VirtualBox

VirtualBox is virtualization software developed by Oracle that lets you create and manage virtual machines on your physical computer. It is known for its versatility and user-friendly interface, suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

Creating and managing virtual machines

With VirtualBox, you can install and run multiple operating systems at the same time, such as Windows, Linux, macOS, or Solaris. You control the resources allocated to each machine (CPU, RAM, disk space, network, USB devices) through an intuitive interface called the VirtualBox Manager. This precise resource management allows you to optimize your host system’s resources based on your needs.

Advanced features for flexibility and security

VirtualBox includes advanced functionalities like snapshots, allowing you to save and revert the state of a virtual machine at any time. You also benefit from disk encryption to protect your data and support for multiple disk image formats (VDI, VMDK, and VHD). The extension pack adds support for USB 2.0/3.0 and extra features.

Integration and performance

To enhance your experience, VirtualBox provides "Guest Additions," tools that improve interaction between host and guest systems, including resizable displays, shared clipboard, and drag-and-drop support. Performance-wise, it supports up to 32 virtual CPUs if your hardware allows and delivers reliable virtualization for software testing, training, or system administration.

Graphics performance 

VirtualBox offers limited 3D acceleration, enough for basic tasks but not suitable for gaming. If you want to run video games in a virtual machine, VMware Workstation Pro is a better choice due to its superior graphics support.

Thus, VirtualBox offers you a complete, flexible, secure, and efficient virtualization environment to create, test, and run operating systems and applications without affecting your main system.

Important : since VirtualBox 6.0, 32-bit hosts (physical PCs) are no longer supported.
From this version, you will need to :

• use the 64-bit version of Windows on your physical PC (if your hardware (CPU, motherboard, ...) allows it.
• OR use the latest version of VirtualBox 5.2 (but support stopped at the end of July 2020) available on the "Download VirtualBox (Old Builds): VirtualBox 5.2" page of their site.