vboxmanage

List VMs

$ vboxmanage list vms

$ vboxmanage startvm [vmname]

$ vboxmanage startvm [vmname] --type headless

$ vboxmanage controlvm [vmname] poweroff

$ vboxmanage createvm --name [vmname] --register

$ vboxmanage snapshot [vmname] take [snapname]

vboxmanage command [options]

vboxmanage is the command-line interface for Oracle VirtualBox, providing complete control over virtual machine creation, configuration, and operation. It exposes every feature available in the graphical interface and many that are only accessible from the command line.
The tool uses subcommands for different operations: createvm and modifyvm for setup, startvm and controlvm for runtime management, snapshot for state saving, and list for querying registered objects. It is essential for headless server environments, scripted VM provisioning, and automation workflows where GUI access is unavailable.

list

List objects.

Start VM.

Control running VM.

Create VM.

Modify settings.

Snapshot operations.

Start type (gui, headless).

VirtualBox required. Complex syntax. Many subcommands.

VBoxManage is the command-line interface for Oracle VirtualBox, providing full VM management capabilities.

virtualbox(1), qemu(1), virsh(1)