[feature-request] GuestVM addition: file drag-n-drop

[Technologov]

All other Professional suites allow for file drag-n-drop between host & guest systems, after Guest VM additions are installed.

I would like to see this on VirtualBox as well.

Engine's Work:

Unfortunately, I failed to understand how Virtual PC 2004 does this, but I'm not sure that it uses TCP/IP for this. It feels like they use some kind of memory space to exchange data directly.

-Alexey Eremenko.

[Ruhe]

Yes, drag&drop, that means single files, whole directories (incl. system-, hidden-, read-only files and subdirectories) between host and guest (both directions) should be possible.

[virtualbox]

Why not high priority? I'd love to see this feature in 2.0.1 :-)

[sh3rbs]

I would like to see this as a higher priority also. I use this feature all the time in VirtualPC and VMWare - the shared folders in VirtualBox is just too cumbersome to transfer files between host & guest in comparison.

[Dieter Fauth]

Another supporter of this wish :-)

[Todd]

Another supporter here! I'm still hanging on to Virtual PC because of this feature.

[sh3rbs]

Can we update to 2.0.6 and request that this be a high priority for the next version. The speed difference between VBox & VPC is very noticable, but we are sticking with VPC for the moment as all our virtual machine procedures mention drag drop for files between host and client.

[parsifal]

It would be an awesome addition indeed. But even my limited developing experience tells me that it would unfortunately take a fair amount of work to be implemented.

[Stefan Seifried]

It is a some work for sure, but it would be an awesome feature. BTW I'm a Windows dev and it would take me only a day or two to do this for a traditional Win32 App. Not sure if this is so easy for a app that has to be portable...!?

[Sergiy Byelozyorov]

Feature is really necessary. O'course I can use shared folders, but that's not convenient. Is there any work going on this? Can I participate? My holidays just began, so I would like to do something useful :).

[sh3rbs]

Could we have an update as to if this is being worked on and if we'll see it anytime soon? A lot of hard work has gone into the last couple of releases making this a great product, but this feature is the missing link that'll make VB a VMWare killer!

[Michael Thayer]

rryk: sorry for the long delay in answering. We had an internal discussion parallel "in the background" about the best way of implementing this feature over the last couple of days. If you are still interested, we can discuss/work on this via the vbox-dev mailing list (or on this ticket if you are not comfortable with the mailing list, although that is probably less well suited).

[Todd]

I agree totally. I am still hanging on to MS Virtual PC 2007 because of the Drag & Drop support. If you wish to add one feature that will really make a difference, this is the one.

[el-belgounetos]

Hello, i'd like some news about this major feature.What about your internal discussion? When do you plan to add this feature?

[Michael Thayer]

Replying to el-belgounetos: Please see ​http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg01147.html and ​http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg01235.html.

[Sergiy Byelozyorov]

I am now studying basic Linux programming since I had no experience in this before. The process is delayed by university study process (I have a lot of courses this semester). But I still intend to continue my efforts and hopefully withing next month or two I will write basic implementation of this feature. Unfortunately it can't go faster since I can only work during my free time.

[Einar Ólafsson]

I support the idea to get this feature into newer versions.

[Andres G. Aragoneses]

+1

Can someone add me to the CC list? Thanks

[Technologov]

This one is really ancient. But still relevant.

Can you take another look at it please ?

-Technologov

[Daniel Serodio]

+1

PS.: Why can't I add myself to the CC: list? You should update this Trac install, 0.11 only allows users to only add themselves to the CC: list and doesn't disclose e-mails addresses so spam's not a problem.

[Frank Mehnert]

We still experienced performance problems with trac 0.11.

[Daniel]

I find it almost impossible to include VBox in a solution because the main complaint my clients make is the lack of the drag and drop feature. You've been sitting on this ticket for nearly three years. What's the go? I'm not finding an explanation of why this feature is yet to be implemented? You're really leaving no choice for VBox users except to use something else. Sure, VBox has shared folders, but it's PAINFULLY slow.

