Copy/Paste - From Mac to Virtual box

You can use the help menu in VirtualBox (and other applications) to very easily to find what you need:

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I prefer bidirectional setting so I can copy and paste back and forth between systems


I'm using a Windows VM on a Mac OS host. I had to install the Guest Additions onto the actual VM so that it knows how to communicate with the host machine. Here's what I did:

  • launch the Windows 10 VM
  • In the top menu go to Device -> Insert Guest Additions CD image
  • On the Windows VM go to Explorer, then look for the drive that represents the newly "inserted" CD
  • Once there, run VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe as administrator and install
  • Enable Clipboard and Drag&Drop under either VM settings or the Devices menu

This article has helped me understand how it works.


Copy from MAC with + C and Paste to VirtualBox with ctrl + + V

Vice versa ctrl + + C in VirtualBox and + V on MAC would also work! ;)


Check if the "Shared Clipboard" feature is disabled. It should be somewhere around Settings > General > Advanced. You can set it to bidirectional or any other setting you need.