How to Map Shared Folders in VirtualBox on Windows 11

Mapping shared folders in VirtualBox on Windows 11 lets you easily access files and folders from your main computer inside a virtual machine.

This feature turns a chosen folder on your host PC into a shared drive that your virtual machine can see and use, like a network drive.

It’s incredibly useful for moving larger files or keeping important data accessible between your Windows 11 host and your VirtualBox guest operating system.

This method goes beyond simple copy-pasting, making file management between your physical and virtual computers much smoother.

How to map a folder in a VirtualBox VM on 🪟 Windows 11

As mentioned above, VirtualBox’s shared folder feature allows you to share folders on the host with virtual machines.

Here’s how to do that.

For this feature to function, you must install VirtualBox guest tools on the virtual machine. This post shows you how to install VirtualBox on Windows 11.

Open VirtualBox. Select the Windows 11 virtual machine and click Settings, or right-click on the machine and select Settings.

On the Settings window, click Shared Folders.

In the Shared Folders window, click the Add new folder button (the green plus icon).

In the Folder Path, specify the path for the local folder you want to share with the virtual machine. Alternatively, you can click the down-arrow and select Other to browse for and select the folder you wish to share.

Type in or accept the default folder name in the Folder Name field.

The Read-only checkbox is optional. Checking it prevents you from saving files to the shared folder from within the virtual machine.

The Auto-mount checkbox is optional. When checked, the shared folder will automatically connect (or mount) every time the virtual machine starts up.

In the Mount point field, choose a drive letter that the shared folder will appear as within the virtual machine. For this tutorial, we select G:

Click OK to complete the setup and boot the machine.

After you boot the virtual machine and log in, you should see a mapped folder with the G: drive letter in the Windows virtual machine.

If you have turned on Network discovery and Public folder sharing, you will also be able to see the mapped folder in the network folder under \\VBOXSRV\

Whatever you have in the shared folder on the host machine will be accessible from the guest machines.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• VirtualBox’s shared folder feature simplifies transferring large files between hosts and guest machines.
• The setup process involves 💿 installing VirtualBox guest tools, configuring shared folders in ⚙️ the settings, and rebooting the virtual machine.
• Users can customize folder permissions, such as read-only access and automatic mounting upon startup.
• Mapped folders appear as drive letters in the guest OS, ensuring easy accessibility.
• Ensuring network discovery is enabled enhances the visibility of shared folders across the network.

With these steps, you can efficiently manage your files between the host and VirtualBox guest machines in Windows 11.