To take a VirtualBox snapshot, select the virtual machine in VirtualBox Manager, open its Snapshots view, and use the create-snapshot control. Give the snapshot a descriptive name and, if useful, add a description. You can also create one from the command line with VBoxManage snapshot. A snapshot preserves a VM’s settings and virtual disk state; restoring it discards the state that was active immediately before the restore.
What a VirtualBox snapshot saves
A snapshot records a virtual machine’s settings and virtual disk state at a point in time. If you capture a running VM using the command-line --live option, the snapshot also includes its running state. VirtualBox normally creates differencing hard disks for attached virtual disks, with changes made after the snapshot stored in those images. See Oracle’s VirtualBox User Guide, snapshot management section for details.
Snapshots are useful before installing software, changing configuration, or trying an experiment you may want to undo. They are not a substitute for an independent backup: the documentation describes restoring VM state, but does not establish that a snapshot is a separate copy outside the VM’s storage. Check that the host has enough free space, and keep a separate backup of data you cannot afford to lose.
Take a snapshot in VirtualBox Manager
- Open VirtualBox Manager and select the VM you want to preserve.
- Open that VM’s Snapshots view.
- Choose the control to create a snapshot, enter a descriptive name, and optionally add a description.
- Confirm the action in the dialog, if one appears.
Control names and placement can differ between VirtualBox releases. If your interface does not match these steps, consult the User Guide for your installed version; Oracle’s Downloads page lists the official guide.
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Create and manage snapshots with VBoxManage
Use a VM name or UUID to identify the machine. The following syntax is documented in the Oracle VirtualBox 7.1.8 User Guide:
VBoxManage snapshot <uuid|vmname> take <snapshot-name> [--description=description] [--live]For example, replace <uuid|vmname> with your VM’s name or UUID and <snapshot-name> with a name for the new snapshot. The description is optional. Add --live to request capture while the VM is running. The new snapshot becomes the current snapshot and is added beneath the previously current snapshot.
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The same command group can list, restore, and delete snapshots:
VBoxManage snapshot <uuid|vmname> list
VBoxManage snapshot <uuid|vmname> restore <snapshot-name>
VBoxManage snapshot <uuid|vmname> delete <snapshot-name>These command forms are documented in Oracle’s VBoxManage snapshot reference. Use the exact snapshot name shown in the list when restoring or deleting.
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Restore a snapshot without losing later work
Restoring resets the VM’s settings and current state to match the selected snapshot. The VM state present immediately before restoration is lost. Before running the restore command, verify that you have selected the intended snapshot and preserve any later work you still need.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where snapshots are stored and what deletion does
By default, snapshot files are kept in the VM’s Snapshots subfolder. Oracle documents the default VM folder structure in Chapter 10, Technical Background; the snapshot-folder location can be changed in the VM settings.
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Deleting a snapshot may take time: VirtualBox can need to merge differencing images with child images as part of the deletion process. Avoid treating the delete operation as an instant removal, especially for a VM with later snapshots.
Quick Recap
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