VirtualBox for Mac
Virtual machines tool.
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VirtualBox overview
VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualization software for ARM and x86_64 hardware.
VirtualBox enables users to run multiple operating systems concurrently on a single physical computer by creating and managing virtual machines. It lets you allocate dedicated hardware resources—like CPU cores, memory, storage, and network interfaces—to each virtual machine, effectively mimicking an independent computer system within your host operating system.
VirtualBox can be used for software development, testing, running legacy applications, and experimenting with different OS configurations without risking the stability of the primary system.
What’s new in version 7.2.6
VMM
- Fixed issue when VM process was crashing during RHEL5 guest boot
- Fixed issue when VMX nested-guest VM-entry was checking the wrong VM-execution control bit in the virtual VMCS (github:gh-313)
- Fixed issue when VM was crashing on start after recent Windows update (KB5066793) (github:gh-360)
- Fixed issue when guest process was crashing inside Windows guest on AMD system (github:gh-400)
- Fixed issue when VM process was crashing on Windows host (github:gh-426, github:gh-407, github:gh-404, github:gh-369, github:gh-238, github:gh-207, github:gh-187, github:gh-178)
- Fixed Guru Meditation issue on VM start on Windows host (github:gh-346)
- Fixed issue when VM was failing to shut down on Windows 11 ARM host (github:gh-416)
- Fixed issue when booting Red Hat 6.1 i386 was failing on AMD Zen4 Windows 11 Pro host (github:gh-466)
GUI
- Added fixes for full-screen support in multi-monitor case (github:gh-197, github:gh-243)
- Fixed issue when downloading update files was failing (github:gh-327, github.com/gh-372)
- Fixed issue when list of VMs was not properly displayed in Resource Manager tab (github:gh-364)
- Fixed issue when with switching between light/dark modes on macOS host (github:gh-457)
- Fixed issue when storage controller type list was displayed incorrectly (github:gh-413)
DevACPI
- Fixed issue with file path key names for Dsdt/Ssdt (github:gh-381)
- Added change to make OemTabId configurable using AcpiOemTabId option (github:gh-383)
NAT
- Fixed issue with high CPU usage when VM was using NAT (github:gh-356)
RDP
- The VRDP server was moved to the open source base package
SmartCard
- The USB smartcard emulation was moved to the open source base package
VM encryption
- The disk and VM encryption feature was moved to the open source base package
VBoxManage
- Fixed issue when VBoxManage was not displaying interface name for FreeBSD guests (github:gh-403)
- Fixed issue when VM could not be started from command line in some circumstances (github:gh-418)
Main
- Improved filename check for drag-and-drop operations (github:gh-68)
Linux Host
- Fixed issue when vboxautostart-service did not start corresponding VMs on system boot (github:gh-309)
- Fixed issue when VM was not able to start if host was running realtime kernel configuration (github:gh-332)
Guest Additions
- Fixed installation on Windows XP 64-bit guests (github:gh-142)
- Fixed issue when guest process was crashing due to low memory in the system (github:gh-410)
Linux Guest Additions
- Fixed build issue for kernels 2.5.52 and older
- Fixed issue when VBoxService was not started due to abandoned pid file
- Fixed issue when user session services were not started on old Linux distributions
- Fixed check if kernel modules were loaded for old Linux distributions
- Fixed issue when Guest Additions processes were left running on system reboot or shutdown (github:gh-311)
- Added additional fixes for RHEL 9.8, 10.1 and 10.2 kernels
- Added initial support for kernel 6.19 (github:gh-467)
Windows Guest Additions
- Fixed installation on WinXP 64-bit (github:gh-142)
BIOS
- Fixed issue with booting VM using IPXE (github:gh-417)
VirtualBox for Mac
Free
In English
Version 7.2.6
What users say about VirtualBox
Value: 2.0
Only suitbale for testing. I do a few linux OS testings once in a while. But over all it's just Oracle quality: low and not worth a penny. It was such a good software before Oracle took it over.
Other user ratings:
Ease of use | 2.0
Features | 3.0
Reliability | 1.0
Customer support | 1.0
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(164 Reviews of VirtualBox)
Comments
User Ratings
Jul 16 2025
Version: 7.1.12
The virtualization wars on Mac are hearing up. New entrants, each with its own strengths are UTM and VirtualBuddy. VirtualBox is a nice alternative for freeware as it has numerous customization options for the virtual machine you create. Paid alternatives are Parallels Desktop for Mac (disclaimer: I've been using Parallels Desktop for Mac since version 5) and VMware Fusion. Too close to call if you want free.
Apr 5 2023
Version: 7.0.6
There is now a Silicon beta. https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/7.0.6/VirtualBox-7.0.6_BETA4-155176-macOSArm64.dmg
Nov 24 2021
Version: 6.1.30
6.1.28 and 6.1.30 stopped working with Vagrant for different reasons on my 10.13.6 systems. I'm wondering if Oracle stopped running regression tests against this version of MacOS. I'm stuck with 6.1.26 to run my Vagrant boxes and testing.
Apr 30 2021
Version: 6.1.22
MU> v6.1.22 still works perfectly in macOS 10.11 and I can't see any different requirement on their website. Instead, I see a neat improvement in speed since 6.1.20. I'm using it exclusively with Android-x86 guest, so of course it's a lot slower than a real Android, but it's definitely usable. Last year I've tried it with MacOS guests and it was absolutely pitiful compared to VMware Fusion.
