$Date: 2025-08-11 19:18:47 +0200 (Mon, 11 Aug 2025) $

VBoxManage encryptmedium

VBoxManage-encryptmedium 1
VBoxManage-encryptmedium manage a DEK-encrypted medium or image &product-name;
`VBoxManage encryptmedium` uuid filename --cipher=cipher-ID --newpassword=password --newpasswordid=password-ID --oldpassword=password

## Description

The `VBoxManage encryptmedium` command enables you to create and manage a DEK-encrypted medium or image. You can encrypt an image, decrypt an image, and change the encryption password of an image. See .

uuid | filename

  Specifies the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) or the absolute path name of the medium or image to encrypt.

`--newpassword=password`

  Specifies the new encryption password. password is either the absolute path name of a password file on the host operating system or `-`, which prompts you for the password.

  You must use the `--newpasswordid` option with this `--newpassword` option.

`--oldpassword=password`

  Specifies the original encryption password. password is either the absolute path name of a password file on the host operating system or `-`, which prompts you for the original password.

  This option enables you to gain access to an encrypted medium or image to do the following:

  - Decrypt an encrypted image by using this option by itself.

  - Change the password of the encrypted image by using the `--newpassword` option.

  - Change the encryption cipher of the image by using the `--cipher` option.

`--cipher=cipher-ID`

  Specifies the cipher to use for encryption. Valid values are `AES-XTS128-PLAIN64` or `AES-XTS256-PLAIN64`.

  This option enables you to set up or change encryption on the medium or image.

`--newpasswordid=password-ID`

  Specifies a new password identifier that is used for correct identification when supplying multiple passwords during VM startup.

  If you use the same password and password identifier when encrypting multiple images, you need to supply the password only one time during VM startup.

## Examples

The following example shows how to encrypt the `ol7u4-1.vdi` image by using the `AES-XTS128-PLAIN64` cipher, specifying a password identifier of `1001`, and using the `$HOME/pwfile` password file:

    $ VBoxManage encryptmedium "$HOME/VirtualBox VMs/ol7u4/ol7u4-1.vdi" \
      --cipher="AES-XTS128-PLAIN64" --newpasswordid="1001" --newpassword=$HOME/pwfile

The following example shows how to decrypt an encrypted image called `ol7u4-2.vdi`:

    $ VBoxManage encryptmedium "$HOME/VirtualBox VMs/ol7u4/ol7u4-2.vdi" \
      --oldpassword=-
      Password: original-password

The following example shows how to change the password for an encrypted image called `ol7u4-3.vdi`. The command reads the original password from the `$HOME/pwfile.orig` file, reads the new password from the `$HOME/pwfile` file, and assigns a password identifier of `1001`.

    $ VBoxManage encryptmedium "$HOME/VirtualBox VMs/ol7u4/ol7u4-3.vdi" \
      --oldpassword=$HOME/pwfile.orig --newpassword=$HOME/pwfile --newpasswordid="1001"