Copy and paste are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts, so it can be frustrating to find you can’t use them with your virtual machine in VirtualBox, particularly if you only want to copy text from your machine’s host operating system (for example, from Microsoft Word) into the guest operating system (in this case, Linux). Fortunately, enabling copy and paste between the host and guest operating systems on VirtualBox is relatively easy to do with some basic terminal commands. By following the instructions in this guide, you’ll be able to enable copy and paste between your host and guest operating systems in minutes.
Step 1) Install Guest Additions
- Start by downloading the Guest Additions ISO from the Oracle website.
- Make sure your VirtualBox machine is shut down, then click on the settings icon for that machine in the main VirtualBox window.
- In the Storage section, click the Add Optical Drive button and select the ISO you just downloaded.
- Start up your machine, then open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac).
- Change directory to where the ISO is located, then type VBoxManage controlvm your_vm_name poweroff and hit Enter.
- Now go back into the settings for your VM and under Storage, uncheck the box next to your ISO file.
Step 2) Run VBoxManage
- First, open the Command Prompt (or Terminal on a Mac).
- Next, type in cd followed by the location of your VirtualBox installation.
- Then, type in VBoxManage and hit Enter.
- Now, type in modifyvm followed by the name of your virtual machine.
- After that, type in –clipboard and then choose one of the following options:
- disabled: This will disable copy and paste completely.
- Hosttoguest: This will allow you to copy from your host machine to your guest machine.
Step 3) Restart your VM
Assuming you have a Windows guest machine, the first thing you’ll need to do is restart your VM. Once it’s powered off, head into the Settings menu and click on the Shared Clipboard option. From there, you can choose between Bidirectional, Host to Guest, or Guest to Host. Choose the latter two options if you want to be able to copy and paste between your host and guest machines.
Step 4) Select Window->Devices from the top menu bar.
There are a few different ways to enable copy and paste in VirtualBox, but the easiest way is to select Window->Devices from the top menu bar. This will open up a window with a number of options. Select the Shared Clipboard option and then choose Bidirectionally. This will enable you to copy and paste between your host machine and your virtual machine.
Step 5) Click Insert Guest Additions CD Image, then click Mount.
Do you use VirtualBox? If so, you may have noticed that the copy and paste feature doesn’t work by default. Luckily, it’s easy to enable. Just follow these steps 1) Click Insert Guest Additions CD Image, then click Mount.
2) Locate the virtual machine settings window. It should be at the top of your screen if you’re using a Mac or Linux, and near the bottom if you’re using Windows.
3) Click on General inside this window, then select Advanced on the right-hand side of your screen.
4) Select Enable clipboard sharing under Advanced.
Step 6) Click Devices > Shared Clipboard > Bidirectional.
Do you use VirtualBox? If so, you may have noticed that the copy and paste function is disabled by default. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re used to being able to easily transfer text between your host and guest operating systems. Fortunately, there’s a quick fix! To enable this feature:
Stop the VM with VirtualBox > Machine > Take Snapshot (don’t take a snapshot or it will disable this feature)
Select Devices > Shared Clipboard > Bidirectional
Next time you need to paste, right-click on the Windows start button, then select Devices > Shared Clipboard > Bidirectional.
Do you use VirtualBox? If so, you may have noticed that the copy and paste feature doesn’t work by default. Luckily, it’s easy to enable. From the top menu select Devices > Shared Clipboard > Bidirectional, then log out of your session or restart your machine. You should now be able to right-click on any text field (including web pages!) and select Paste from the context menu.
