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GNOME Boxes

Simple GNOME app for creating and running virtual machines on Linux desktops.

Open sourceVirtual machine and container apps
Visit GNOME BoxesSee 3 alternatives
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5 of 5
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3
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About GNOME Boxes

GNOME Boxes is the virtual machine app from the GNOME project for Linux desktops. It aims at the simplest possible path to a working VM: pick an operating system from a list, and Boxes downloads it and runs an unattended install for systems such as Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE and Windows. Under the hood it uses QEMU, KVM and libvirt, but hides nearly all of their settings. Day-to-day conveniences are covered: snapshots, USB passthrough, shared clipboard, drag-and-drop file sharing, shared folders, automatic display resizing and 3D acceleration for some guests. It is free and open source and installs from Flathub or most distribution repositories. The trade-off is control: networking, storage and CPU options are minimal, so people who need advanced setups move to virt-manager. The original code base is now in low-maintenance mode, with active development moved to a new code base by the same maintainer.

Best for: Linux desktop users who want a quick test VM without learning QEMU or libvirt.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Downloads and installs common operating systems automatically
  • Snapshots, USB redirection and shared folders built in
  • Free, open source and available from Flathub

Why people leave

  • Few options for networking, storage or CPU tuning
  • Linux only
  • Original code base is in low-maintenance mode

Top GNOME Boxes alternatives

See all 3
  1. 1virt-manager logo
    virt-manager

    Same QEMU/KVM and libvirt stack with full control over networking, storage and hardware.

    66.5
  2. 2VirtualBox logo
    VirtualBox

    Cross-platform VM app with more settings and the same VMs usable on Windows and Mac hosts.

    62.6
  3. 3UTM logo
    UTM

    The closest Mac equivalent: also a QEMU front-end that keeps VM setup simple.

    59.6

Why people left GNOME Boxes

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Reviews

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GNOME Boxes: common questions

Is GNOME Boxes free?

Yes. GNOME Boxes is free, open-source software.

Is GNOME Boxes open source?

Yes.

What platforms does GNOME Boxes run on?

GNOME Boxes is available for Linux.

What are the best alternatives to GNOME Boxes?

The highest-ranked GNOME Boxes alternatives right now are virt-manager, VirtualBox and UTM. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 3 GNOME Boxes alternatives