Where Does GNOME Boxes Store Virtual Machines?
Boxes keeps qcow2 images in a gnome-boxes folder with XML config via virsh. Native, Flatpak, and snap paths.
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GNOME Boxes stores disk images as .qcow2 files in ~/.local/share/gnome-boxes/images. Each file takes the domain name of its box. The machine definition itself is libvirt XML, exported and imported with virsh dumpxml and virsh define.
Packaged installs move the folder: Flatpak uses ~/.var/app/org.gnome.Boxes/data/gnome-boxes/images, snap uses ~/snap/gnome-boxes/common/gnome-boxes/images. Backing up means copying both the image and the XML dump; either half alone restores nothing bootable.
Where GNOME Boxes stores this, by platform
~/.local/share/gnome-boxes/images
qcow2 images named per domain. Dump config with virsh dumpxml <domain>. Flatpak and snap remap under .var and snap dirs; check those when this folder is empty.
Frequently asked questions
how do i back up a gnome boxes vm
Copy the .qcow2 from the images folder plus a virsh dumpxml export of the domain. On restore, copy the image back and virsh define the XML. Boxes also reads libvirt images from virt-manager folders when present.
boxes images folder is empty but vm runs, why
You installed the Flatpak or snap, which relocates storage under ~/.var or ~/snap. Check those twins of the path above. The running VM proves the image exists; only the prefix moved.
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