These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running under VirtualBox 4.1.12 on Windows 7 with SP1. They should be the same for other version combinations, but no guarantee is made.

It shouldn’t matter on which host VirtualBox is running, but I don’t run it on anything other than Windows.

I have not tried sharing folders on other Linux distros, so these instructions may or may not work with them.

Assumes you have installed VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu 12.04. Instructions to do so can be found here.

Shared folders allow you to easily share large files or large amounts of data between the host OS and the guest OS. In my case, I share code so I can test my code on both Windows and Linux.

Enabling Shared Folders

1) Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T – detailed instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command:

sudo usermod -a -G vboxsf  <<username>>

3) Enter your password when prompted. Press Enter when you have finished entering your password:

4) Shut down or restart the machine. The changes will not take effect until the machine is restarted.

Accessing Shared Folders

Shared folders are found in the /media folder.

1) Click on the Home Folders icon on the Unity Launcher:

2) Click on File System then double-click on the media folder:

The shared folders will be found inside. Shared folders are prefixed with sf_. For example, if you shared a folder called my_code, then it will appear as sf_my_code in the media folder.

Whenever you share a new folder, you need to restart the machine for Ubuntu to pick it up.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – Enabling Shared Folders Under VirtualBox appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

This tutorial is for adding shared folders to Ubuntu 12.04 running under VirtualBox 4.1.12 on Windows 7 with SP 1.

The instructions should be the same for the same for other version combinations, or even for different OSes on which VirtualBox runs, but no guarantee is made.

1) Start VirtualBox:

2) Right-click on the virtual machine you wish to add a shared folder. This will bring up a context menu. Left-click on Settings…:

3) Left-click on Shared Folders in the left pane:

4) Left-click on the Add Shared Folder icon:

5) Select Other… from the Folder Path: dropdown box:

6) Navigate through the Directory Browser until you find and select the folder you want to share. Click on OK:

7) Click on the Auto-mount checkbox to enable it. Then click on OK

8) Verify the folder has been added. Click on OK:

You can always add additional folders by clicking on the Add Shared Folder icon.

You can remove a shared folder by selecting it and then clicking on the Remove Shared Folder icon (this is the folder icon with the minus sign on it).

You can edit the shared folder by selecting it and then clicking on the Edit Shared Folder icon (this is the folder icon with the dot on it).