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Sep 22, 2026
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Oracle VirtualBox is a cross-platform virtualization application. That means it extends the capabilities of your existing computer so that it can run multiple operating systems, inside multiple virtual machines (VMs), at the same time.
Oracle VirtualBox can run on multiple host operating systems, and on small embedded systems or desktop machines all the way up to data center servers and Cloud environments.
You can install appliances (VMs pre-installed with applications and configured for a particular purpose, such as a mail server) to save time and improve consistency. You may even be able to install an old OS that your host computer no longer runs, because you can configure virtual hardware in a VM to suit your needs.
Virtualization can significantly reduce hardware and electricity costs. Most of the time, computers only use a fraction of their potential power and run with low average system loads. A lot of hardware resources are therefore wasted. So, instead of running many such physical computers that are only partially used, you can pack many VMs onto a few powerful hosts and balance the loads between them.
Oracle VirtualBox is a useful tool for development and testing. For example, you can investigate issues with software configuration or networking using VMs.
