Extract text from VirtualBox settings backups (VBOX-PREV)
To convert VBOX-PREV backups to another format, you need VirtualBox or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "VirtualBox Configuration Backup" file type, you need software like VirtualBox or a similar tool.
The .vbox-prev file is an automated backup of a virtual machine's hardware configuration, created by Oracle VM VirtualBox. Every time you modify a virtual machine's settings - such as changing RAM allocation or adding a network adapter - VirtualBox saves the previous vbox configuration file by renaming it with the .vbox-prev extension. Under the hood, this is strictly an XML document.
A major disadvantage of this format is user confusion. Many users mistakenly believe the .vbox-prev file contains their actual virtual machine data or operating system. It does not. It is simply a lightweight text file detailing hardware parameters. Without the accompanying virtual hard disk file (like VDI or VMDK), the settings backup is useless for booting a machine.
Converting a .vbox-prev file is usually about accessibility. Because operating systems do not recognize the custom extension, double-clicking it usually results in an error. We recommend converting it to XML or TXT so you can easily read the configuration parameters on any device or browser without needing VirtualBox installed.
Standard online converters often fail to process .vbox-prev files because they do not recognize the proprietary extension and assume it is a complex binary format.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VBOX-PREV file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted VBOX files.
If you want to convert VBOX-PREV file to , you can use VirtualBox or similar software from the "Virtual Machine Settings Backup" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to VBOX-PREV, try VirtualBox or another comparable tool in the "Virtual Machine Settings Backup" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our VBOX-PREV converter.