en	[[!meta title="VirtualBox"]]

en	It is possible to run Tails in a virtual machine using [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/) from a Windows, Linux, or macOS host operating system.

en	[[!inline pages="doc/advanced_topics/virtualization.caution" raw="yes" sort="age"]]

en	VirtualBox has a free software version, called VirtualBox Open Source Edition and some proprietary components, for example to add support for USB devices.

en	<div class="caution">

en	For security reasons, we recommend you to use only the Open Source Edition, though it does not allow the use of a Persistent Storage.

en	</div>

en	<!--

en	XXX: VirtualBox Guest Additions has been removed since Tails 4.27. Without Guest Additions, the shared folders feature of VirtualBox is unavailable. Until Guest Additions is added back (#18728), the tip below shouldn't be displayed.

en	<div class="tip">

en	With the shared folders feature of VirtualBox you can access files of your host system from within the guest system.

en	Make sure to understand the security implications of [[accessing internal hard disks|internal_hard_disk]] from Tails before using this feature.

en	-->

en	Security considerations for Windows and macOS

en	In our [[security warnings about virtualization|virtualization#security]] we recommend to run Tails in a virtual machine only if the host operating system is trustworthy.

en	Microsoft Windows and macOS being proprietary software, they cannot be considered trustworthy. Only run Tails in a virtual machine on Windows or macOS for testing purposes and do not rely on it for security.

en	Installation

en	To install *VirtualBox* in Debian or Ubuntu, execute the following command:

en	sudo apt install virtualbox

en	For instructions on how to install *VirtualBox* on other operating systems, refer to the [VirtualBox documentation](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/End-user_documentation).

en	Running Tails from an ISO image

en	[[Download Tails as an ISO image|install/download-iso]], instead of a USB image.

en	Start *VirtualBox*.

en	To create a new virtual machine:

en	Choose **Machine**&nbsp;▸**New...**.

en	In the dialog **Virtual machine Name and Operating System**:

en	Specify:

en	**Name**: a name of your choice

en	**ISO Image**: the ISO image that you want to start Tails from

en	Click **Expert Mode**.

en	In the dialog **Hardware**:

en	Allocate at least 2048 MB of RAM.

en	Click **Next**.

en	In the dialog **Virtual Hard disk**:

en	Choose **Do not add a virtual hard drive**.

en	Click **Continue** in the warning dialog about creating a virtual machine without a hard drive.

en	To start the new virtual machine:

en	Select the virtual machine in the left pane.

en	Click **Start**.

en	<div class="bug">

en	VirtualBox Guest Additions has been removed since Tails 4.27. As a result:

en	<ul>

en	The shared clipboard feature of VirtualBox is unavailable.

en	<li><p>The screen resolution of Tails can't be changed by resizing the virtual machine window in the host OS. The screen resolution must be changed from inside Tails.</p>

en	<p>To change the screen resolution from inside Tails, choose <b>Applications&nbsp;▸ System Tools&nbsp;▸ Settings&nbsp;▸ Displays&nbsp;▸ Resolution</b>.</p>

en	<p>You might also need to adjust the virtual machine window in the host OS to fit the new screen resolution.</p></li>

en	</ul>

en	We plan to add back VirtualBox Guest Additions in a future version of Tails. See [[!tails_ticket 18728]].