Change a Virtual Machine Name in Oracle VirtualBox

Learn how to rename a virtual machine in Oracle VirtualBox Manager and VBoxManage, and understand why the VM's files and storage folder may keep their original names.

Changing a virtual machine (VM) name in Oracle VirtualBox is useful when you need clearer labels for several machines. The name is the human-readable display label shown in Oracle VirtualBox Manager, the graphical application used to create, configure, organize, and start VMs.

You can change this label after creating the VM. Renaming it in VirtualBox Manager does not automatically rename the VM's configuration file, virtual disks, snapshots, logs, or storage directory on the host operating system.

What the Virtual Machine Name Represents

A virtual machine is a software-defined computer with virtual hardware and its own guest operating system. The VM name is the registered, human-readable name VirtualBox uses to identify that machine in its manager interface.

For example, a machine initially displayed as Ubuntu could be renamed to Ubuntu-24.04-Web-Dev. The new label makes the machine's operating system, version, and purpose easier to recognize.

The display name is different from the files stored on the host. A VM normally has a VirtualBox machine-configuration file, commonly ending in .vbox, one or more virtual disk files, and folders containing logs and snapshots.

Rename a VM in Oracle VirtualBox Manager

Use the graphical interface when you want to rename one VM interactively.

Power off the VM. Shut down the guest operating system completely. Do not leave the VM running or in a saved state while changing this setting.
Open Oracle VirtualBox Manager.
Select the target virtual machine in the VM list.
Open the machine's Settings dialog.
Choose General, then open the Basic tab.
Replace the text in the Name field with the desired display name.
Select OK to save the change.
Check the VM list and confirm that the updated name appears.

Example: Change Ubuntu to Ubuntu-24.04-Web-Dev to identify the operating system, version, and role at a glance.

What Changes When a Virtual Machine Is Renamed

Editing the Name field changes the VirtualBox registration and display label. It should not be treated as a general file-renaming operation on the host.

Item	Changed by editing the VM Name field?	Notes
Name shown in VirtualBox Manager	Yes	The label in the VM list is updated.
Registered VM display name	Yes	VirtualBox uses the new name to identify the registered machine.
VM configuration file name	No	The machine-definition file, commonly a `.vbox` file, is not automatically renamed.
VM storage directory name	No	The host folder can retain its original name.
Virtual disk file names	No	VDI, VMDK, VHD, and HDD files keep their existing names.
Snapshot and log file names	No	Existing snapshot and log storage is not automatically renamed.

For example, after changing Windows Test to Windows-11-QA, VirtualBox Manager can show the new label while the host still contains a folder named Windows Test and disk files with their original names. This is expected.

Keeping the display name and storage-folder name aligned can make backups and manual host-file inspection easier, but it is not required for the VM to work.

Rename a VM with VBoxManage

VBoxManage is VirtualBox's command-line management utility. It can rename a registered VM by using its current registered name or its VM UUID. A VM UUID is a unique identifier that distinguishes a machine independently of its display name.

First, list registered VMs and their UUIDs:

VBoxManage list vms

The output lets you confirm the exact registered name and find the UUID. Make sure the target VM is powered off before continuing.

Rename by the current VM name

VBoxManage modifyvm "Current VM Name" --name "New VM Name"

For example:

VBoxManage modifyvm "Ubuntu" --name "Ubuntu-24.04-Web-Dev"

Use quotation marks when a name contains spaces.

Rename by UUID

VBoxManage modifyvm <vm-uuid> --name "New VM Name"

Using the UUID is especially useful when several VMs have similar names or when the command is part of a script. In both command-line forms, VirtualBox changes the registered VM name, not the underlying configuration, disk, snapshot, log, or storage-folder names.

Method	Best for	Basic action	Underlying files renamed automatically?
VirtualBox Manager graphical interface	Interactive changes by desktop users	Open Settings, choose General > Basic, edit Name, and select OK.	No
VBoxManage command line	Scripting, automation, or precise UUID-based selection	Run `modifyvm` with the current name or UUID and `--name`.	No

Safe VM Naming Practices

Include the operating system, version, role, or environment when useful.
Prefer names such as Lab-AD-Server, Lab-Web-Server, and Lab-Client over generic labels such as VM1.
Avoid ambiguous names when maintaining multiple copies of the same operating system.
Check the VM list for duplicate or confusing names before applying a new one.
Use a consistent naming pattern for development, testing, production-like labs, and personal machines.
Use Virtual Machine Groups to organize related machines, such as placing all Lab- VMs in one group.

Renaming the Actual VM Files or Folder

Renaming the display label is separate from renaming the VM storage directory or configuration file. Manually changing the names of registered VM files or folders can break paths recorded in the machine configuration, including paths to virtual disks and snapshots.

Do not rename a registered VM's files or folders in the host file manager and assume VirtualBox will find them automatically. If a storage location must change, use an appropriate VirtualBox move, export, import, or registration workflow. Verify that configuration, disk, and snapshot paths are valid before starting the VM.

If you only need a clearer label in VirtualBox Manager, change the Name field and leave the host files untouched. For relocation guidance, see Move Virtual Machine. For file-format background, see Disk Image Files.

Troubleshooting Rename Problems

The Name field cannot be edited or the change cannot be saved

Confirm that the VM is fully powered off rather than running.
If the VM is in a saved state, discard the saved state only if doing so is acceptable for that VM, then reopen Settings.
Wait for an active VirtualBox operation, such as a clone, move, import, or snapshot operation, to finish.

The manager name changed, but the host folder still has the old name

This is normal. Changing the display name does not rename storage files or directories. Leave the folder unchanged if only the manager label needed updating. If storage must be reorganized, use a supported relocation or registration procedure rather than an uncoordinated manual rename.

VBoxManage says that the VM cannot be found

Run VBoxManage list vms and copy the exact registered name or UUID.
Check spelling, capitalization, quotation marks, and spaces in the command.
Verify that the VM is registered with the current VirtualBox installation and user profile and is visible in VirtualBox Manager.

VirtualBox cannot open the VM after files were manually renamed

The registered configuration may still reference paths that no longer exist. Restore the original file and folder names when possible. If that is not possible, correctly re-register the VM configuration only after confirming that all virtual-disk and snapshot paths are valid. A display-name change is not a method for renaming storage files.

Key Points

The VM name is the display label used to identify a registered machine in VirtualBox Manager.
Rename it through Settings > General > Basic > Name, or use VBoxManage modifyvm.
Power off the VM before changing its name.
The VM's configuration file, virtual disks, snapshots, logs, and storage folder keep their existing names unless handled through a separate storage-management procedure.
Use descriptive, consistent names and UUIDs when similar machines make name-based selection risky.

For related administration tasks, review Clone Virtual Machine and Virtual Machine Snapshots.