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 7.2.2
- VMM: Fixed issue when VM was not able to start on Windows Arm host (issue github:gh-8)
- GUI: Fixed VBox Manager crash when some VM has a lot of snapshots (issue github:gh-119)
- GUI: Fixed issue when error notifications could not be displayed on snapshot deletion (issue github:gh-75)
- GUI: Fixed VBox Manager crash while attempting to show error notifications too early (issues github:gh-135 and github:gh-171)
- GUI: Fixed VBox Manager crash while removing all VMs from VM list
- GUI: Fixed VBox Manager freeze on Linux hosts at startup or while attempting to add a VM (issues github:gh-70 and github:gh-168)
- GUI: Fixed VBox Manager layout bug with too strict size constraints (issue github:gh-87)
- GUI: Updated VBox VM network status-bar indicator tooltip (IP address) on guest additions change (issue github:gh-179)
- GUI: Added possibility for Windows 11 host to use legacy light/dark themes from Windows 10 (issues github:gh-137 and github:gh-151)
- GUI: Forcing xdgdesktopportal platform theme on Linux when org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop DBus service is available (issues github:gh-138 and github:gh-150)
- Network (NAT, DNS): Fixed potential issue where a nameserver in the 127/8 network could have been passed to the guest (issue github:gh-136)
- Network: Added a new experimental type of e1000 adapter (82583V). It requires the ICH9 chipset, since MSIs are not supported by PIIX3
- USB: Fixed passing through USB devices exposed over USB/IP (issue github:gh-192)
- USB Webcam: The virtual USB webcam is now part of the open source base package
- Arm host: Improved high CPU usage for idling VMs (issue github:gh-34)
- Linux host: Use KVM APIs on kernel 6.16.0 and newer for acquiring/releasing VT-x (issue github:gh-81, github:gh-139 and github:gh-141)
- macOS host: Fixed internal networking, including NAT networks on macOS (7.2.0 regression; issue github:gh-140)
- macOS host: Fixed VM crash on Arm host on VM start (issue github:gh-101)
- Linux Guest Additions: Fixed issue when VBoxClient was reporting it's unable to load shared libraries on start (issue github:gh-165)
- Windows Guest Additions: Fixed issue when installation was failing on Windows XP SP2 64-bit (issue github:gh-142)
- EFI: Fixed TPM device not working with certain guests (issue github:gh-143)
VirtualBox for Mac
Free
In English
Version 7.2.2
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.
