VirtIO Clipboard Sharing: Linux Host ↔ Windows Guest

Problem

Enable bidirectional clipboard sharing between Ubuntu host and Windows VM in virt-manager.

Solution Overview

Requires VirtIO drivers + Spice protocol + proper agent services on both sides.

Setup Steps

1. Install VirtIO Drivers in Windows VM

Download and mount VirtIO ISO:

wget https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/latest-virtio/virtio-win.iso

In virt-manager:

• VM Settings → Add Hardware → Storage → Select virtio-win.iso as CDROM
• Boot Windows VM
• Run virtio-win-gt-x64.msi from mounted ISO
• Reboot VM

2. Configure VM Hardware

In virt-manager VM settings:

• Video: Model = "QXL"
• Display: Listen type = "None"
• Add Channel: Type = "spicevmc", Target = "com.redhat.spice.0"

3. Verify Configuration

Check VM XML has proper Spice setup:

virsh dumpxml VM_NAME | grep -A5 -B5 "spice\|channel"

Should show:

• <channel type='spicevmc'>
• <graphics type='spice'>
• <target type='virtio' name='com.redhat.spice.0'>

Troubleshooting

Windows Side

Check Spice Agent service:

sc query spice-agent

If STOPPED, start it:

net start spice-agent
sc config spice-agent start= auto

Linux Host Side

Install and start spice-vdagent:

sudo apt install spice-client-gtk spice-vdagent
sudo /usr/bin/spice-vdagent

Session Type Issue

Wayland has poor clipboard sharing support. Switch to X11:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE  # Check current
# Login with "Ubuntu on Xorg" option

Important Notes

Linux Clipboard Duality

Linux has two clipboard systems:

• PRIMARY selection: Mouse selection → Shift+Insert
• CLIPBOARD: Ctrl+C/V → Right-click paste

Spice only syncs CLIPBOARD, not PRIMARY selection.

Best Practice: Use Ctrl+C/V for cross-platform copy-paste.

Common Issues

• One-way copying only = Linux host spice-vdagent not running
• No copying at all = Windows spice-agent service stopped
• Inconsistent behavior = Wayland session or clipboard manager conflicts

Verification

Test both directions:

1. Linux → Windows: Ctrl+C in Linux → Ctrl+V in Windows
2. Windows → Linux: Ctrl+C in Windows → Ctrl+V in Linux