A graphical user interface (GUI) for managing virtual machines (VMs) that are running in one or more hosts provides a search interface that is intuitive and presents search results in a tree structure that lists or marks items that meet user-designated search criteria. User-designated search criteria include favorite VMs, powered-on VMs, VMs running in a specified host, and text-based search criteria. Both VMs that are running locally in a local host and VMs that are running remotely in a remote host are listed so long as they meet the user-designated search criteria and thus can be managed using the GUI.