Table of Contents
Backing up and restoring VirtualBox virtual machines is essential to protect your data, quickly recover from system failures, and safely move VMs between systems.
Step 1: Power Off the Virtual Machine
Before creating any backup, always shut down the virtual machine properly to avoid data corruption and ensure a clean backup.
VBoxManage controlvm "VM_Name" poweroff
Step 2: Backup VirtualBox VM Using Export (OVA)
Exporting a VM as an OVA file is the safest and most recommended backup method, as it includes the VM settings and virtual disks in one portable file.
VBoxManage export "VM_Name" --output VM_Backup.ova
Step 3: Backup Virtual Machine Folder
You can also back up a VM by copying its entire folder, which contains the disk files and configuration data.
cp -r ~/VirtualBox\ VMs/VM_Name /backup/location/
Step 4: Restore VirtualBox VM from OVA Backup
Restoring a VirtualBox virtual machine from an OVA backup allows you to quickly recover a system on the same or a different host without reconfiguring everything manually.
VBoxManage import VM_Backup.ova
Step 5: Restore VM from Folder Backup
If you backed up the VM folder, copy it back to the VirtualBox VMs directory and register it manually.
VBoxManage registervm "~/VirtualBox VMs/VM_Name/VM_Name.vbox"
Step 6: Verify the Restored Virtual Machine
After restoring, start the VM and confirm that the operating system, network, and storage are working correctly.
VBoxManage startvm "VM_Name" --type gui
