Introduction:
Virtualbox is a fantastic virtualization software that allows users to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical computer. However, without installing Guest Additions, the experience on Windows 10 can be sub-optimal. Fortunately, installing Guest Additions is a straightforward process that can significantly impact your Windows 10 experience. In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing Guest Additions on Windows 10 on Virtualbox.
Prerequisites:
Before proceeding, make sure you have a running Windows 10 virtual machine on Virtualbox. You should also have the Virtualbox Guest Additions ISO image file, which is downloadable from the Virtualbox website.
Step 1: Launch the virtual machine
Launch the virtual machine, and wait for it to load completely. Once it has booted up, log in to your Windows account.
Step 2: Access devices
Click on the “Devices” tab on your Virtualbox menu bar and select “Insert Guest Additions CD image.”
Step 3: Install Guest Additions
The Virtualbox Guest Additions installation wizard will automatically launch in your virtual machine. Follow the prompts to install the software on your computer.
Step 4: Reboot the virtual machine
After the installation is complete, reboot your virtual machine. Once the virtual machine has rebooted, Guest Additions will be fully installed, and you can start taking advantage of its features.
Benefits of Guest Additions:
Guest Additions comes with a slew of benefits that significantly enhance your Windows 10 experience on Virtualbox.
Seamless mouse integration: Keyboard shortcuts to switch between the host and virtual machine can be cumbersome. Guest Additions allows you to seamlessly switch between your host and virtual machine by enabling your mouse to move in and out of the virtual machine without having to press any keys.
Shared clipboard: Guest Additions enables users to share their clipboard between the host and virtual machine. This feature makes it easy to copy and paste text, images, and other data between your host and virtual machine.
Better graphics: Guest Additions enables you to have better graphics when running Windows 10 on Virtualbox. The software allows you to use a higher resolution, full screen, and video acceleration, thus improving the overall visual appearance of your virtual machine.
Conclusion:
Installing Guest Additions on your Windows 10 virtual machine may seem like a small task, but the benefits of the software cannot be ignored. Guest Additions enables seamless integration between your host and virtual machine, better graphics and access to additional features.
Don’t forget to install Guest Additions, and your Windows 10 experience on Virtualbox will be transformed!
On VirtualBox, the “Guest Additions” package contains the drivers that allow the Windows 10 virtual machine to operate correctly in a virtualization environment. The VirtualBox Guest Additions is provided as a virtual image to optimize the guest machine with the mouse pointer and keyboard integration, so you can navigate the environment and release the peripherals seamlessly.
The package also installs the virtual video drivers to improve the system performance and advanced graphics capabilities, such as hardware acceleration, multi-monitor support, and seamless windows to run applications as if they were installed on the host device. Furthermore, you also get time synchronization, the ability to share the clipboard content, and automated logging.
In other words, without the drivers, the virtual machine would perform slow, and many advanced features (such as the ability to change the screen resolution, control transparency, mouse support, etc.) won’t be available or work correctly.
In this guide, you will learn the steps to install the VirtualBox drivers on Windows 10.
How to install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows 10
To install the Guest Additions on a Windows 10 virtual machine, use these steps:
- Open VirtualBox.
- Right-click the virtual machine, select the Start submenu and choose the Normal Start option.
- Sign in to your Windows 10 account.
- Click the Devices menu and select the Insert Guest Additions CD image option.
- Open File Explorer in the virtual machine (Windows key + E keyboard shortcut).
- Click on This PC from the left side.
- Under the “Devices and drives” section, double-click to open the VirtualBox Guest Additions disc.
- Double-click the VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe file to launch the installer.
- Click the Next button.
- Click the Next button again.
- Click the Install button.
- VirtualBox install Windows 10 drivers
- Select the Reboot now option.
- Click the Finish button.
Once you complete the steps, the virtual drivers will install, and after the restart, Windows 10 will be able to run normally in a virtual environment.
Open VirtualBox.
Right-click the virtual machine, select the Start submenu and choose the Normal Start option.
Sign in to your Windows 10 account.
Click the Devices menu and select the Insert Guest Additions CD image option.
Open File Explorer in the virtual machine (Windows key + E keyboard shortcut).
Click on This PC from the left side.
Under the “Devices and drives” section, double-click to open the VirtualBox Guest Additions disc.
Double-click the VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe file to launch the installer.
Click the Next button.
Click the Next button again.
Click the Install button.
VirtualBox install Windows 10 drivers
Select the Reboot now option.
Click the Finish button.
When a new version of VirtualBox becomes available with more recent drivers, you can use the same instructions to update the Guest Additions on Windows 10. The setup will replace the virtual drivers with the versions as you run the installer.
If you cannot mount the image into that machine, the VBoxGuestAdditions.iso is located in the VirtualBox installation folder (in this path: C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox), which you can use to add the package manually.
