There are several advanced customization settings for locking down the VirtualBox manager, that is, removing some features that the user should not see.
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Customizations OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
noSelector -
Don't allow to start the VirtualBox manager. Trying to do so will show a window containing a proper error message.
-
noMenuBar -
VM windows will not contain a menu bar.
-
noStatusBar -
VM windows will not contain a status bar.
To disable any of these VM manager customizations do
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Customizations
The following per-machine VM extradata settings can be used to change the behavior of the VM selector window in respect of certain VMs:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" SETTING true
where SETTING can be:
-
GUI/HideDetails -
Don't show the VM configuration of a certain VM. The details window will remain just empty if this VM is selected.
-
GUI/PreventReconfiguration -
Don't allow the user to open the settings dialog for a certain VM.
-
GUI/PreventSnapshotOperations -
Prevent snapshot operations for a VM from the GUI, either at runtime or when the VM is powered off.
-
GUI/HideFromManager -
Hide a certain VM in the VM selector window.
-
GUI/PreventApplicationUpdate -
Disable the automatic update check and hide the corresponding menu item.
Please note that these settings wouldn't prevent the user from
reconfiguring the VM by VBoxManage modifyvm.
You can disable (i.e. black-list) certain entries in the global settings page of the VM selector:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/RestrictedGlobalSettingsPages OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
General -
Don't show the General settings pane.
-
Input -
Don't show the Input settings pane.
-
Update -
Don't show the Update settings pane.
-
Language -
Don't show the Language settings pane.
-
Display -
Don't show the Display settings pane.
-
Network -
Don't show the Network settings pane.
-
Extensions -
Don't show the Extensions settings pane.
-
Proxy -
Don't show the Proxy settings pane.
This is a global setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/RestrictedGlobalSettingsPages
You can disable (i.e. black-list) certain menu actions in the VM window:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeMenus OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
All -
Don't show any menu in the VM window.
-
Machine -
Don't show the Machine menu in the VM window.
-
View -
Don't show the View menu in the VM window.
-
Devices -
Don't show the Devices menu in the VM window.
-
Help -
Don't show the Help menu in the VM window.
-
Debug -
Don't show the Debug menu in the VM window. The debug menu is only visible if the GUI was started with special command line parameters or environment variable settings.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeMenus
You can also disable (i.e. blacklist) certain menu actions of certain menus. Use the following command to disable certain actions of the Application menu (only available on Mac OS X hosts):
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeApplicationMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
About -
Don't show the About menu item in this menu.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeMenus
Use the following command to disable certain actions of the Machine menu:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeApplicationMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
SettingsDialog -
Don't show the Settings menu item in this menu.
-
TakeSnapshot -
Don't show the Take Snapshot menu item in this menu.
-
TakeScreenshot -
Don't show the Take Screenshot menu item in this menu.
-
InformationDialog -
Don't show the Session Information menu item in this menu.
-
MouseIntegration -
Don't show the Disable Mouse Integration menu item in this menu.
-
TypeCAD -
Don't show the Insert Ctrl+Alt+Del menu item in this menu.
-
TypeCABS -
Don't show the Insert Ctrl+Alt+Backspace menu item in this menu (available on X11 hosts only).
-
Pause -
Don't show the Pause menu item in this menu.
-
Reset -
Don't show the Reset menu item in this menu.
-
SaveState -
Don't show the Save the machine state menu item in this menu.
-
Shutdown -
Don't show the ACPI Shutdown menu item in this menu.
-
PowerOff -
Don't show the Power Off the machine menu item in this menu.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeApplicationMenuActions
Use the following command to disable certain actions of the View menu:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeViewMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
Fullscreen -
Don't show the Switch to Fullscreen menu item in this menu.
-
Seamless -
Don't show the Switch to Seamless Mode menu item in this menu.
-
Scale -
Don't show the Switch to Scaled Mode menu item in this menu.
-
GuestAutoresize -
Don't show the Auto-resize Guest Display menu item in this menu.
-
AdjustWindow -
Don't show the Adjust Window Size menu item in this menu.
-
Multiscreen -
Don't show the Multiscreen menu item in this menu (only visible in full screen / seamless mode).
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeViewMenuActions
Use the following command to disable certain actions of the View menu:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeDevicesMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords to disable actions in the Devices menu:
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
OpticalDevices -
Don't show the CD/DVD Devices menu item in this menu.
-
FloppyDevices -
Don't show the FLoppy Devices menu item in this menu.
-
USBDevices -
Don't show the USB Devices menu item in this menu.