[Frank Mehnert]

There are other tasks with a higher priority. When you talking about slow shared folders, which guest / host combination are you talking about? I'm using Linux / Linux and don't have any performance problems. Furthermore, why do you think that drag'n'drop will be faster than shared folders? And: If shared folders don't work for you as expected, why don't you connect your guest and your host using a network share, for example using a samba server on the host?

[Daniel]

I'm using Linux / Microsoft Windows - it's very slow. Well, I'm REALLY hoping it's going to be faster than shared folders. Sure, you and I can configure a network share and use that to transfer data, but if an end-user (and particularly one with minimal administration skills) is to decide between an out of the box drag and drop solution, or configuring a complex network share in order to share data between the host and VM, I sure as hell know what they're going to choose.

[sh3rbs]

So is this a maybe, a probably or a probably not? Do we need to keep checking new releases hoping this will be there, or is this years away?

[Technologov]

Now with v3.1.0 out the door, I hope that this important feature comes to developer's radar.

-Technologov

[Gustavo Walendowsky]

Wow, I'm looking on this topic for years and now it the 3.1.2 out, next version please implement Drag and drop!

[Frank Mehnert]

Sure. Where you your contribution?

[Michael Thayer]

Just to make this clear: this feature request is not something that is currently on our development roadmap. That may change at some point of course, but if so it will be the result of decisions inside the development team, and/or requests by paying customers. We do of course take the views of the VirtualBox user community seriously, but we still reserve the right to take the final decisions as to what we ourselves develop ourselves. As we have pointed out a few times, if someone from inside the community makes a serious effort to develop this feature, we will support them (witness the discussions linked to above) and will help integrate it when they are finished.

Thanks for your understanding :)

[Sander van Leeuwen]

All irrelevant comments and complaints will be deleted, so don't even bother.

[MaXi32]

well this is my first time using this virtualbox. suddenly i feel i miss something after trying that virtualbox. went through all setting and NO DRAG AND DROP FEATURE????? I came here by google to see how to enable drag and drop..

[Frank Mehnert]

Your '?' key is defect.

[Technologov]

The basic building blocks for future drag-n-drop may be achievable. VBox already mastered drag-n-drop of VMs inside VM list (VBox Manager).

Next step is the Guest Additions.

Here is the example open-source code from VMware: (for X11/Linux guests)

​http://open-vm-tools.sourceforge.net/faq.php

-Technologov

[Frank Mehnert]

Experimental support for Drag'n'drop from the host into Linux guests will be part of the 4.2 release. 4.2 Beta 1 is ready for ​testing.

[Jamie Jackson]

I'm not sure this experimental feature is documented yet, so here's how to enable it, and the state of its features as of 4.2.0:

From the VirtualBox Manager GUI: Settings > General > Advanced Tab > Drag'n'Drop > Bidirectional

As alluded to in comment:36, file drag and drop (including a "move"--a shift-drag) only works from the host (in my case, Win 7 64-bit) to guest (in my case, Ubuntu/Gnome 12.04 64-bit), even when "bidirectional" Drag'n'Drop is chosen. The reverse (guest to host) does not work. Neither does clipboard copy/cut and paste of files in either direction.

(This isn't a bug report, but rather documentation of the current state of the feature.)

[crimez]

Another supporter of this wish :-)

[Michael Thayer]

Anyone wishing to see this feature expanded beyond its current state would do well to contribute some code. As always the whole team is working flat out, and there are enough other work items on the horizon that we really can't say when this feature will be continued (we expect that it will, but the time might well be counted in years). It is not that we wouldn't like to see it done, but with so many other things we would like to see done too we have to accept that this particular item is not a priority for us just now. For anyone for whom it is a priority and who is unable to write code themselves, I believe that there may be external developers who have been working on it and who might be willing to make their code public for a reasonable payment. If you are interested you could try asking on the vbox-dev mailing list.

[Mika]

How about a quick work around? Dropping a folder could just automatically create a temp shared folder and open it, and dropping a file could just do the same for the file's current folder.

[aeichner]

Please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.