Small, Sharp Software Tools

Working with Snapshots

Setting up a new virtual machine and running the installation process for an operating system takes time. You can save the state of a machine by taking a snapshot, and then you can revert the machine to that snapshot later. You can think of these like save points in a video game. This comes in handy if you goof up the machine’s configuration, install some software that messes things up, or if you just want to start over without going through the entire installation process again. Snapshots are great for testing software in pristine environments, too.

To create your first snapshot, navigate to the Machine menu in VirtualBox and select Take Snapshot. In the dialog that appears, enter a name and a description for the snapshot ...