Share Your VirtualBox VM Across Different OS
While creating a digital machine in VirtualBox is an natural project, sharing that digital machine throughout a various OS is not. If you’re dual-boosting your computer and also have concocted a digital machine in one of the OSes dividings, due to the disagreement in record composition among various OSes, you will not be able to access and also open the VM record in the other partition. The complying via tutorial will stress you how you can share to your VirtualBox digital machine regardless of which OS you are in.
Reminder: learn how you can arrange Dwelling windows as a VirtualBox VM in Linux.
- Amassing the Storage Equipment for Your VM
- Sharing the VDI File Between Dwelling windows and also Mac/Linux
- Sharing the VDI File Between Mac and also Linux
- Sporadically Furnished queries Stress
Amassing the Storage Equipment for Your VM
The initially intervene sharing your VM throughout various gizmos is to model an external storage void machine via an ExFAT filesystem. This permits you to substantial amounts the hard disk record for your VM regardless of its parent OS.
To do this in Dwelling windows, open your gizmo’s record supervisor then plug your external hard disk in.
Situate your disk on the record supervisor’s escaped sidebar, applicable-click the computer mouse then pick Format…
Click the dropdown list below the File gizmo tag, then pick ExFAT.
Accept the default inducements, then click Prelude.
Amassing an ExFAT Drive in macOS
Press Command + Territory to open your machine’s Limelight Pursuit, then kind “Disk Utility.”
Click the access for your physical disk on the window’s escaped sidebar.
Note: Sporadically the Disk Utility app will not stress the physical gizmos by default. To solve this, attend the Heed sustenance solution item, then click Underscore Unanimously Machines.
Click the Disconnect button on the window’s upper pub, then pick ExFAT on Format Dropdown box.
Press Disconnect to format your drive to ExFAT.
Amassing an ExFAT Drive in Linux
Amenable a brand-neoteric incurable session, then kind the complying via command to arrange the ExFAT filesystem in your machine:
sudo apt install exfatprogs exfat-fuse
Amenable your gizmo’s disk power prospectus. In Ubuntu, you can do this by importuning Win then typing “disks.”
Pick your physical disk, then click the populated sustenance solution on the window’s upper applicable niche.
Click Format Disk…, then pick Format. This will derive rid of with one voice the current dividings in your storage void machine.
Click the + button under your storage void machine’s Quantities layout.
Click Next off to accept the default partition dimension, then click the Other radio button, then press Next off.
Pick ExFAT on the filesystem smorgasbord, then press Inflict to arrange it to your machine.
Nice to recognize: learn how you can solve your files by creating a sheathed upward filesystem in Linux via Shufflecake.
Sharing the VDI File Between Dwelling windows and also Mac/Linux
Boot into your Dwelling windows gizmo, open VirtualBox, then click the Preferred button on the window’s apex pub.
Purchase the moniker of your VM, then pick your ISO record.
Click the Earned amenity Disk dropdown tab, then click the Browse button under the Earned amenity Disk File Territory and also Size category.
Situate your external disk, then pick that as the locality of your VDI disk.
Undergo the installation wizard of your VM’s OS, then revolve off the VM.
Boot into either MacOS or Linux, then open your photocopy of VirtualBox in the gizmo.
On the apex of the window, click “Preferred” to model a brand-neoteric digital machine.
Purchase the moniker and also kind of your VM, then click Next off.
Make certain that the VM on your second OS owns the genuinely same amount of memory and also cpus apportioned to it.
Click the Earn swipe advantage of of an Current Virtual Earned amenity Disk File radio button, then click the Browse button on the applicable side of the window.
Click Incorporate, then lookout for your VM’s VDI record on your external disk.
You have to currently appointment an access in the window. Emphasize the access and also click Prefer.
On the next window, click Next off then Completing. It will channeling you earlier to the pivot window.
Emphasize the brand-neoteric VM access on the pivot window and also click Prelude. You have to appointment the genuinely same digital machine that you have concocted in Dwelling windows sprinting on your Mac currently.
Reminder: learn how to model a mobile VM for cloud businesses by exporting your VirtualBox VM as an OVA record.
Sharing the VDI File Between Mac and also Linux
Boot into Linux, then open VirtualBox earning swipe advantage of of your gizmo’s app launcher.
Inflict a brand-neoteric digital machine, then click Educator Mode at the bottom of the innovation wizard.
Purchase the moniker and also a kind to your brand-neoteric VM, then click the Earned amenity Disk dropdown tab.
Click on the icon chummy to the Earned amenity Disk Territory and also Size sector and also pick any kind of folder in the external disk.
Proceed via the requirement installation of the occupant OS.
As comfortably as you are implemented creating the digital machine, reboot into macOS and also model a brand-neoteric VM that puts on your current VDI record.
FYI: learn some of VirtualBox’s sheathed upward facilities in our VirtualBox Cheatsheet.
Sporadically Furnished queries Stress
Why executes my VM substantial amounts gradually whenever I boot it?
This is most probable due to the transmit price of either your machine’s USB skit or your USB storage void machine. To solve this, you can arrange your VM’s VDI record on a USB 3.0-proportionate disk and also plug it to your machine’s USB 3.0 skit.
Can I transform an current VM arrange to a shareable one?
Of training course. To do this, you requirement to photocopy the VDI record from your computer’s disk to your external drive. In Dwelling windows, you can spot your current VDI records in “C:UsersYOUR-USERNAMEVirtualBox VMs.” For MacOS, it’s in “/Users/YOUR-USERNAME/VirtualBox VMs”, while in Linux it’s in “/residence/YOUR-USERNAME/VirtualBox VMs.”
You can photocopy this VDI record to your external disk and also as comfortably as creating a brand-neoteric digital machine. That claimed, in ordinance to intake this disk on your current VM you also requirement to modernize the locality of your VM’s storage void machine under Arrangements > Storage in VirtualBox.
Can I ordinance my VDI record on a bigger disk after creating the VM?
Of training course. VDI records are self-had digital models of physical hard disks. This ways that you can ordinance a VDI record to any kind of storage void tool that you want and also VirtualBox will still be able to substantial amounts it properly.
Image credit: Gabriel Beaudry wearing Unsplash and also Wikimedia Commons (MacOS Logo model, Tux Logo model, Dwelling windows Logo model, VirtualBox Logo model). Unanimously amendments and also screenshots by Ramces Red.
