.XML-PREV File Extension
VM VirtualBox Settings Backup
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What is an XML-PREV file?
An XML-PREV file is a backup settings file created and used by Oracle VM VirtualBox. It contains a copy of the application-wide settings stored in VirtualBox.xml. If your copy of VirtualBox.xml goes missing or becomes corrupted, you can replace it with VirtualBox.xml-prev.
More Information
VM VirtualBox is a virtualization app that allows users to create and run virtual machines. For example, a Linux user might use VM VirtualBox to run a Windows virtual machine within Linux.
At startup, VM VirtualBox loads application-wide settings from an .XML file named VirtualBox.xml. If VM VirtualBox cannot find or load settings from VirtualBox.xml, it will not launch.
For this reason, VM VirtualBox maintains a backup copy of your most-recent application settings in a file named VirtualBox.xml-prev. This file is stored alongside VirtualBox.xml, in the VirtualBox directory.
How to replace VirtualBox.xml with VirtualBox.xml-prev
If your copy of VirtualBox.xml goes missing or becomes corrupted, you can replace the file with your copy of VirtualBox.xml-prev, to attempt to restore your VM VirtualBox settings. To do so:
- Go to the VirtualBox directory.
- If you still possess VirtualBox.xml, rename it to VirtualBox.xml-bad (or any other new filename).
- Rename your copy of VirtualBox.xml-prev to VirtualBox.xml.
- Attempt to open VM VirtualBox as you would normally.
If your new VirtualBox.xml file contains valid settings, VM VirtualBox should run as normal.
NOTE: XML-PREV files are similar to the .VBOX-PREV files VM VirtualBox uses to back up individual virtual machine settings.
Common XML-PREV Filenames
VirtualBox.xml-prev - The default name of VM VirtualBox settings backup files.
How to open an XML-PREV file
If necessary, you can open an XML-PREV file with Microsoft Visual Studio Code or any other text editor, to view the settings it contains. For instructions on how to use XML-PREV files with Oracle VM VirtualBox, see the How to replace VirtualBox.xml with VirtualBox.xml-prev section above.