several virtual machines, VMware Workstation Pro allows you to share it by exposing a virtualized smart card reader (linked to the physical smart card reader connected to your computer).
Like VMware Workstation Pro does with your physical computer's Bluetooth adapter (if applicable).

To do this, click on : VM -> Removable Devices -> Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0 -> Connect.

As you can see, when you connect your smart card reader to your virtual machine using the "Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0" option, the guest operating system sees a virtual smart card reader (Virtual USB CCID).

In the device manager, you will not see any difference between the 2 options offered by VMware Workstation Pro.

On the other hand, in the program for managing your smart cards (in our case : SafeNet Authentication Client), you will see that :

• Reader name : this program sees the smart card reader virtualized by VMware (VMware Virtual USB CCID 0) instead of the physical smart card reader
• Product name : the physical smart card is seen correctly. In our case : IDPrime 940.

When using a smart card reader virtualized by VMware Workstation Pro, you have the option of virtually removing the smart card from the physical smart card reader.
To do this, go to "VM -> Removable Devices -> Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0" and click on : Remove Smart Card.

As you can see, your card management software still sees the virtual smart card reader (which is still connected to the virtual machine), but it appears to be empty.

To virtually reinsert the physical smart card that is still in your physical smart card reader, go back to "VM -> Removable Devices -> Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0" and click on : Insert Smart Card.

The smart card reappears in the VMware virtualized smart card reader.

To disconnect this virtualized smart card reader, simply click : VM -> Removable Devices -> Shared OMNIKEY AG Smart Card Reader USB 0 -> Disconnect.