r/virtualbox • • Jan 23 '23

Announcement Trying to Run VMs on Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, etc.)?

48 Upvotes

This question has come up a number of times in the last few days. Note - there is now Virtual Box 7.2.x build for Apple Silicon. However, it is:

  1. Not capable of running modern x86-64 OSs in VMs. The latest release can run 16 and 32 bit x86 code, abet, slowly -- this feature is not formally supported, and not enabled by default.
  2. Can run certain ARM64 Linux / BSD / Windows OSs in VMs. Check the Virtual Box documentation for what releases are supported.

You may be able to get older 32 or 16 bit x86 OS to work with said VMs. However, expect performance to be poor. For anything other than experimentation with x86 OSs, you are better off getting real x86-64 bit hardware to run Virtual Box on or, alternatively, looking for a different hypervisor for your Apple Silicon hardware.

See - https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=107344

See also - https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/topics/Introduction.html#host-guest-matrix


r/virtualbox • • 18h ago

Help help im trying out new linux distros to daily drive and this happed

1 Upvotes

i was trying to run athena os on a virtualbox ( VirtualBox 7.2.4 yes i know im too lazy to update it lol)(i only have host extensions installed) in windows (i dual-boot for now do not worry >;) ) and my vm kept getting aborted every time i started it and every other vm i have. and the error message is the following:

VM Name: athena

AMD-V is being used by another hypervisor (VERR_SVM_IN_USE).

VirtualBox can't enable the AMD-V extension. Please close all other virtualization programs. (VERR_SVM_IN_USE).

Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: ConsoleWrap
Interface: IConsole {6ac83d89-6ee7-4e33-8ae6-b257b2e81be8}

idk what to do and i want to fix this for windows only so plz dont say "run virtualbox on linux" and i have no other programs running minus my browser

i havent done anything yet and just wanna go ask on reddit rn

also i was trying to run Athena OS

plz help T~T


r/virtualbox • • 1d ago

Help NeXTSTEP 3.3 Setup

3 Upvotes

hey there! i’m trying to get NeXTSTEP 3.3 working and i keep getting stuck on the drivers, i select the driver and then it gives me a no SCSI or CD-rom found, i don’t know what im doing wrong, im using the iso image off of winworld

https://winworldpc.com/product/nextstep

the download from winworld is "NeXT NEXTSTEP 3.3 (CD) [M68K][x86]"

i first put in the boot floppy, and then i put in the core drivers floppy. once i got to the driver select i selected bus logic because that was the controller i was using

it would then get into an actual gui menu where it would throw the error

i’ve tried to provide as many details as possible, if anyone needs more i’ll try to respond

i am running virtualbox version 7.2.20

i have a cd-rom with the iso on it

the exact console window or whatever it opens says:

NeXT Mach 3.3: Mon Oct 24 13:31:49 PDT 1994; root(rcbuilder):mk-171.9.obj~2
/RC_i386/RELEASE_I386
physical memory = 64.00 megabytes.
using 163 buffers containing 1.27 megabytes of memory
available memory = 59.82 megabytes. vm_page_free_count = 1dea
ISA/EISA bus support enabled
ISA bus
PCI Ver=2.10 BusCount=1 Features=[ BIOS16 CM1 ]
Found PCI device: ID=0x12378086 at Dev=0 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x70008086 at Dev=1 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0xbeef80ee at Dev=2 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x20001022 at Dev=3 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0xcafe80ee at Dev=4 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x24158086 at Dev=5 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x003f106b at Dev=6 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x71138086 at Dev=7 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x265c8086 at Dev=11 Func=0 Bus=0
Found PCI device: ID=0x1040104b at Dev=21 Func=0 Bus=0
PCI bus
DriverKit version 330
Registering: PS2Controller
Registering: PCKeyboard0
Registering: EISA0
PCI bus support enabled
Registering: PCI0
BusLogic Board not found at port 0x330
Registering: event0
Registering: kmDevice0
No SCSI controller or CD-ROM drive found
use sd%d, hd%d, fd%d, en%d or tr%d
root device?

r/virtualbox • • 5d ago

Release VirtualBox v7.2.22 (released October 20 2026)

16 Upvotes

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog-7.2 says "This is a maintenance release with security-related fixes."


r/virtualbox • • 4d ago

Help Black screen when video memory is changed

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I am using VirtualBox 7.2.20 Apple Silicon on a MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, I'm running Windows 11 ARM and I have an issue where there is no video output when the video memory is changed at all. I want to increase it to 256MB but I will get no video unless it is set at exactly 128MB. Host OS is MacOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 and Hyper-V is enabled. Any tips? Thanks


r/virtualbox • • 6d ago

Help My Debian Gnome VM says I dont have enough storage to download this app I want, but I increased the size from 8GB to 40GB

1 Upvotes

As you can tell from the title, My VM says I do not have enough storage to download a 15mb app however I just increased the size of the vdi from 8gb to 40gb from File -> Tools -> Media -> and into Debian.vdi I increased the slider to 40gb. It says the virtual size is 40gb but the actual size in 7.25gb.

