Creating a Shared Folder between Ubuntu and Mac Using VirtualBox: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of manually transferring files between your Ubuntu virtual machine and your Mac host machine? Look no further! In this article, we will show you how to create a shared folder using VirtualBox Guest Additions, allowing you to access files on both systems with ease.

The first step is to open a terminal window and acquire root rights by typing `sudo su`. This will give you the necessary permissions to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions. Once you have done this, you can proceed to install the additions using the following command: `apt-get update`.

If you are running Ubuntu as your guest system, things get a bit more complicated. You need to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions to enable shared folders. This is because each time you start the guest machine, you will want to find the folder mounted on the network, which refers to the physical system.

To create a shared folder with auto-mounting and install the VirtualBox Guest Additions, follow these steps:

1. Open the VirtualBox Manager and select your Ubuntu guest machine.

2. Click on 'Settings' and then navigate to the 'Shared Folders' tab.

3. Click on the 'Add New Shared Folder' button and enter a name for the folder.

4. Select the host path you want to share (in this case, your Mac's file system).

5. Make sure the 'Auto-mount' box is checked.

6. Click 'OK' to save your changes.

Once you have created the shared folder, you can access it from within your Ubuntu guest machine by navigating to `/media/sf/'folder name'`. You can also access it from your Mac host machine by navigating to `~/VirtualBox VMs/'VM name'/'folder name'`.

By following these steps, you can easily create a shared folder between your Ubuntu virtual machine and your Mac host machine using VirtualBox Guest Additions. This will save you time and hassle when transferring files between the two systems.

Remember, if you are using Windows as your guest system (in the VM), there are no problems, and you can skip this step altogether. However, if you are using VirtualBox frequently, you may find yourself in the situation of having to move files from the host machine (the main system) to the guest machine (the emulated system). In this case, creating a shared folder is a great solution to your problem.

We hope this article has been helpful in showing you how to create a shared folder between Ubuntu and Mac using VirtualBox. With these steps, you can easily access files on both systems and enjoy seamless integration between your virtual machine and host machine.

Ubuntu mac virtualbox shared folder