diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver.go
index 1a945d19b..ec34e70b5 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ type Driver interface {
 	// Clone clones the VMX and the disk to the destination path. The
 	// destination is a path to the VMX file. The disk will be copied
 	// to that same directory.
-	Clone(dst string, src string) error
+	Clone(dst string, src string, cloneType bool) error
 
 	// CompactDisk compacts a virtual disk.
 	CompactDisk(string) error
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion5.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion5.go
index 63211f99a..2599604b9 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion5.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion5.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ type Fusion5Driver struct {
 	SSHConfig *SSHConfig
 }
 
-func (d *Fusion5Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Fusion5Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
 	return errors.New("Cloning is not supported with Fusion 5. Please use Fusion 6+.")
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion6.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion6.go
index 002d4227a..ff5e9d73e 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion6.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_fusion6.go
@@ -18,11 +18,19 @@ type Fusion6Driver struct {
 	Fusion5Driver
 }
 
-func (d *Fusion6Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Fusion6Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
+
+	var cloneType string
+	if linked {
+		cloneType = "linked"
+	} else {
+		cloneType = "full"
+	}
+
 	cmd := exec.Command(d.vmrunPath(),
 		"-T", "fusion",
 		"clone", src, dst,
-		"full")
+		cloneType)
 	if _, _, err := runAndLog(cmd); err != nil {
 		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "parameters was invalid") {
 			return fmt.Errorf(
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_mock.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_mock.go
index 8c540913e..019b688fc 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_mock.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_mock.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ type DriverMock struct {
 	CloneCalled bool
 	CloneDst    string
 	CloneSrc    string
+	Linked      bool
 	CloneErr    error
 
 	CompactDiskCalled bool
@@ -107,10 +108,11 @@ func (m NetworkMapperMock) DeviceIntoName(device string) (string, error) {
 	return "", nil
 }
 
-func (d *DriverMock) Clone(dst string, src string) error {
+func (d *DriverMock) Clone(dst string, src string, linked bool) error {
 	d.CloneCalled = true
 	d.CloneDst = dst
 	d.CloneSrc = src
+	d.Linked = linked
 	return d.CloneErr
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_player5.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_player5.go
index 5f492e6be..ccb1de2c2 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_player5.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_player5.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ type Player5Driver struct {
 	SSHConfig *SSHConfig
 }
 
-func (d *Player5Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Player5Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
 	return errors.New("Cloning is not supported with VMWare Player version 5. Please use VMWare Player version 6, or greater.")
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_player6.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_player6.go
index 1ccb84b85..d121f02bc 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_player6.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_player6.go
@@ -13,13 +13,20 @@ type Player6Driver struct {
 	Player5Driver
 }
 
-func (d *Player6Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Player6Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
 	// TODO(rasa) check if running player+, not just player
 
+	var cloneType string
+	if linked {
+		cloneType = "linked"
+	} else {
+		cloneType = "full"
+	}
+
 	cmd := exec.Command(d.Player5Driver.VmrunPath,
 		"-T", "ws",
 		"clone", src, dst,
-		"full")
+		cloneType)
 
 	if _, _, err := runAndLog(cmd); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation10.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation10.go
index 471fce37d..070df50c2 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation10.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation10.go
@@ -13,11 +13,19 @@ type Workstation10Driver struct {
 	Workstation9Driver
 }
 
-func (d *Workstation10Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Workstation10Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
+
+	var cloneType string
+	if linked {
+		cloneType = "linked"
+	} else {
+		cloneType = "full"
+	}
+
 	cmd := exec.Command(d.Workstation9Driver.VmrunPath,
 		"-T", "ws",
 		"clone", src, dst,
-		"full")
+		cloneType)
 
 	if _, _, err := runAndLog(cmd); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation9.go b/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation9.go
index 8186ac83f..50bf77f34 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation9.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/common/driver_workstation9.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ type Workstation9Driver struct {
 	SSHConfig *SSHConfig
 }
 
-func (d *Workstation9Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *Workstation9Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
 	return errors.New("Cloning is not supported with VMware WS version 9. Please use VMware WS version 10, or greater.")
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go b/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
index c31d8da95..b3eb8c078 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/iso/driver_esx5.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ type ESX5Driver struct {
 	vmId      string
 }
 
-func (d *ESX5Driver) Clone(dst, src string) error {
+func (d *ESX5Driver) Clone(dst, src string, linked bool) error {
 	return errors.New("Cloning is not supported with the ESX driver.")
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/vmware/vmx/builder.go b/builder/vmware/vmx/builder.go
index 130c533d7..dbb74b7a1 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/vmx/builder.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/vmx/builder.go
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 			OutputDir: b.config.OutputDir,
 			Path:      b.config.SourcePath,
 			VMName:    b.config.VMName,
+			Linked:    b.config.Linked,
 		},
 		&vmwcommon.StepConfigureVMX{
 			CustomData: b.config.VMXData,
diff --git a/builder/vmware/vmx/config.go b/builder/vmware/vmx/config.go
index 0fb9993aa..1e32ac7b7 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/vmx/config.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/vmx/config.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	vmwcommon.ToolsConfig    `mapstructure:",squash"`
 	vmwcommon.VMXConfig      `mapstructure:",squash"`
 
+	Linked         bool   `mapstructure:"linked"`
 	RemoteType     string `mapstructure:"remote_type"`
 	SkipCompaction bool   `mapstructure:"skip_compaction"`
 	SourcePath     string `mapstructure:"source_path"`
diff --git a/builder/vmware/vmx/step_clone_vmx.go b/builder/vmware/vmx/step_clone_vmx.go
index 9eebc0096..55c24d2a7 100644
--- a/builder/vmware/vmx/step_clone_vmx.go
+++ b/builder/vmware/vmx/step_clone_vmx.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ type StepCloneVMX struct {
 	OutputDir string
 	Path      string
 	VMName    string
+	Linked    bool
 }
 
 type vmxAdapter struct {
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ func (s *StepCloneVMX) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multiste
 	ui.Say("Cloning source VM...")
 	log.Printf("Cloning from: %s", s.Path)
 	log.Printf("Cloning to: %s", vmxPath)
-	if err := driver.Clone(vmxPath, s.Path); err != nil {
+	if err := driver.Clone(vmxPath, s.Path, s.Linked); err != nil {
 		state.Put("error", err)
 		return multistep.ActionHalt
 	}
diff --git a/website/source/docs/builders/vmware-vmx.html.md.erb b/website/source/docs/builders/vmware-vmx.html.md.erb
index 90880cb54..03c144de9 100644
--- a/website/source/docs/builders/vmware-vmx.html.md.erb
+++ b/website/source/docs/builders/vmware-vmx.html.md.erb
@@ -137,6 +137,9 @@ builder.
     doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout is
     `5m` or five minutes.
 
+-   `linked` (boolean) - Virtual machine is created a linked clone. 
+    Defaults to `false`.
+
 -   `skip_compaction` (boolean) - VMware-created disks are defragmented and
     compacted at the end of the build process using `vmware-vdiskmanager`. In
     certain rare cases, this might actually end up making the resulting disks