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" 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'n'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 more 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.
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 happend.
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 coordiantes 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.