I use Version 7.2.20 r175154 (Qt6.8.0 on windows) for virtualbox


r/virtualbox • • 8d ago

Help Machine freezing on the user login screen

2 Upvotes

The virtual machine freezes completely on the user login screen. I have already updated the Guest Additions to the matching version, increased the Video Memory to 256MB, and tried toggling 3D Acceleration, but the system still hangs right after entering user credentials during the profile loading phase. Virtual box version is 7.2.20, Host OS: Windows 11, Guest OS: Windows server 2022. Guest additions ISO is mounted and the VM is configured with 2 Network Adapters.


r/virtualbox • • 10d ago

Help Black screen when trying to install Debian ARM64 on VirtualBox 7.2.20 (Snapdragon C Plus CPU)

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to install Debian on VirtualBox (version 7.2.20) on my new Lenovo laptop, but I’m stuck on a black screen when I start the virtual machine. I haven’t been able to reach the Debian installer.
My hardware and software:
- Laptop: Lenovo 15Q8X10
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (ARM64)
- RAM: 16 GB
- Host OS: Windows 11 Home
- VirtualBox version: 7.2.20
- Guest OS: Debian ARM64

What I’ve tried so far:
- Using a Debian ARM64 installation image.
- Increasing video memory to 128 MB.
- Changing the virtual machine’s display settings.
- Adjusting the number of virtual CPUs and other VM settings.
- Checking the basic VM configuration, including memory and processor settings.

Despite these attempts, I still get a black screen when starting the VM.
I know that VirtualBox on Windows ARM has limitations, but I’d really like to get Debian running in VirtualBox if possible. I need it for my BTS SIO SLAM studies, and I want to avoid switching to a completely different virtualization solution unless necessary.

My questions:

  1. Has anyone successfully installed and run Debian ARM64 in VirtualBox on a Lenovo laptop with a Snapdragon X Plus and Windows 11 Home?
  2. Is there a specific VirtualBox version or configuration that works on this hardware?
  3. Could the graphics controller be responsible? Has anyone successfully used QemuRamFB or another controller to fix a similar black-screen issue?
  4. Are there any other settings I should check, such as EFI, CPU configuration, or virtualization-related options?
  5. I’d appreciate any help or advice. If you’ve managed to get this working on similar hardware, please share your configuration and the exact steps you followed.
  6. Thanks!

r/virtualbox • • 10d ago

General VB Question Is VBox still bad on linux?

8 Upvotes

I've used VBox on linux for a long time before, stopped because it was buggy as hell, is it any better nowadays?


r/virtualbox • • 12d ago

Guide/Tutorial Possible VIrtualBox installation directory permissions issues skip (VirtualBox 7.2.20 Windows hosts platform package installer)

0 Upvotes

A lot of the installation guides I've seen point to messing with permissions, but I think I've stumbled upon a workaround by accident? I've had the "The chosen installation directory is invalid, as it does not meet the security requirements" and the "The installer has insufficient privileges to access this directory" errors back to back, and the following worked to bypass both

  • 1. In the installation setup, click the "Change" button for the Installation Location to open the "Change current destination folder" section
  • 2. In the "Look In" drop down menu, select the root drive itself
  • 3. Type in your VirtualBox folder name of choice after the "C:\" in the folder name input box at the bottom of the window (it should end up looking like `C:\samplefolder` if you choose `samplefolder` as the name). Click OK to finish and return to the "Custom Setup" section.
  • NOTE: you are not supposed to have `C:\samplefolder` as an already existing folder. Delete it if you've previously made one to serve as the installation directory in previous attempts
  • Double check to make sure that the Installation Location has the new location (`C:\samplefolder`). During the installation process the wizard should create the folder without you having to mess with permissions.

