Drag and drop is a useful feature for quickly transferring files between a VirtualBox VM and Windows, making it much easier than copying and pasting or using shared folders. For example, you can simply drag a photo from the Windows File Explorer to the VM’s desktop. While this feature is disabled by default, you can easily enable host-to-guest, guest-to-host, or bidirectional drag and drop with just a couple of clicks as needed.
In this quick and simple tutorial, I’ll show you two methods to enable drag and drop in VirtualBox. Let’s get started.
Before You Being
- You are required to turn on the drag-and-drop support for each VM in VirtualBox separately.
Good to know: How to add shared folders in VirtualBox
Enable Drag and Drop Through VirtualBox VM Settings
- Open the Start menu.
- Search and open “VirtualBox“.
- Right-click on the VM on the left sidebar.
- Select the “Settings” option.
- Click the “Expert” tab at the top.
- Go to the “General” tab on the left sidebar.
- Click the “Advanced” tab on the right panel.
- Select “Bidirectional” from the “Drag’n’Drop” dropdown menu.
- Click “OK“.
- With that, drag and drop is enabled in VirtualBox.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the VirtualBox application. To do that, press the “Windows key” on your keyboard, search for “VirtualBox“, and click the “Open” option.
Once it opens, right-click on a VM of your choice on the left panel and select the “Settings” option. This opens the VM settings window.
In the settings window, click the “Expert” tab at the tab. Next, go to the “General” tab on the left sidebar and then go to the “Advanced” tab on the right panel. Here, click the “Drag’n’Drop” dropdown menu and select one of the options to enable the Drag and Drop feature.
- Host To Guest – This lets you drag and drop files from the host machine to the guest machine but not the other way around.
- Guest To Host – This lets you drag and drop files from the guest machine to the host machine but not the other way around.
- Bidirectional – This lets you drag and drop files between both host and guest.
That is it. With that, you’ve enabled Drag and Drop in VirtualBox. From now on, simply drag and drop any file you want to transfer. For example, here I’m transferring a file from Windows to the virtual machine.
Toggle Drag and Drop from the VM’s Menu Bar
For a quick way to toggle drag and drop, use the VM’s menu bar. Here are the steps:
- Open the VirtualBox application.
- Start the VM in VirtualBox.
- Click the “Devices” menu option at the top.
- Select “Drag and Drop” > “Bidirectional” to enable Drag and Drop.
- To disable, select “Drag and Drop” > “Disabled“.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, you need to start the VM in VirtualBox. To do that, open the VirtualBox application by searching for it in the Start menu and clicking the “Open” option.
Once it opens, select the VM on the left panel and click the “Start” button at the top.
Once the VM has been fully booted up, click the “Devices” menu and select one of the following options from the “Drag and Drop” sub-menu.
- Host To Guest – This lets you drag and drop files from the host machine to the guest machine but not the other way around.
- Guest To Host – This lets you drag and drop files from the guest machine to the host machine but not the other way around.
- Bidirectional – This lets you drag and drop files between both host and guest.
If you want to disable the drag and drop functionality, simply select the “Disabled” option from the “Devices” > “Drag and Drop” menu.
Wrapping Up — Seamless File Sharing with VirtualBox Drag and Drop
In conclusion, drag and drop makes transferring files between your virtual machine and Windows easy. To enable this feature, you can follow one of the two methods I’ve shown. While both methods work fine, if you want to quickly toggle the feature, follow the second method.
Troubleshooting Tip: If drag and drop isn’t working, try restarting both the guest and host operating systems. This often resolves common issues.
Security Recommendation: When you’re not actively using drag and drop, disabling it can improve security and prevent accidental file transfers.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
