diff --git a/plugins/commands/box/command/update.rb b/plugins/commands/box/command/update.rb
index 2cfdda71f..73f2dbaf3 100644
--- a/plugins/commands/box/command/update.rb
+++ b/plugins/commands/box/command/update.rb
@@ -80,6 +80,12 @@ module VagrantPlugins
 
         def update_vms(argv)
           with_target_vms(argv) do |machine|
+            if !machine.config.vm.box
+              machine.ui.output(I18n.t(
+                "vagrant.errors.box_update_no_name"))
+              next
+            end
+
             if !machine.box
               machine.ui.output(I18n.t(
                 "vagrant.errors.box_update_no_box",
diff --git a/templates/locales/en.yml b/templates/locales/en.yml
index 7fb7dbb2f..a90860849 100644
--- a/templates/locales/en.yml
+++ b/templates/locales/en.yml
@@ -545,6 +545,8 @@ en:
         directly instead of from a box catalog. Vagrant can only
         check the versions of boxes that were added from a catalog
         such as from the public Vagrant Server.
+      box_update_no_name: |-
+        This machine doesn't have a box. Won't update anything.
       bundler_disabled: |-
         Vagrant's built-in bundler management mechanism is disabled because
         Vagrant is running in an external bundler environment. In these