---
name: "virt-manager"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "virt-manager"
version: "5.1.0-4"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/virt-manager"
---

# virt-manager(1)

Graphical tool for managing libvirt VMs

## Name

virt-manager - Graphical tool for managing libvirt VMs

## SYNOPSIS

**virt-manager** \[OPTIONS\]

## DESCRIPTION

**virt-manager** is a desktop tool for managing virtual machines. It provides the ability to control the lifecycle of existing machines (bootup/shutdown,pause/resume,suspend/restore), provision new virtual machines and various types of store, manage virtual networks, access the graphical console of virtual machines, and view performance statistics, all done locally or remotely.

## OPTIONS

Standard GTK options like **--g-fatal-warnings** are accepted.

The following options are accepted when running **virt-manager**

- **-h, --help**

  Display command line help summary

- **--version**

  Show virt-manager's version number and exit

- **-c, --connect**

  Specify the hypervisor connection **URI**

- **--debug**

  List debugging output to the console (normally this is only logged in ~/.cache/virt-manager/virt-manager.log). This function implies --no-fork.

- **--no-fork**

  Don't fork **virt-manager** off into the background. See **VIRT-MANAGER, SSH, AND FORKING** section for more info.

- **--fork**

  Force forking **virt-manager** off into the background. This is the default behavior. See **VIRT-MANAGER, SSH, AND FORKING** section for more info.

## DIALOG WINDOW OPTIONS

For these options, only the requested window will be shown, the manager window will not be run in this case. Connection autostart will also be disabled. All these options require specifying a manual **--connect** URI.

- **--show-domain-creator**

  Display the wizard for creating new virtual machines

- **--show-domain-editor NAME\|ID\|UUID**

  Display the dialog for editing properties of the virtual machine with unique ID matching either the domain name, ID, or UUID

- **--show-domain-performance NAME\|ID\|UUID**

  Display the dialog for monitoring performance of the virtual machine with unique ID matching either the domain name, ID, or UUID

- **--show-domain-console NAME\|ID\|UUID**

  Display the virtual console of the virtual machine with unique ID matching either the domain name, ID, or UUID

- **--show-host-summary**

  Display the host/connection details window.

## SYSTEM TRAY OPTION

Connection autostart will not be disabled and thus don't require specifying a manual **--connect** URI. But it supports **--connect** URI as well:

- **--show-systray**

  Launch virt-manager only in system tray

## VIRT-MANAGER, SSH, AND FORKING

Historically, on startup virt-manager would detach from the running terminal and fork into the background. This was to force any usage of ssh to call ssh-askpass when it needed a password, rather than silently asking on a terminal the user probably isn't watching.

openssh 8.4p1 released in Sep 2020 added the SSH\_ASKPASS\_REQUIRE environment variable that saves us from having to do the fork dance. \<https://man.openbsd.org/ssh.1#SSH\_ASKPASS\_REQUIRE\>

virt-manager now sets SSH\_ASKPASS\_REQUIRE=force. However to get this to work with libvirt ssh connections, you'll need libvirt 10.8.0 released in October 1st 2024.

virt-manager no longer forks by defaults.

You can get the old forking behavior with the **--fork** option, or by setting the **VIRT\_MANAGER\_DEFAULT\_FORK=yes** environment variable.

However if you find you need forking for a usecase other than temporarily working around libvirt version issues, please let the virt-manager developers know by filing a bug report.

## BUGS

Please see \<https://virt-manager.org/bugs/\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) Red Hat, Inc, and various contributors. This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the terms of the GNU General Public License \<https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

## SEE ALSO

**[virsh(1)](/virsh/1.md)**, **[virt-viewer(1)](/virt-viewer/1.md)**, the project website \<https://virt-manager.org\>