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virt-manager

Open-source Linux desktop app for managing KVM virtual machines through libvirt.

Open sourceVirtual machine and container apps
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About virt-manager

virt-manager (Virtual Machine Manager) is the standard graphical tool for running KVM virtual machines on Linux. It talks to libvirt, so it can manage VMs on your own machine or on remote servers over SSH, and it also handles Xen and LXC containers. Wizards create new VMs, and every piece of virtual hardware can be adjusted afterwards: disks, network bridges, PCI and USB passthrough, CPU models, firmware and more. A built-in SPICE and VNC viewer shows the guest's screen, and live graphs track CPU, memory and disk use. Companion command-line tools such as virt-install and virt-clone cover scripting. It is free and open source under the GPL v2 and is installed from your Linux distribution's packages. The depth that makes it popular with sysadmins and people setting up GPU passthrough also makes it more demanding than GNOME Boxes for casual use.

Best for: Linux users and sysadmins who want fast KVM VMs with full control over virtual hardware.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Near-native KVM performance on Linux
  • Fine-grained control, including PCI and USB passthrough
  • Manages remote libvirt hosts as well as local VMs

Why people leave

  • Steeper learning curve than GNOME Boxes
  • Linux only
  • Dated interface

Top virt-manager alternatives

See all 3
  1. 1GNOME Boxes logo
    GNOME Boxes

    Same QEMU/KVM base with a much simpler interface for quick desktop VMs.

    66.5
  2. 2VirtualBox logo
    VirtualBox

    Cross-platform VMs you can move between Linux, Windows and Mac hosts.

    62.6
  3. 3UTM logo
    UTM

    The nearest Mac equivalent if you switch platforms: a QEMU front-end with simple setup.

    59.6

Why people left virt-manager

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virt-manager: common questions

Is virt-manager free?

Yes. virt-manager is free, open-source software.

Is virt-manager open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at virt-manager/virt-manager.

What platforms does virt-manager run on?

virt-manager is available for Linux.

What are the best alternatives to virt-manager?

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

See all 3 virt-manager alternatives