-
SharedClipboard -
Don't show the Shared Clipboard menu item in this menu.
-
DragAndDrop -
Don't show the Drag and Drop menu item in this menu.
-
NetworkSettings -
Don't show the Network Settings... menu item in this menu.
-
SharedFoldersSettings -
Don't show the Shared Folders Settings... menu item in this menu.
-
VRDEServer -
Don't show the Remove Display menu item in this menu.
-
InstallGuestTools -
Don't show the Insert Guest Additions CD imnage... menu item in this menu.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeDevicesMenuActions
Use the following command to disable certain actions of the View menu:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeDebuggerMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords to disable actions in the Debug menu (normally completely disabled):
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
Statistics -
Don't show the Statistics... menu item in this menu.
-
CommandLine -
Don't show the Command Line... menu item in this menu.
-
Logging -
Don't show the Logging... menu item in this menu.
-
LogDialog -
Don't show the Show Log... menu item in this menu.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeDebuggerMenuActions
Use the following command to disable certain actions of the View menu:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeHelpMenuActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords to disable actions in the Help menu (normally completely disabled):
-
All -
Don't show any menu item in this menu.
-
Contents -
Don't show the Contents... menu item in this menu.
-
WebSite -
Don't show the VirtualBox Web Site... menu item in this menu.
-
ResetWarnings -
Don't show the Reset All Warnings menu item in this menu.
-
NetworkAccessManager -
Don't show the Network Operations Manager menu item in this menu.
-
About -
Don't show the About menu item in this menu (only on non Mac OS X hosts).
-
Contents -
Don't show the Contents... menu item in this menu.
-
Contents -
Don't show the Contents... menu item in this menu.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedRuntimeHelpMenuActions
You can disable (i.e. black-list) certain status bar items:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedStatusBarIndicators OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
HardDisks -
Don't show the hard disk icon in the VM window status bar. By default the hard disk icon is only shown if the VM configuration contains one or more hard disks.
-
OpticalDisks -
Don't show the CD icon in the VM window status bar. By default the CD icon is only shown if the VM configuration contains one or more CD drives.
-
FloppyDisks -
Don't show the floppy icon in the VM window status bar. By default the floppy icon is only shown if the VM configuration contains one or more floppy drives.
-
Network -
Don't show the network icon in the VM window status bar. By default the network icon is only shown if the VM configuration contains one or more active network adapters.
-
USB -
Don't show the USB icon in the status bar.
-
SharedFolders -
Don't show the shared folders icon in the status bar.
-
VideoCapture -
Don't show the video capture icon in the status bar.
-
Features -
Don't show the CPU features icon in the status bar.
-
Mouse -
Don't show the mouse icon in the status bar.
-
Keyboard -
Don't show the keyboard icon in the status bar.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. If all options are specified, no icons are displayed in the status bar of the VM window. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedStatusBarIndicators
You can disable (i.e. black-list) certain VM visual modes:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedVisualStates OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
Fullscreen -
Don't allow to switch the VM into full screen mode.
-
Seamless -
Don't allow to switch the VM into seamless mode.
-
Scale -
Don't allow to switch the VM into scale mode.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. To restore the default behavior, use
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedVisualStates
To disable all host key combinations, open the preferences and change the host key to None. This might be useful when using VirtualBox in a kiosk mode.
To redefine or disable certain host key actions, use the following command:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Input/MachineShortcuts "FullscreenMode=F,...."
The following list shows the possible host key actions together with their default host key shortcut. Setting an action to None will disable that host key action.
Table 9.1. Host Key customization
| Action | Default Key | Action |
|---|---|---|
TakeSnapshot
|
T | take a snapshot |
TakeScreenshot
|
E | take a screenshot |
MouseIntegration
|
I | toggle mouse integration |
TypeCAD
|
Del | inject Ctrl+Alt+Del |
TypeCABS
|
Backspace | inject Ctrl+Alt+Backspace |
Pause
|
P | Pause the VM |
Reset
|
R | (hard) reset the guest |
SaveState
|
save the VM state and terminate the VM | |
Shutdown
|
H | press the (virtual) ACPI power button |
PowerOff
|
power the VM off (without saving the state!) | |
Close
|
Q | show the VM close dialog |
FullscreenMode
|
F | switch the VM into full screen |
SeamlessMode
|
L | switch the VM into seamless mode |
ScaleMode
|
C | switch the VM into scale mode |
GuestAutoResize
|
G | automatically resize the guest window |
WindowAdjust
|
A | immediately resize the guest window |
PopupMenu
|
Home | show popup menu in full screen / seaml. mode |
SettingsDialog
|
S | open the VM settings dialog |
InformationDialog
|
N | show the VM information window |
NetworkAdaptersDialog
|
show the VM network adapters dialog | |
SharedFoldersDialog
|
show the VM shared folders dialog | |
InstallGuestAdditions
|
D | mount the ISO containing the Guest Additions |
To disable the full screen mode as well as the seamless mode, use the following command:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Input/MachineShortcuts "FullscreenMode=None,SeamlessMode=None"
You can disallow (i.e. black-list) certain actions when terminating a VM. To disallow specific actions, type:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/RestrictedCloseActions OPTION[,OPTION...]
where OPTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
SaveState -
Don't allow the user to save the VM state when terminating the VM.
-
Shutdown -
Don't allow the user to shutdown the VM by sending the ACPI power-off event to the guest.
-
PowerOff -
Don't allow the user to power off the VM.
-
PowerOffRestoringSnapshot -
Don't allow the user to return to the last snapshot when powering off the VM.
-
Detach -
Don't allow the user to detach from the VM process if the VM was started in separate mode.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. If all options are specified, the VM cannot be shut down at all.
You can define a specific action for terminating a VM. In contrast to the setting decribed in the previous section, this setting allows only one action when the user terminates the VM. No exit menu is shown.
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/DefaultCloseAction ACTION
where ACTION is one of the
following keywords:
-
SaveState -
Save the VM state before terminating the VM process.
-
Shutdown -
The VM is shut down by sending the ACPI power-off event to the guest.
-
PowerOff -
The VM is powered off.
-
PowerOffRestoringSnapshot -
The VM is powered off and the saved state returns to the last snapshot.
-
Detach -
Terminate the frontend but leave the VM process running.
This is a per-VM setting. Any combination of the above is allowed. If all options are specified, the VM cannot be shut down at all.
A VM runs into a Guru Meditation if there is a problem which cannot be fixed by other means than terminating the process. The default is to show a message window which instructs the user to open a bug report.
This behavior can be configured:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/GuruMeditationHandler MODE
where MODE is one of the
following keywords:
-
Default -
A message window is shown. After the user confirmed, the VM is terminated.
-
PowerOff -
The VM is immediately powered-off without showing any message window. The VM logfile will show information about what happened.
-
Ignore -
The VM is left in stuck mode. Execution is stopped but no message window is shown. The VM has to be powered off manually.
This is a per-VM setting.
By default, the mouse is captured if the user clicks on the guest window and the guest expects relative mouse coordinates at this time. This happens if the pointing device is configured as PS/2 mouse and the guest did not (yet) start the VirtualBox Guest Additions (for instance, the guest is booting or no Guest Additions installed at all) or if the pointing device is configured as USB tablet but the guest has no USB driver loaded yet. Once the Guest Additions become active or the USB guest driver is started, the mouse capture is automatically released.
The default behavior is sometimes not desired. Therefore it can be configured:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/MouseCapturePolicy MODE
where MODE is one of the
following keywords:
-
Default -
The default behavior as described above.
-
HostComboOnly -
The mouse is only captured if the Host Key is toggled.
-
Disabled -
The mouse is never captured, also not by toggling the Host Key
This is a per-VM setting.
By default, the mouse is captured if the user clicks on the guest window and the guest expects relative mouse coordinates at this time. This happens if the pointing device is configured as PS/2 mouse and the guest did not (yet) start the VirtualBox Guest Additions (for instance, the guest is booting or no Guest Additions installed at all) or if the pointing device is configured as USB tablet but the guest has no USB driver loaded yet. Once the Guest Additions become active or the USB guest driver is started, the mouse capture is automatically released.
The default behavior is sometimes not desired. Therefore it can be configured:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" GUI/MouseCapturePolicy MODE
where MODE is one of the
following keywords:
-
Default -
The default behavior as described above.
-
HostComboOnly -
The mouse is only captured if the Host Key is toggled.
-
Disabled -
The mouse is never captured, also not by toggling the Host Key
This is a per-VM setting.
As of version 4.3.16, VirtualBox uses special window manager facilities to switch a multi-screen machine to full-screen on a multi-monitor host system. However, not all window managers provide these facilities correctly, so VirtualBox can be told to use the old method of switching to full-screen mode instead using the command:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Fullscreen/LegacyMode true
You can go back to the new method using the command:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Fullscreen/LegacyMode
This is a global setting.