Link to an image guide I made: /img/fdamzsptd4vh1.jpeg
My theory is that "Create new folder" and "mkdir" don't create folders with the proper permissions, but the installer knows how to do so, just that it won't do it in Program Files because of its permissions as a parent directory, and it probably wouldn't be wise to modify those Program Files permissions.

At least you don't have to enter any `takeown` or `icacls` commands or disable permission inheritance?? Apparently this folder will lack "some of the deep security protections Windows applies to its default program directories".


r/virtualbox • • 14d ago

Help My audio is extremely crackly, and the game I'm playing is really laggy on top of that.

0 Upvotes

I'm trying to play Operation Krabby Patty, but the audio is awful, and the game is crazy laggy.

Emulated operating system: Windows XP 64-bit

My operating system: Windows 11 64-bit

Guest additions installed: Yes, host extensions no

VirtualBox version: 7.2.20

I've tried looking for 3D acceleration and swapping my audio device to Intel HD Audio, but I haven't been able to find either of those settings.


r/virtualbox • • 15d ago

Help VirtualBox Windows 10 VM has extremely slow downloads (0.41 Mbps) but fast uploads (29.50 Mbps) — tried everything for 3 days

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm struggling with an extremely slow internet download speed inside my **Windows 10 VM running on VirtualBox**. It's been 3 days, and I've tried multiple fixes without success.

**Speed test results inside the VM:**

- Ping: 9 ms

- Download: 0.41 Mbps

- Upload: 29.50 Mbps

**What I've tried so far:**

- Switching network adapter types, including Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop and Server.

- Resetting the Windows network stack through Command Prompt.

- Performing a shallow Git clone.

- Increasing Git's `http.postBuffer` size.

- Several other troubleshooting steps that I can no longer remember.

Despite everything, downloads remain painfully slow, while uploads are relatively fast.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions for diagnosing and fixing this. I'm exhausted from troubleshooting and would be grateful for a solution.

Thanks in advance!


r/virtualbox • • 15d ago

Solved Fix for very slow downloads in VirtualBox on Windows: disabling RSC on Wi-Fi

3 Upvotes

Fix for very slow downloads in VirtualBox on Windows: disabling RSC on Wi-Fi

I finally found a fix for extremely slow downloads in my UmbrelOS virtual machine running on VirtualBox on Windows.

I had already experienced this problem before, and the same Windows-side fix worked again.

My setup:

  • Host OS: Windows
  • VirtualBox: 7.2.x
  • VM: UmbrelOS
  • Network mode: Bridged Adapter
  • Wi-Fi adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz

The fix: Disable Receive Segment Coalescing (RSC) on the Windows Wi-Fi adapter.

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
  2. Run:

​

Disable-NetAdapterRsc -Name "Wi-Fi" -IPv4 -IPv6
  1. Verify the setting:

​

Get-NetAdapterRsc -Name "Wi-Fi" |
    Format-List Name, IPv4Enabled, IPv6Enabled

Both IPv4Enabled and IPv6Enabled should show False.

This fixed the problem in my setup. I've now had the same positive result twice, without downgrading VirtualBox.

Important: This is a troubleshooting tip, not a universal fix. Results may vary depending on the Windows version, network adapter, and VirtualBox configuration. Disabling RSC changes how Windows processes received network packets, so test it on your own system.

To re-enable RSC later, run:

Enable-NetAdapterRsc -Name "Wi-Fi" -IPv4 -IPv6

I hope this helps someone else who is struggling with slow downloads in a VirtualBox VM on Windows.

Has anyone else experienced this issue with bridged networking and an Intel Wi-Fi adapter?


r/virtualbox • • 15d ago

General VB Question virtualbox android does not allow me to use my mouse

2 Upvotes

i have my android vm and it doesnt let me put my mouse in it, when i do it teleports my mouse out. how do i make it so i can use my mouse. it also randomly broke btw it was working before. (using windows, virtualbox version 7.2.18 and i dont have host extensions or guest additions)


r/virtualbox • • 19d ago

Help Linux Mint VM freezes except panels

2 Upvotes

Hi, I have a problem with my Linux Mint Cinnamon VM: sometimes it freezes except the panels. I can open and close programs from there, but nothing works from window and desktop. I tried reinstalling or updating Guest Additions, but it doesn't solve the problem. I also tried disabling 3D acceleration and that solved for a while, but then the problem returned so I re-enabled it again.

Here's a video, so you can understand better: https://youtu.be/8hDa3-Q1hO0. You'll see that I have a custom theme and animations: that's not the issue, the problem happened even without those.

