Mount VirtualBox shared folder on Windows guest OS

You may have setup VirtualBox shared folder as we had previous described but you cannot use it or copy files to it until you mount VirtualBox shared folder on Windows guest OS. Setting up a shared VBox folder allows you to easily share files between host OS and guest OS. This post shows how to mount VBox shared folder on Windows 10 guest. This method works on Windows 7 and Windows 8 as well.

Mount VirtualBox Shared Folder on Windows

The steps for mounting VBox shared folders is different for Windows and Ubuntu / Debian. Ubuntu / Linux guide for mounting VBox shared folder was published previously. This guide only shows how to mount VirtualBox shared folder on Windows guest OSes. Host OS on which Oracle VirtualBox VM is installed can be anything.

Before you try to mount a shared folder as described in this guide, make sure that you have setup shared folder on VirtualBox.

Recommended HTPC / Home Server Builds:

Mount VirtualBox Shared Folders Windows Guest

Mounting VBox shared directory on Windows happens automatically if you chose Auto-mount while setting up the shared directory.

Mount Vbox Shared Folder On Windows
Virtualbox Shared Folder Auto-Mount

Folder Name in the above picture is also known as ShareName The shared folder will appear in your Windows Explorer as a network drive with the name ShareName (in this example Share) as shown in the picture below.

Mount Virtualbox Shared Folder On Windows 10
Map Vbox Shared Folder In Windows 10

Manually Mount VBox Shared Folder on Windows

In case you did not auto-mount VBox shared folder then you may go to Device->Shared Folder Settings, edit the shared folder, and enable Auto-mount. You may also check "Make Permanent" if you want the mounting to stick on reboot.

Alternatively, you can manually map VBox shared folder on Windows as a network drive. To do that open "My Computer" or "My PC" depending whether you have Windows 7, 8, or 10 as guest OS. Go to "Map Network Drive" from the top menu and select any drive letter. For "Folder" type in \vboxsrv\ShareName, which in this example is \vboxsrv\Share. Check "Reconnect on Logon" and click "Finish".

Windows Map Vbox Shared Folder
Windows Map Vbox Shared Folder

Or if you are a commandline fan, open Windows Command Line and type in the following command. Replace ShareName with Folder Name from the first picture and x with any available drive letter.

net use x: \vboxsvr\ShareName

Repeat the process for any other shared folders. Your Oracle VirtualBox shared folders should now be mapped as a Windows network drives. So there you go, mount VirtualBox shared folder on Windows, and enjoy seamlessly sharing files between the two OSes.

Complete Guide to Setting Up a Home Server on VirtualBox Virtual Machine:
  1. Install VirtualBox - Windows 7/8/10 / Ubuntu/Debian
  2. Install VirtualBox Extension Pack - Linux and Windows Host
  3. Install Guest OS on Virtual Box - Ubuntu Server
  4. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions - Windows Guest / Linux Guest
  5. Update VirtualBox Guest Additions - Windows Guest / Linux Guest
  6. Setup VirtualBox Shared Folder - Windows and Linux
  7. Mount VirtualBox Shared Folder - Windows Guest / Ubuntu Guest
  8. Access USB Drive on VM - Windows and Linux Guest
  9. Configure Home Server on VirtualBox - Ubuntu Server
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Anand

Anand is a self-learned computer enthusiast, hopeless tinkerer (if it ain't broke, fix it), a part-time blogger, and a Scientist during the day. He has been blogging since 2010 on Linux, Ubuntu, Home/Media/File Servers, Smart Home Automation, and related HOW-TOs.