I want to back up my entire system, with all programs and files that are currently installed on the VM. How can I do this?
If I lose my computer or something goes wrong with my operating system, I would like to have this security backup.
asked Mar 8, 2019 at 23:54
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
To backup a full VM in VirtualBox we only need to save your virtual hard drive that has the .vdi extension.
On Linux, the HD is usually in:
user_name/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/harddisk_name.vdi
Just copy this file and save it in some safe place.
To restore the backup, just select the .vdi file as the image's HD when creating a VM in VirtualBox.
answered Mar 8, 2019 at 23:54
-
+1 export command is really slow and unpractical when needing to backup large vms, yet everyone seems to be using it. Jul 1, 2021 at 19:53
-
Thanks. but will this recreate the MAC address of the network card attached to the VM?– BenKoshyOct 20 at 8:59
-
As far as I know, Linux systems save this type of information in the file system. Oct 24 at 16:34
Export the VM...
vboxmanage export vmname -o vmname.ova
...and import...
vboxmanage import vmname
-
This method isn't practical for larger vms. It takes long to export. Instead one should just copy the VDI file as @Thiago Krempser pointed out. Jul 1, 2021 at 19:54
-
1I presume that exporting can happen while the VM is running, while copying the VDI can only be done while the VM is off? Nov 11, 2022 at 9:55