How to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux

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When you first install a Linux virtual machine using VirtualBox, you might find the experience sub-par. VirtualBox Guest Additions enhance your VM experience by introducing new features such as a shared clipboard, drag-and-drop file sharing, and adaptive display scaling support.

However, knowing that you need to add Guest Additions to your virtual machines is not as obvious as it should be. Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions on your Linux machine is simple, whether you’re running Ubuntu, Fedora, or another Linux distribution.  We have mentioned steps below to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux

Steps to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux

Stop the virtual machine.

Edit the virtual machine settings and add a new CD-ROM device to the machine on the System tab.

Restart the virtual machine.

Check the current kernel version:

uname -a

Install some needed dependencies as shown below. Remember to replace the VERSION placeholder with the kernel version from the previous command. Packages with the correct kernel_version shown by the previous command:

sudo apt-get -y install dkms build-essential linux-headers-VERSION

Reboot the virtual machine:

sudo reboot

From the virtual machine menu, select Devices -> CD/DVD Devices -> Choose a virtual CD/DVD disc file. Select the VBoxGuestAdditions.iso file. This action simulates inserting a CD-ROM containing the tools.

The VBoxGuestAdditions.iso file is usually located in the /usr/share/virtualbox/ directory on Linux, in the C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox directory on Windows, and in the Contents/MacOS directory of the VirtualBox package on Mac OS X.

Insert the CD-ROM and install the VirtualBox Guest Additions:

sudo mkdir /mnt/cdromsudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdromcd /mnt/cdromsudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run –nox11

You can ignore the following error message if it occurs during the installation process:

Installation of Windows system drivers …failed!

(The X.Org or XFree86 Windows system could not be found).

After the process is complete, check if the output is similar to the one shown below. If it does, the VirtualBox Guest Additions were successfully installed.

Final Words

We hope like our article on how to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux. Virtual machines (VMs) have become a staple of the data cente and with good reason. With virtual machines, you can run as many servers as your host hardware allows. Even if you have some pretty beefy hardware, you want to get as much performance out of those VMs as possible, which is why performance should always be considered when creating a new VM.