How to Copy Files into a VM with libvirt, if the VM is using NAT?

Make sure the VM is shut down first

sudo virsh shutdown

Copy the file

sudo virt-copy-in -a /var/lib/libvirt/images/.qcow2 /path/to/tarball.tar.gz /destination/path/

Start the VM again

sudo virsh start

To copy out files:

Make sure the VM is shut down first

sudo virsh shutdown

Copy the file out

sudo virt-copy-out -a /var/lib/libvirt/images/.qcow2 /path/in/vm/file.txt /local/destination/directory/

Start the VM again

sudo virsh start Important notes about virt-copy-out:

The last argument must be a directory on your local system (not a filename) You can copy multiple files at once by listing them before the destination directory To copy entire directories, use the -R (recursive) flag