How to Share Folders Between VirtualBox Virtual Machine and Windows host machine?

Installing a new OS on your system is usually done manually, but VirtualBox can save you time and effort. The application allows you to install any Windows operating system virtually on your computer. And the coolest part is it will do for free. All you have to do is, create a shared folder accessible by both the host and guest operating systems. It allows you to access large files on the host and guest systems. The main advantage of this feature is that it does not need to copy all your data to a USB flash drive and then transfer it to the guest’s machine. Thus, there will be no duplicate files, and you will save a lot of space.

In this risewindows article, we will provide you with instructions that you can use to create and install the Guest additions on a virtual machine.

Virtual machine guest additions: how to install them?

Step 1: Launch the guest Windows 10 on your computer.

Step 2: Now, go to VirtualBox menu and click on the Devices. Once you do that, choose the option that says “Insert Guest Additions CD image.”

Step 3: Once you run the “Insert Guest Additions CD image,” it will be automatically mounted on the virtual CD-ROM.

Step 4: Click on Yes in the UAC prompt window.

Step 5: While installing the additions, a prompt window on your screen asks if you want to install device software. Click on Install.

Step 6: In the next prompt window, click on Reboot. The installation process will now be complete, and your computer will reboot.

Step 7: After the system restarts, log in to the Guest Windows.

Step 8: Navigate to Devices > Shared Folders > Shared Folders Settings.

Step 9: Go to the Shared Folders option.

Step 10: The + sign will open the “Add Share” window. Click on it.

Step 11: Choose the folder from the host Windows you want to share with guest Windows under the folder path and click on OK.

Step 12: The selected folder will share between the host and guest OS after the previous step. Now go to File Explorer and click on the Network.

Step 13: You can access the shared folder by double-clicking on the available VBOXSVR under Computer.

Step 14: You can access the folder from the desktop too. To do so, right-click on the shared folder, and click on the Create shortcut option.

After creating the shortcut, you can access the folder from the desktop itself.

That is it.

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