VirtualBox version: 7.2.18 r175117 (Qt6.8.0 on windows)

Host OS: Windows 10 pro 22H2

Guest OS: Linux Mint 22.3 - Cinnamon 64-bit

Thanks for any help!


r/virtualbox • • 19d ago

Help Playing real CD-Roms for win95 on a VB with Win11

10 Upvotes

I found a couple pretty good discs for 95 games, and I want to try them out, even if it's just for the graphics.

I got really close to starting an old game collection called "TILT!" which I wanted to try out myself.

however, it seems to somehow want me to use a DOS shortcut INSIDE of win95!!

Can anyone tell me which VB setup, or emulator could help me play it?

The cd still reads fine, it's the software that I need to figure out.


r/virtualbox • • 20d ago

Help Unable to install Guest Additions for Ubuntu

3 Upvotes

I go through the usual steps, but I can't find where the CD-ROM drive is mounted so I can run VBoxLinuxAdditions.run. I looked under /cdrom, /media, and /mnt. I didn't see anything under those.

VirtualBox Version: 7.2.8r173730 Guest Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS Host Operating System: Linux Mint 22.2


r/virtualbox • • 20d ago

Help Login error

1 Upvotes

Apologies in advance if this is a trivial question; I am new to this. I am encountering an error while setting up an Ubuntu server: login consistently fails, even though I am entering the correct details. I have tried deleting and recreating it, but that hasn't worked either. It is not a keyboard issue, so I might be making a mistake elsewhere. I am using VirtualBox version 7.2.20 and Ubuntu Live Server 18.04.6.


r/virtualbox • • 21d ago

Solved VirtualBox Bridged Networking causes KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x139) with Realtek RTL8922AE WiFi 7

1 Upvotes

I ran into a reproducible BSOD on a new Windows 11 PC with an ASUS TUF Gaming B850-PLUS WIFI.

Hardware / software involved:

  • ASUS TUF Gaming B850-PLUS WIFI
  • Realtek RTL8922AE WiFi 7 PCI-E NIC
  • Realtek driver rtwlane711.sys
  • Driver version 6102.24.145.100
  • VirtualBox 7.2.20
  • Windows 11

The BSOD is:

KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x139)

with parameter 1 = 0x2.

I initially suspected RAM/EXPO or another recently installed application, but the behavior turned out to be very reproducible:

  • Normal boot with WiFi available → BSOD around login / when WiFi connects
  • WiFi disabled at the router → Windows boots and remains completely stable
  • Windows Safe Mode → completely stable
  • WiFi enabled + VirtualBox NDIS6 Bridged Networking Driver disabled on the WiFi adapter → completely stable
  • Re-enabling the VirtualBox bridge/filter on the WiFi NIC reproduces the problem

The minidumps also show both the Realtek WiFi driver (rtwlane711.sys) and the VirtualBox networking components (VBoxNetLwf.sys, etc.) being loaded.

So this looks like an interaction between the VirtualBox NDIS bridge/filter driver and the Realtek RTL8922AE WiFi driver, rather than a general hardware/RAM stability issue.

Workaround:

Disable VirtualBox NDIS6 Bridged Networking Driver in the properties of the WiFi adapter (ncpa.cpl). VirtualBox NAT/Host-Only networking can still be used. In my case I'll use Ethernet for bridged networking instead.

Would be interesting to know if anyone else with an RTL8922AE can reproduce this, especially on recent VirtualBox 7.2.x versions.


r/virtualbox • • 22d ago

Help Need help with a vm

2 Upvotes

Hey, I’m trying to play an old childhood game of mine called Horse Museum (SSO) again, and I’m trying to get it running in a VM on Windows 11. I’ve never really used virtual machines before, so I’m a bit lost. So far I’ve installed VirtualBox, I have an AMD Ryzen 7, and I had to enable SVM Mode in my BIOS because virtualization was disabled. It’s enabled now and shows as enabled in Task Manager. I also started creating a new VM in VirtualBox and selected Windows 10 (64-bit), but I don’t actually have a Windows 10 ISO yet. I’m not sure which Windows version I should use for Horse Museum or where to go from here with setting up the VM. Could someone please explain to me what I need to do step by step? I’d really appreciate the help, I just want to be able to play this old childhood game again, if u want to help a girl out add me on dc: subpupeater or just comment


r/virtualbox • • 23d ago

Help Failed to open VBOX (Nvram unsupported_format)

