virtualbox.org

Host machine: Windows 10/64-bit Version 1903
Guest machine: Windoze XP/32-bit SP3
VirtualBox Version: 5.2.32

I want to minimize the virtual machine to the system tray (now called the "notification area" under W10). I have tried several utilities (RBTray and TrayIT) that are designed for this task. They both work with other applications (as long as they aren't "pinned to the taskbar"), but neither works with running VirtualBox machines, or with the VirtualBox console.

VboxVMService doesn't seem to help either. All it does is start the machine in the background, while making it completely inaccessible. Meanhwile VirtualBox console opens much more slowly, and shows the VM as powered off, but "locked" if you try to start it.

Solved 08/19/2019:
I also tried PowerMenu, but it too doesn’t work for Virtual Box console or VM. I then tried MenuTools (https://www.navossoc.com/menutools/), and it DOES work, B”H. After installation, you can just right-click on the title bar to the left of the “-“ icon, and then click “minimize to tray”. (But it doesn't work for Firefox, which presumably uses it's own right-click menu, or perhaps it doesn't work because I have Firefox pinned to the taskbar?).

cdg wrote:Solved 08/19/2019:
I also tried PowerMenu, but it too doesn’t work for Virtual Box console or VM. I then tried MenuTools (https://www.navossoc.com/menutools/), and it DOES work, B”H. After installation, you can just right-click on the title bar to the left of the “-“ icon, and then click “minimize to tray”. (But it doesn't work for Firefox, which presumably uses it's own right-click menu, or perhaps it doesn't work because I have Firefox pinned to the taskbar?).

Menu Tools will work for Firefox if you unpin it from the taskbar and then use Shift+RightClick on the taskbar icon, but I can't get it to work for VMs

The application for running the guests used to be Virtualbox.exe. It is now VirtualboxVM.exe.

scottgus1 wrote:The application for running the guests used to be Virtualbox.exe. It is now VirtualboxVM.exe.

Thanks, but I'm unsure how to use that information to minimize a VM to the Windows tray/notification area.

My thought was to make sure you're pointing the minimizing-to-tray app at the correct executable. I have not tried to minimize guests to the tray.

For anyone who stumbles on this thread...

Menu Tools v1.0.2 will not work for the purpose of minimizing VMs to the tray, v1.0.1 will but with caveats.

https://github.com/navossoc/MenuTools/issues/2#issuecomment-701949961

fade2gray wrote:For anyone who stumbles on this thread...

Menu Tools v1.0.2 will not work for the purpose of minimizing VMs to the tray, v1.0.1 will but with caveats.

https://github.com/navossoc/MenuTools/issues/2#issuecomment-701949961

What do you mean by "Export the MenuToools Task Schedule." ?

dawnslayer wrote:What do you mean by "Export the MenuToools Task Schedule." ?

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-expo ... windows-10

If you need any further advice on Menu Tools, post in the GitHub thread.