Published: Oct 21, 2022
Last week, Oracle announced the release of VirtualBox 7.0 on all supported platforms. The latest major release of the cross-platform virtualization software brings several new features and enhancements, such as support for Windows 11 via TPM, full virtual machine encryption, cloud virtual machines, and Apple Silicon Macs.
First up, VirtualBox 7.0 brings Secure Boot and TPM 1.2/2.0 support that makes it easier to run Windows 11 on virtual machines (VMs) without using any registry hacks. It also adds integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This feature enables users to centrally manage the development and production of VMs either running on OCI instances or on-premises environments.
Additionally, Oracle has made it possible to run virtual machines with full encryption, including logs, saved states, and configuration files. However, the feature is only available through the command line at the moment. This release adds DirectX 11 support to improve 3D graphics on Windows PCs.
The latest VirtualBox update also brings support for ARM-based Macs. With VirtualBox 7.0, users can now create and run virtual machines on Apple’s M1 and M2-powered Mac devices. However, Oracle noted that the feature is still under development and it may not work as expected.
The latest VirtualBox update introduces several other improvements across all platforms. These include a performance monitoring tool for guests and the integration of the Wizard tool with an unattended guest installation feature to automate the creation of virtual machines. Moreover, it brings bug fixes for several issues and improves the reliability of the cloud network functionality for local virtual machines.
You can head to Oracle’s official website to download VirtualBox 7.0 on Windows, macOS, and Linux machines. If you’re interested, we invite you to check out the full release notes for more details about this release.