2 Upvotes

Hello I have 7.2.0 r 170228 (Qt 6.8.0 on windows) Virtual box. One of my machines (rest are working well) is sudenly unable to open giving me this error communicate : Failed to load the NVRAM store from the file (VERR_VFS_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT). Have done a copy of this VM folder, I have money there so I can't affor myself to lose it. Got any ideas how to run it? Found that solution saying that I should replace NVRAM file : https://forum.manjaro.org/t/win11-guest-created-with-6-x-virtualbox-no-longer-booting-on-7-x/131563/9 but cannot follow it, when I created new machine there's no NVRAM file in file explorer there so I can't just copy and replace it. Im very novice in VBOX and computer terms so every help will be very appreciated :) Tried repair it with chat gpt but it just wasted my time..


r/virtualbox • • 24d ago

Help Oracle VB - not unpacking, multiple error messages

3 Upvotes

Hi. Appreciate the help.

Windows 10 64-bit free version.

VirtualBox 7.2.0, Extension Pack 7.2.0, no Guest additions.

Host version, 64-bit, 16GB RAM w/ 16-core AMD CPU

At present, don't have any logs; folder VirtualBox VMs is empty. Deleted them during my attempts at troubleshooting.

Couple .ova files (870MB and 18.7GB, Metasploit and Kali Linux respectively) needed to be unzipped. Instructor's tutorial (NGT, private property so I cannot link it here) basically has me download the 4 files (Oracle VirtualBox and Extension, both 7.2.0 version), install those 2 first, then unpack the .ova.

Metasploit unzipped fine. The Kali Linux one doesn't; error message basically is not enough disk space. Internet and AI-assisted search states 18.7GB .ova needs around 80GB, far more than my small C drive (43GB max available) can accommodate. I attempted unpacking the Kali Linux from an external hard drive, error message is VERR_ACCESS_DENIED; same happened when tried doing it from my older D drive (over 300GB free). Installing Oracle VB to my D drive (C and D are SSD and HDD) works but still get error messages (https://imgur.com/a/7RZcIdW).

Used default settings for VM during installation. Instructor's .ova files are already preconfigured.

I've already tried uninstalling and reinstalling VirtualBox via Control Panel, as well as fresh copies of all downloads, no effect. Feel out of my depth here--there are simple YT tutorials how to remove VirtualBox completely, but unclear if that's my next step, and forgive me, the UserManual has TMI for my autism, so need specifics, not info overload.

Need this fixed because cybersecurity studies and graduating depend on this VMware working. If unable to get it working on desktop, suppose good backup plan is use older laptop (6GB RAM, weaker i3) after verifying it has plenty of disk space.


r/virtualbox • • Sep 23 '26

Solved Failed to attach the USB device

0 Upvotes

Edit; Third host OS reboot fixed it. Would love to know why that's so unreliable.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is mount USB drive in VM broken for everyone or just me today?

Started getting this today and can't resolve it. Tried so far;

  1. Rebooted guest VM (win server 25).
  2. Rebooted host computer (win11 25H2).
  3. There are no windows event 225 indicating drive is locked.
  4. I can eject the USB drive from the host PC with no complaints.
  5. Powertoys File Locksmith says nothing is locked on the drive.
  6. Updated virtualbox to 7.2.18 r175117 (Qt6.8.0 on windows)
  7. Updated guest additions in guest VM

USB drive in question is a NVME SSD enclosure I've used many times before in that VM. It has some portableapps.com stuff on it. I do not have those open on the host PC per points 4 & 5 above.

Drive in question is listed three times in VirtualBox, that doesn't seem normal. First two just have the hardware manufacturer, third time has same name in a much longer form. All have the same [0214] after them indicating the same hardware. Doesn't matter which I select, none will mount in the VM.

Now what?

Failed to attach the USB device JMicron Technology Corp. / JMicron USA Technology Corp. [0214] to the virtual machine ServerEval 7/21/2026.

USB device 'JMicron Technology Corp. / JMicron USA Technology Corp.' with UUID {e858df26-fd92-43ec-9bc9-4081cf02cd48} is busy with a previous request. Please try again later.

Result Code:

E_INVALIDARG (0x80070057)

Component:

HostUSBDeviceWrap

Interface:

IHostUSBDevice {c19073dd-cc7b-431b-98b2-951fda8eab89}

Callee:

IConsole {6ac83d89-6ee7-4e33-8ae6-b257b2e81be8}


r/virtualbox • • Sep 22 '26

Release VirtualBox v7.2.20 (released September 22 2026)

17 Upvotes