source: vbox/trunk/doc/manual/en_US/man_VBoxManage-startvm.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
    manpage, user manual, usage: VBoxManage startvm
-->
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<refentry id="vboxmanage-startvm" lang="en">
  <refentryinfo>
    <pubdate>$Date: 2025-03-10 18:49:27 +0000 (Mon, 10 Mar 2025) $</pubdate>
    <title>VBoxManage startvm</title>
  </refentryinfo>

  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>VBoxManage-startvm</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
  </refmeta>

  <refnamediv>
    <refname>VBoxManage-startvm</refname>
    <refpurpose>start a virtual machine</refpurpose>
    <refclass>&product-name;</refclass>
  </refnamediv>

  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-startvm">
<!-- The 'id' is mandatory and must start with 'synopsis-'. -->
      <command>VBoxManage startvm</command>
      <arg>--putenv=<replaceable>name</replaceable>[=<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</arg>
      <arg role="compact">--type=<group choice="req">
          <arg choice="plain">gui</arg>
          <arg choice="plain">headless</arg>
          <arg choice="plain">sdl</arg>
          <arg choice="plain">separate</arg>
        </group></arg>
      <arg>--password=<replaceable>file</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--password-id=<replaceable>password-identifier</replaceable></arg>
      <group choice="req" rep="repeat">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
    </cmdsynopsis>
  </refsynopsisdiv>

  <refsect1 id="vboxmanage-startvm-description">
    <title>Description</title>
    <para>
      The <command>VBoxManage startvm</command> command starts an
      &product-name; virtual machine (VM) that is in the Powered Off or
      Saved state.
    </para>
    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><option><replaceable>uuid</replaceable> | <replaceable>vmname</replaceable></option></term>
        <listitem><para>
            Specifies the name or Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)
            of the VM.
          </para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><option>--putenv=<replaceable>name</replaceable>=<replaceable>value</replaceable></option></term>
        <listitem><para>
            Assigns a value to an environment variable as a name-value
            pair. For example, VBOX_DISABLE_HOST_DISK_CACHE=1.
          </para><para>
            The short form of this option is <option>-E</option>.
          </para></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><option>--type=gui | headless | sdl | separate</option></term>
        <listitem><para>
            Specifies the frontend used to start the VM.
          </para><para>
            You can use the <command>VBoxManage setproperty</command>
            command to set a global default value for the frontend.
            Alternatively, you can use the <command>VBoxManage
            modifyvm</command> command to specify a default frontend
            value for a specific VM. If neither a global or per-VM
            default value is set and you do not specify the
            <option>--type</option> option, then the VM opens in a
            window on the host desktop.
          </para><para>
            The <option>--type</option> option accepts the following
            values:
          </para><variablelist>
            <varlistentry>
              <term><literal>gui</literal></term>
              <listitem><para>
                  Starts a VM in a graphical user interface (GUI)
                  window. This is the default.
                </para></listitem>
            </varlistentry>
            <varlistentry>
              <term><literal>headless</literal></term>
              <listitem><para>
                  Starts a VM for remote display only.
                </para></listitem>
            </varlistentry>
            <varlistentry>
              <term><literal>sdl</literal></term>
              <listitem><para>
                  Starts a VM using the VBoxSDL frontend.
                </para></listitem>
            </varlistentry>
            <varlistentry>
              <term><literal>separate</literal></term>
              <listitem><para>
                  Starts a VM with a detachable user interface (UI),
                  which means that the VM runs headless with the UI in a
                  separate process.
                </para></listitem>
            </varlistentry>
          </variablelist></listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><option>--password</option></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            Use the <option>--password</option> to supply the encryption
            password. Either specify the absolute pathname of a password file
            on the host operating system, or <literal>-</literal> to prompt
            you for the password on the command line.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
        <term><option>--password-id</option></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            Use the <option>--password-id</option> option to specify the
            id the password is supplied for.
          </para>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
    <note>
      <para>
        If a VM fails to start with a particular frontend and the error
        information is inconclusive, consider starting the VM directly
        by running the frontend. This workaround might provide
        additional error information.
      </para>
    </note>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 id="vboxmanage-startvm-examples">
    <title>Examples</title>
    <remark role="help-scope" condition="GLOBAL" />
    <para>
      The following command starts the <literal>ol7u6</literal> VM:
    </para>
<screen>$ VBoxManage startvm ol7u6</screen>
    <para>
      The following command starts the
      <literal>ol7u6-mininstall</literal> VM in headless mode.
    </para>
<screen>$ VBoxManage startvm ol7u6-mininstall --type headless</screen>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1 id="vboxmanage-startvm-see-also">
    <title>See Also</title>
    <para>
      <xref linkend="headless-mode" />,
      <xref linkend="vboxmanage-setproperty" />,
      <xref linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm" />.
    </para>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>