Home » Computer Guides » Virtual Computer Guides » How To Install Windows 10 Virtual Machine In VirtualBox.

How To Install Windows 10 Virtual Machine In VirtualBox.

How to install a Windows 10 VM in VirtualBox. In this step by step guide, I’ll show you how to setup a Windows 10 victual machine using the free and open source VirtualBox hypervisor.

You’ll need to have VirtualBox installed on your computer along with the Extension Pack. The Extension Pack provides drivers for your Windows 10 virtual machine. If you haven’t already got it, then check out this post How To Install VirtualBox On Your Computer.

Download The Windows 10 ISO File.

To install Windows 10 on VirtualBox, you’ll need to grab the Windows 10 10 ISO file from Microsoft. It’s free to download and use, but will need to activated after the installation (more about that later).

For now, head over to –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

  1. Click on the Download Now button and then run the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.
  2. Select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC” and then click Next.
  3. The Language, architecture and edition should be set automatically to match the PC you’re using right now. Click the Next button to continue.
  4. For the “Which media to use” screen, select ISO file. Although you can use a flash drive to install a Windows 10 VM in VirtualBox, it’s much easier and simpler using an ISO file. Click Next.
Download Now button marked. Media Creation Tool indicated.
Download and run the Media Creation Tool.
Create Installation Media selected.
Select Create Installation Media.
Next button highlighted.
Click Next.
ISO file selected and Next button marked.
Be sure to select ISO file, it works better with VirtualBox.

Always Download Windows 10 From Microsoft.

Although you can download a Windows 10 ISO for VirtualBox from many different sources, I’d always recommend you to download direct from Microsoft.

Quite simply, you don’t know what you’re downloading if you’re getting it from somewhere else. You can’t be sure that nothing has been done to the file. I just wouldn’t trust them.

Finally, select a location to save the Windows 10 ISO file to.

Anywhere on your computer will be fine, you can use your desktop, downloads or any other folder.

When the download finishes, you can close your browser, you won’t need that going forward.

Windows 10 ISO file being saved to PC desktop.
Save your ISO file somewhere handy.

Setting Up A Windows 10 Virtual Machine In VirtualBox.

Now that you’ve got your Windows 10 ISO file, you can begin installing it as a virtual machine in VirtualBox.

In VirtualBox, you’ll create a virtual machine first, that’s to say you’ll create the virtual hardware for the machine.

Once you created the virtual hardware, then you can install the operating system onto it, in this guide that’ll be Windows 10.

Click on the New button from the VirtualBox Welcome screen.

If you’re not on the Welcome screen, click the 3 horizontal lines in the Tools tab. Then select Welcome from the menu.

Create New virtual machine icon in VirtualBox.
Click the New icon.
Accessing the Welcome screen in VirtualBox.
If you’re not at the Welcome screen, click the Tools menu and then click on Welcome.

Virtual Machine Name And Operating System.

The virtual machine name just helps you to identify which VM you’re using if you install more than one. You can call it anything you like.

  • Name – type something descriptive for your Windows 10 VM.
  • Location – is where the virtual machine will be saved. You can change the location by clicking the drop down arrow and selecting a different folder you you wish
  • ISO Image – this is the location of the Windows 10 ISO file that you downloaded earlier. Click the drop down arrow and navigate to the ISO file.
Setting up a new Windows 10 virtual machine in VirtualBox with "Skip unattended installation" selected.
Be sure to skip unattended installation.

Skip Unattended Installation.

Be sure to select “Skip unattended installation”. You probably don’t want that. It doesn’t work great for Windows installations. Click the next button to continue.

Windows 10 Virtual Machine Hardware Settings.

By default, VirtualBox will assign 2 GB of RAM and only a single processor to your new Windows 10 virtual computer. That’s not really enough. Although Windows 10 will work, it’ll be slow and cumbersome.

I’d recommend allocating a bit more to the VM if you can. Change the Base Memory setting to be 4 GB (4096 Mb) and allocate 2 processors.

Then enable EFI.

Click the Next button.

Virtual machine hardware settings in VirtualBox.
Allocate resources to the VM and then click Next.

Stay In The Green.

You can only allocate RAM and processors within the bounds of your physical computer. VirtualBox provides a coloured scale to help you to identify how much RAM and how many CPUs you give to your virtual machine.

Stay in the green side of the sliding scales and you should be fine.

Virtual Hard Disk Capacity In VirtualBox.

Then you’ll need to specify a capacity for the virtual machine hard drive. Installing Windows 10 as the guest operating system, you’ll need to give it at least 20 GB.

By default, VirtualBox will allocate 50 GB (assuming you have enough capacity on your host computer).

Click the Next button to continue.

Default of 50 GB accepted.
At least 20 GB but don’t go mad here. You can always add more later if you need to.

VirtualBox will show you a summary of the virtual machine settings for Windows 10.

If you want to change anything, click the Back button to cycle through the screens.

Otherwise you’re set to go. click the Finish button.

Summary screen with Finish button indicated.
Happy? Click Finish.

How To Install Windows 10 VM In VirtualBox.

So what you’ve done so far is to create the virtual hardware for Windows 10 to be installed onto. The next step is to install Windows 10.

In the left hand panel of VirtualBox you’ll see the name that you gave to your virtual machine earlier.

Most likely it’ll be Powered Off at the moment.

Make sure that it’s selected and then click the Start button at the top of the screen.

When you start the VM, it’ll boot from the Windows 10 ISO file that you loaded earlier.

Installing Windows 10 onto a VirtualBox VM.
Start your virtual machine to install Windows 10.

Press Any Key To Boot from CD Or DVD.

