virtualbox.org

When bringing up a VM usingVB 5.06 under El Capitan, whether it be W7 or W10, it seems to always follow the active desktop. I regularly have 5-6 desktops open on my MacBook Pro. I keep VB in one desktop. But if I am bring up a VM, and switch to another desktop, the VM is sure to follow.

Is there a setting to defeat this?

System Preferences ---->> Mission Control

the settings (check boxes) control this.

This has nothing to do with VirtualBox

Virtual Box is the only app on my MacBook Pro that does this. If I open an app, it stays where it is, unless I move it. However, the VM will change desktops during the time it is starting. I could have been in the Finder non full-screen app, and all of a sudden, the VM will join me.

If you switch a guest from windowed to full screen the guest will open a new space. If you switch it back to windowed mode it will close the space it was in, if that's what you mean.

No, during the time that Windows is starting, if I go to another desktop, the VM will eventually arrive. Note that VB stays where it was, only the VM migrates to my active desktop.

what are your Mission Control settings?

Automatically rearrange; When switching.... switch to a Space; Displays have separate Spaces. I like these, with the possible exception of the first one.

But, even when I turned that off, the VM went to the First space (where finder and other one-off apps I use reside), while I was in the 5th space, and it had started from the 4th.

AND, when I swipe back to that space, it insists on having me return to the VB space.

What you are experiencing is rearrangement.

Duh.

As I mentioned above, I have disabled rearrangement.

Just to clarify something, Apple changed the behavior of Spaces with OSX 10.11. It works slightly differently than it did in previous versions. Possibly to accommodate Split View.

Setting of mine - Yosemite, as I recall, El Cap

I can confirm this strange behaviour on my 2012 iMac running El Cap. Exactly as the OP described. I've unchecked all the boxes in the Mission Control prefs, but to no avail. This looks like it may be a VB bug relating to the new Split View so hopefully it will soon be fixed. In the meantime I'm getting into the habit of using command-tab to swich apps rather than switch desktops.
Cheers, Mike.

Just for the record, this is now fixed on VB 5.x. Working fine now for me.

Cheers, Mike.