VirtualBox Guest Additions are a set of enhanced drivers designed specifically for your virtual machine. They significantly improve the performance and functionality of your virtual operating system, particularly when using Windows.
Without Guest Additions, you may encounter issues such as:
This guide will walk you through the simple process of installing Guest Additions (also known as the Expansion Pack) onto your Windows virtual machine within VirtualBox.
You’ll need to have VirtualBox installed on your host computer along with the Expansion Pack. If you’re not sure how to do that check out this quick guide How To Install VirtualBox On Your Computer.
Installing Guest Additions Onto Virtual Machine.
To install the Guest Additions on your newly created Windows virtual machine, you’re going to mount the CD ISO as a virtual CD drive.
On the VirtualBox toolbar, click on Devices.
On the menu that opens, click Insert Guest Additions CD Image.
Launch VBox Windows Additions.
Once the CD image has been mounted (it only takes a few seconds) open File Explorer on your virtual machine.
Then double left click on VBoxWindowsAdditions (Application) to launch the install wizard.
If you don’t see the Guest Additions CD drive, you may have to click on This PC in the left hand panel (Navigation Pane).
You’ll probably see a User Account Control (UAC) pop up window appear.
Click Yes to continue with the installation.
The Install Wizard.
Installing is pretty much the same as for any other piece of software.
- On the Welcome screen, click the Next button to proceed.
- Although you can change the installation directory, I’d just leave it set to the default location. Click Next.
- On the Choose Components screen, you can leave it as the defaults, click Next.
- And then the Guest Additions should start installing onto your Windows VM. Great.
When you process has finished, you’ll most likely have to re-boot your virtual machine.
Summary.
Running Windows (regardless of whether it’s Windows 10 or Windows 11) on a VirtualBox is great. It opens up so many possibilities that you may not want to explore on your host (real) computer.
One thing I’d strongly recommend though is to make a backup of the VM. You can use Snapshots, and they will get you out of most situations, but a complete backup is pretty much foolproof.