As the Windows 10 virtual machine boots up, it’ll require you to “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”.

This is important, to send mouse clicks and keystrokes from your keyboard to the virtual machine, you need to click on the VM first.

So when the “Press any key etc” appears, left click once directly onto the black screen first.

Then you can “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”.

If you don’t click on the virtual machine first, all your key presses will be directed to your “host” computer and NOT the VM.

Installing Windows 10.
Click on the VM and then press a key on your keyboard.

Don’t Worry If You Missed It.

If you’ve never done this before, then this is the trickiest part of installing Windows 10 in VirtualBox. Below I’ll show you how to re-boot the VM and have another go.

Be ready for it, click inside the VM window and then press a key on your keyboard.

If The Virtual Machine Failed To Boot.

To make the virtual machine boot from the Windows 10 ISO, you need to left click once inside the VM window. That then directs all further mouse clicks and keyboard keystrokes towards the virtual machine and away from the host computer.

If you weren’t quick enough, then the virtual machine will fail to boot. To try again, click the cancel button.

Then click the Input button on the VirtualBox toolbar. On the menu hover over Keyboard and then on the second menu, click Insert CTRL – Alt – Del, which we all know will reboot your computer and you can have another try at “Pressing any key”.

Cancel button indicated.
If you’re VM didn’t boot from the Windows 10 ISO, click the Cancel button.
Input menu indicated.
Then click on Input and Send CTRL – Alt – Del.

Virtual Machine Installation Begins.

After pressing a key on your keyboard, VirtualBox will begin booting from the Windows 10 ISO file.

Then you’ll see the familiar Windows Setup screen appear. By default VirtualBox will cover a portion of the screen with a side bar that may or may not get in your way.

You can close the side bar by clicking the X in the top right hand corner.

VirtualBox VM starting up.
Here we go.
Side panel close button marked.
To close the side panel, click the X in the top right.

That’s better, without the side bar.

What follows is really just a standard installation of Windows 10 as if you were installing it onto a bare metal computer.

Check the language, Time and Keyboard are set correctly and click the Next button to continue.

Next button indicate on Windows 10 setup screen.
Click Next to begin installing Windows 10.

Now we’re getting into installing Windows 10 as a virtual machine.

  1. Click the Install Now button.
  2. Activate Windows – Click “I don’t have a product key”. It’s much safer to set up Windows 10 first and then enter a product key for activation when you’re sure it’s all working fine.
  3. Select which edition of Windows 10 you want to install. If you do have a product key, then select the edition for that key. Click Next.
  4. Accept the Terms and Conditions.
Install Now button marked.
Click Install Now.
"I don't have a product key" selected.
I don’t have a product key.
Windows 10 Home selected.
Choose which edition of Windows 10 to install.
Licence terms accepted.
As if you have a choice.

Windows 10 VM Setup.

  1. Click the Custom Install Windows Only (Advanced) option.
  2. Windows 10 will be installed onto your virtual hard disk. Just click the Next button.
  3. And Windows will begin installing onto your VirtualBox VM.
Custom install option marked.
Click Custom Install.
Next button highlighted.
The hard disk shown is the virtual disk you created earlier. Click Next.
Windows 10 installing.
Just let Windows do its thing.

Windows 10 VM Region And Keyboard Settings.

Assuming that Windows 10 is setting your region and keyboard correctly, you can just keep clicking through these next few screens.

UK is selected.
Choose your region and click Yes.
UK is selected.
Click Yes.
Skip button is marked.
Skip.

Signing Into Your Microsoft Account.

As we all know by now, Microsoft insists that you sign in with a Microsoft account when installing Windows 10, even on a virtual machine.

When you reach this point, you’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account or create a new one and then sign in with that.

There are ways around using an MS account, I have a guide here if you’d like to avoid doing so on your Windows 10 virtual machine.

How To Install Windows Without A Microsoft Account.

Microsoft sign in screen.
How are you going to sign in to your virtual machine?

Once you’ve signed in or created an account (whether that be a local account or a Microsoft account), you’ll be presented with several screens one after the other where you need to agree or disagree with the amount of data that Microsoft are allowed to collect.

It’s entirely your choice. But for me, especially on a Windows 10 virtual machine, I’d always select the No option.

Just keep selecting the second (or lower) option and clicking Accept as the screens pop up.

No is selected.
Keep choosing No.

It might take several minutes, or several minutes more.

It all depends on your own computer and how much RAM and processors you allocated to the virtual machine earlier in the setup process.

Windows installing onto VM.
Again, let Windows do its thing.

Done It.

And eventually, if all goes well, you’ll end up at the Windows 10 desktop. Brilliant.

On a real computer, now would be the time to start installing the drivers.

And that’s exactly what you need to do next on your virtual machine.

Windows 10 desktop.

Install VirtualBox Guest Additions Onto Windows 10 Virtual Machine.

As I stated at the very beginning of this article, the VirtualBox Expansion Pack is a set of virtual drivers for your virtual machine.

Now that you’ve got Windows 10 installed as a virtual machine, install the expansion pack.

Inside the VirtualBox environment, the expansion pack is called Guest Additions (I don’t know why).

At the top of the screen, click Devices and then click on “Insert Guest Additions CD Image”.

How To Install VirtualBox Guest Additions.

Devices button marked in VirtualBox.

Summary.

Windows 10 virtual machine on VirtualBox works great. You can install just about any software that you want, create accounts, surf the ‘net. In fact in pretty much works like a second PC.

After you’ve installed the Guest Additions, don’t forget to run Windows Update.

How to create a Windows 11 virtual machine in VMware Workstation Pro.
How to enable virtualisation on a PC.
Scroll to Top