VirtualBox is a free and open source & cross-platform virtualization product, running on Win, Mac and Linux. Speaking of virtual machine software, in addition to the more commonly used commercial software such as Parallels Desktop and VMWare Workstation / Player, there is also an equally powerful and open source free cross-platform virtual machine software – it is “VirtualBox”. Although we know that VirtualBox is not as good as PD and VMWare in terms of performance and ease of use, open source and completely free allows you to forget all the drawbacks. It allows you to install and run a variety of other operating systems on Win, Mac, Linux computers, such as Microsoft Full Series (including Windows 11), Linux distributions (Ubuntu/CentOS/Deepin) and even Android, etc., can cope with the needs of various scenarios. As a result, it has been the virtual machine software recommended by countless users.
VirtualBox has four main features: free, open source, lightweight and efficient, and multi-Languages that anyone can use to “easily run multiple different operating systems simultaneously on one computer.” Such as running Windows 11 virtually on macOS, installing CentOS/Oracle Linux on Windows 7, running Ubuntu and Windows 7 virtually on Windows 11, Windows 10, etc., can meet everyone’s work, study, Develop and even play games for various needs.
Windows 11, the most requested version has been supported since VirtualBox version 7.0, and a preview version of the M-series ARM processors supporting Apple’s Mac has also been released. But unfortunately, the current speed performance on the M1/M2 chip is still relatively slow, want to have practicality or have to change Parallels Desktop, can only expect the official to continue to upgrade the performance in the future.
In addition to improvements to the software interface, VirtualBox now supports 3D acceleration and DirectX 11, improved CPU utilization, support for bidirectional drag and drop of files between the host and virtual machines on the Windows platform, and shared clipboards , support for USB 3.0 devices, better video support, system snapshots (saving or restoring virtual machine state), cloning virtual machines, support for paravirtualization of Windows and Linux guests, support for xHCI controllers, and improved disk image encryption for increased security.
Originally developed by the German company Innotek, VirtualBox was acquired by Sun, which in turn was acquired by Oracle. Although the fate has been “bumpy” all the way, it has always maintained the characteristics of free and open source, and it is deeply loved by users. And it can be used for free commercial purposes, so there are actually many “simulator” software on the market based on its secondary development.
In terms of functionality, VirtualBox is not much inferior to paid commercial software such as VMware and Parallels, with virtual machine snapshots, USB device support, seamless mode (placing the software in the virtual machine system on the host system’s desktop), file drag-and-drop between host and virtual machines, and clipboard/folder sharing And so on.
In terms of compatibility and stability, VirtualBox cross-platform supports Windows, macOS, Linux as host machines, and supports (but is not limited to) virtual operating systems running the following operating systems: Windows 11, Win10, Win 8.1 and Win7； Ubuntu, CentOS, Oracle Linux, Deepin, Elementary OS, RedHat (RHEL), Debian, Fedora, SUSE, openSUSE, Mandriva, ArchLinux, Solaris, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OS/2, Mac OS X, Android and more.
In general, the compatibility of various operating systems, the functional richness of the virtual machine itself, the speed of operation and performance can meet most usage needs. In many cases, the free Virtual Box can replace paid business software such as VMWare and Parallels Desktop, suitable for novice and light virtual machine users.
If you do not like VirtualBox 7.0.0 version, and would you like to go back the previous version, it is recommended to firstly use the Windows uninstaller from UninstallService and the Mac app uninstaller from AppUninstaller.com’s App Uninstaller for thorough removal.
You can download VirtualBox 7.0.0 and older versions at the official page: https://www.virtualbox.org.