Virtual machines are helpful in many ways. You can use them to try out new operating systems, test experimental software, run older applications, etc. Two of the most popular virtual machine software are VMware and VirtualBox. Each has its own pros and cons, but the best thing is that you can easily swap your virtual machines between them: convert VMware to VirtualBox and vice versa. You’ll never have to recreate the same virtual machine in a different software ever again.
Good to know: can’t decide between VMware and VirtualBox? Learn which is the best virtualization software for you.
Migrate from VMware to VirtualBox
I frequently use VMware Workstation Player to create a virtual machine of my Windows 10 PC, so that’s what I’m using to illustrate this. Even if you are using VMware Workstation Pro, the procedure is the same.
Before starting the migration process, make sure that the virtual machine you want to export is completely powered off and not in a “suspended” state. This applies to both VMware and VirtualBox. You will have to convert your VMware virtual machine file (.vmx) to an “.ovf” file. OVF is an open standard for packaging and distributing virtual machines and is supported by both VirtualBox and VMware.
Export your desired VMware virtual machine file to an”.ovf file by opening your VMware directory and the OVFTool folder. Press Shift + right-click, then click Open PowerShell window here.
Use the below command, and press Enter in the PowerShell window. Change the path of the .vmx file you want to export and the destination for the new .ovf file, based on the respective paths in your system.
ovftool "F:\Setups\kali-linux-2023.2-vmware-amd64\kali-linux-2023.2-vmware-amd64.vmwarevm\kali-linux-2023.2-vmware-amd64.vmx" f:\Exported\KaliLinux.ovfAs soon as you execute the command, the system will start writing the OVF package to the marked destination. Depending on the size of the VM, it can take a few minutes to complete.
Note: if you are using the paid version (i.e., VMware Workstation Pro), you can also export the VM as an OVF file by navigating to File and then selecting Export to OVF. Simply enter the name and the path for the OVF file, and you’re done.
Now that you’ve successfully exported the OVF package to your desired location, launch VirtualBox, and click Import or File -> Import Appliance.
In the Import Virtual Appliance window, click the browse button, select the exported OVF file, and click Next.
The next screen shows the Appliance settings. VirtualBox will show you all the VM settings. Leave them as is; you can always change them later. Click on Finish to continue.
The import process will take some time to complete. Once the import is finished, your imported virtual machine will be in the VM VirtualBox Manager. Select the VM, and click Start to power on the VM.
You’ve successfully converted your VM from VMware to VirtualBox.
Tip: still love your Windows 10 setup? Try Windows 11 without nuking Windows 10.
Troubleshooting Import Errors in VirtualBox
If you are receiving importing errors, follow the steps below.
1. Open the exported OVF file in Notepad, find all instances of “ElementName,” and replace it with “Caption.”
2. Find the “vmware.sata.ahci” instance, and replace it with “AHCI.”
3. Find the SHA1 hash value of the exported OVF file using this online tool, and replace the old hash value with the new one found in the exported file. You can open it with any text editor.
Once you are done with the changes, try importing again. This should solve the import errors. If not, you should probably start the above VMware to VirtualBox converter process from scratch.
Migrate from VirtualBox to VMware
Whether you want to install macOS in VirtualBox or run Windows in VirtualBox on your Linux machine, the easy-to-use software makes things extremely seamless. Also, migrating from VirtualBox to VMware is easier than converting VMware to VirtualBox. You don’t need a PowerShell window. Launch VirtualBox and click File -> Export Appliance.
In the Export Virtual Appliance wizard, select the VM you want to export, and click Next to continue.
Select the destination path for the exported VM, leaving everything else unchanged. Click Next to proceed.
Check all the settings on the next screen, and click Finish to start the exporting process.
Depending on the size of the VM, the exporting process may take some time. Once you are done exporting the VM, you can import it into VMware. To do that, open VMware Workstation Player, and click File -> Open. Select the OVA file you exported from VirtualBox.
Set a name and path for the VM, and click Import to start the process, which can also take some time, depending on the size of the VM.
If you receive an error saying that the import failed due to hardware compliance issues, click Retry to start the importing process.
Note: if the above action doesn’t solve the problem, you have to create a new virtual machine from the ground up.
Once the import has been completed, turn on the VM by clicking Play virtual machine.
You’ve successfully imported or migrated your VM from VirtualBox to VMware.
Both VMware and VirtualBox are excellent virtualization tools for Windows users. Depending on your preferences, you can use either of them to try different operating systems or run risky software. You can easily export your favorite VMs – convert VMware to VirtualBox or the other way around. If you swear by Linux instead, you can import and export OVA files in VirtualBox on your Linux PC.
Tip: don’t have a Raspberry Pi? Learn how to make a Raspberry Pi virtual machine.
All screenshots by Tanveer Singh.
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