[[!meta title="virt-manager"]]

[*virt-manager*](http://virt-manager.org/) is a fFree sSoftware virtualization solution for Linux. *virt-manager* has a more complex interface than *VirtualBox* or *GNOME Boxes* but it also has a more complete set of features.

[*virt-manager*](http://virt-manager.org/) is a Free Software virtualization solution for Linux. *virt-manager* has a more complex interface than *GNOME Boxes* but it also has a more complete set of features.

[[!inline pages="doc/advanced_topics/virtualization.caution" raw="yes" sort="age"]]

<div class="tip">

<p><emi>virt-manager</emi> is the only virtualization
solution that we present that allows theo use of a Persistent
Storage.</span> See [[Rrunning Tails from a USB
image|virt-manager#usb_image]].</p>

<p><i>virt-manager</i> is the only virtualization
solution that allows to use a Persistent
Storage. See [[running Tails from a USB
image|virt-manager#usb_image]].</p>

</div>

<div class="note">

<p>The following instructions have been tested on Debian 10 (Buster2 (Bookworm).</p>

<p>The following instructions have been tested on Debian 12 (Bookworm).</p>

Terminology

*virt-manager* is based on a set of lower level virtualization tools,
going from the user interface to the hardware interactions with the
processor. This terminology is a bit confusing and other documentation
might mention the following tools:

*KVM* is the module of the Linux kernel that interacts with the virtualization features of the processor.

*QEMU* is the virtualization software that emulates virtual processors and peripherals based on *KVM* and that starts and stops virtual machines.

*libvirt* is a library that allows *virt-manager* to interact with the virtualization capabilities provided by *QEMU*.

*SPICE* is a protocol that allows to visualize the desktop of virtual machines.

*virt-manager* is the graphical interface that allows to create, configure, and run virtual machines.

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Installation

To install *virt-manager* in Debian, execute the following command:

<p class="command">sudo apt install virt-manager libvirt-daemon-system</p>

To install *virt-manager* in Ubuntu, execute the following command: