How to copy and paste from VirtualBox?

Question

How do I copy and paste from a VirtualBox VM, running Debian, with no Desktop Environment?

Answer 1

From my brief research it appears that you can't copy & paste between a Linux guest that has no graphical interface. (ie no X server, so you're in the virtual console) This is the most relevant source I could find: Paste into Linux Console?. (Specifically, see Sasquatch's post near the bottom) I think this is because the virtual console has no clipboard functionality, which is generally managed by GUI's. If you were running, say GNOME on your Debian guest, then it would only be a matter of installing the Guest Addition through Virtualbox as others have pointed out.

Apparently, it's also possible to create an SSH connection between your host and the guest OS. You may want to try that instead depending on your needs. Here's a tutorial: Setup SSH access between VirtualBox Host and Guest VMs.

Answer 2

Roberto Gomez' answer is correct, and I am not questioning it. But I would like to add that, should you enable an X server on your system, you can do better than that: in the VirtualBox GUI, after highlighting your VM, go to Settings -> General -> Advanced, and you can set both Share Clipboard and Drag 'n' Drop to the value "Bi-directional", which I find especially convenient.

Answer 3

You should be able to install the Guest Additions and away you go