7 Must Know VirtualBox Virtual Machine Commands
Whether you are using Linux, Windows Or macOS these command have got you covered.
Virtualization is one of the core computing technologies today. With a virtual machine (VM), you can run almost any operating system of your choice on your PC without breaking the bank to acquire extra hardware.
Let’s explore how to use the command line terminal in managing your VirtualBox virtual machines regardless of the operating system you are using, be it Windows, macOS, or Linux. All VirtualBox installations come with the VBoxManage command-line tool, a powerful and flexible utility for managing your virtual machines.
What Is VboxManage?
VboxManage is a command-line interface (CLI) tool installed by default as part of your VirtualBox software installation.
Unlike managing virtual machines from the GUI, the VboxManage CLI gives you more functionality as it gives you direct access to the virtualization engine, allowing you to access extra features that are unavailable through the GUI. In addition, most Linux servers do not come with a GUI, so you will still be able to manage your VMs even in headless mode.
All VboxManage commands start with the word vboxmanage and are usually followed by a subcommand such as list, controlvm, etc. Often, you are required to provide the name of the VM that you want to configure or manage.
1. Listing Virtual Machines
Here is how you can view or list all VMs that are registered on your PC. Each VM is given a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) used to uniquely identify it.
vboxmanage list vms
If you want a detailed listing, add the -l or -- long flag to the vboxmanage list vms command. The output shows you detailed information such as the configuration of each VM, hardware details, settings, etc.
To list all currently running VMs, you can use the list subcommand with the runningvms option as follows.
