Once the shared folder has been configured, start the virtual machine to access the folder. If the guest operating system is to be denied write access to the folder, ensure that the Read-only check box is selected before clicking the OK button to create the share: Once a suitable folder has been selected, enter a name for the share in the Folder Name field. To browse for a specific folder, click the down arrow in the Folder Path text box and select Other. To add a new shared folder, click on the add folder button (the top button containing an icon of a folder with a green plus sign) and select a folder on the host system to be shared with the selected guest. Once the settings dialog is visible, click on the Shared Folders entry in the right hand pane to display the following screen: This dialog is accessed by selecting the desired virtual machine from the list and clicking the Settings button in the toolbar. VirtualBox Shared Folders on inactive virtual machines are configured through the Settings dialog.

The creation of a shared folder involves selecting the folder on the host system which is be to shared, assigning a share name and choosing whether the folder is to be read-only and transient or permanent. Shared folders may also be declared as read-only to prevent the guest operating system from writing to the host folder. Shared folders can be configured such that they are persistent (in other words the share is still configured even if the guest is restarted) or transient (such that they a lost after the virtual machine is shutdown or rebooted). Shared folders are not supported on virtual machines running Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows Me or Windows 98 guests. VirtualBox folder sharing is currently only supported for Windows and Linux guests. In addition, assuming adequate permissions are granted on the shared folder, the guest is also able to transfer files onto the host by copying them into the shared folder.

VirtualBox Shared Folders allow files residing on the host system to be accessed by guest operating systems running in virtual machines.

Linux virtual machine shared folder