← Directory

Virt-Manager

Virt-Manager is a desktop graphical interface for virtualization administrators to create, configure, monitor, and access libvirt virtual machines, with…

  • Tools & Utilities
Virt-Manager is a desktop graphical interface for virtualization administrators to create, configure, monitor, and access libvirt virtual machines, with primary support for KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and support for Xen and LXC (Linux containers).

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

70/100 Good

Maintained
88last commit 39 days ago
Popular
703,269 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 9 days ago

GitHub stars
3,269
Open issues
161
Last commit
2026-09-04
Latest release
v5.1.0
License
GPL-2.0
Activity
stale

Checked 6 days ago - source: GitHub (virt-manager/virt-manager)

Resources & Compatibility

ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is not supported.

Checked 14 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Use sudo for system VM installs Run the VM creation command with sudo (temporary admin) on your host. Without that permission, it can't talk to the VM service and the VM won't be created. source
  • Pick an installer source first Tell the installer where the operating system comes from, such as a supported --install name or an ISO file path. Without a valid installer source, the VM starts with no OS to install and the setup fails. source
  • Set a VNC password for remote viewing If you connect to the install screen over VNC (a remote viewing connection), include a password in the graphics setting. That lets you view and type into the installer securely instead of being locked out or exposing the console. source

Fetched 14 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (12)

  • AQEMU
  • Boxes - A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems.
  • Cockpit Project - Makes it easy to administer Linux servers via a web browser.
  • Kubernetes - Kubernetes (K8s) is an open source system for managing containerised applications across multiple hosts.
  • Parallels Desktop - Virtualization tool enabling seamless operation of Windows and Linux on Mac.
  • UTM - UTM is a full featured system emulator and virtual machine host for iOS and macOS.
  • VMware Workstation Player - VMware Workstation Player builds on the industry leading foundation of Workstation Pro, and delivers a streamlined user interface for creat…
  • Vagrant - Create and manage virtualized development environments.
  • VirtualBox - Open source virtualization tool supporting x86/AMD64, runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris.
  • WinBoat - Seamlessly runs Windows applications on Linux through an intuitive interface, supporting native OS-level windows, easy installation, and sh…
  • Windows Sandbox - a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.
  • XenOrchestra - Xen Orchestra is a web-based management console for XenServer and XCP-ng pools that gives you a complete, centralized view and control of y…

Checked 11 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Do I need sudo when creating a system VM with virt-install?

Yes, run the VM creation command with sudo on the host. Without that permission it cannot talk to the VM service and the VM is not created.

Can virt-manager be used on a headless Linux server?

You can use SSH X forwarding to run virt-manager on the headless node and display the GUI on your remote machine.

What should I check if a Windows VM in virt-manager has no network?

The issue may be the Windows virtualized NIC rather than QEMU or NAT/bridge. In Device Manager, uninstall the NIC and select the top entry.

Can virt-manager show user-mode and system-mode QEMU guests at the same time?

It appears limited to one mode based on gsettings values, so it may not show user-mode and system-mode QEMU guests simultaneously.

Answers sourced from bbs.archlinux.org, github.com, www.reddit.com, www.reddit.com

Community

Collected 9 days ago - public community threads