The GNOME Boxes rewrite bundles its virtualisation stack. Here is a concrete evaluation plan that keeps beta testing separate from existing virtual machines.
The rewritten GNOME Boxes is worth testing as a separate environment before considering a migration. The question is whether its bundled stack supports your guests and workflow, not simply whether the new interface looks better.
What the maintainer announced
In The Future of GNOME Boxes, Felipe Borges describes a GTK4 and libadwaita rewrite distributed through Flatpak, with the virtualisation stack bundled. The beta configures Windows 11's virtual TPM and Secure Boot, and adds VSOCK access and initial port forwarding. Borges explicitly calls it a testing release and recommends backing up important VM data. This article is an evaluation plan, not a hands-on review.
Inventory the existing installation
These read-only commands show installed Flatpak applications and configured remotes:
flatpak list --app --columns=application,branch,origin
flatpak remotes --columns=name,urlIf the beta is already installed, inspect its version and origin with:
flatpak info org.gnome.Boxes.DevelAn application-not-installed response means that identifier is absent. It is not a VM error. Follow the maintainer's linked nightly repository instructions for installation rather than substituting a package with a similar name.
Use a disposable guest first
Create a new guest from an installation image you are entitled to use. Keep it separate from existing VM disks. Record the guest OS, allocated memory, CPU count and the beta version. A short, written baseline makes a later bug report much more useful.
Check installation, shutdown, restart, display resizing and clipboard behaviour one at a time. Then test file transfer and whichever access method the guest supports. Do not infer that successful clipboard sharing establishes that storage sharing or networking also works.
For a service inside a guest, document the host port, guest port and protocol before testing forwarding. Check the listening address as well: a service bound only to a guest's loopback interface may not be reachable through the path you intended. Keep exposure limited to the test's needs.
Test the recovery path
A beta evaluation should include returning to a known state. Preserve a separate copy of any disk you intend to import, and verify you can recover that copy before changing the original. Do not attach the same writable disk to two running guests.
If an operation fails, reproduce it on the disposable guest and record exact steps, versions and the error text. Remove personal data from any log you share. The maintainer's announcement links the relevant issue tracker and shows actual screenshots; those are preferable to an invented terminal illustration.
Bundling can make the stack more consistent, but it does not guarantee your existing libvirt setup will migrate unchanged. Treat import, shared storage and access from other VM managers as separate acceptance checks.
Hear the maintainer explain the rewrite
The Future of Boxes | Felipe Borges, GUADEC 2026
Official presentation from GNOME. The YouTube player loads only when you request it.
Watch on YouTube · Maintainer’s announcement. Loading the player connects to YouTube, which applies its own privacy policy.
September 7 revision: primary sources reviewed and practical explanation rewritten; no independent test results claimed.