Table of Contents
The x86 computing architecture can be virtualized using the free and open-source program VirtualBox. It performs the role of a hypervisor, building a VM (virtual machine) where the user can use another operating system (operating system). The “host” OS refers to the operating system that VirtualBox is running on. The “guest” OS refers to the operating system that is executing inside the VM. As a host OS, VirtualBox is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS. A virtual machine’s configuration options include how many CPU cores, RAM, and disk space should be allocated to the VM. It is possible to “pause” a running virtual machine.
At that point, system execution is suspended; the user can resume using the system at a later time. The most recent version of the FOSS hypervisor, VirtualBox 7.0, was acquired by Oracle and Sun Microsystems in 2009, a little over a year after Sun acquired Innotek, the company that developed VirtualBox. The new version includes support for encrypted VMs as well as remote control for cloud-hosted virtual machines (although, at the moment, only from the command line). The GUI has been simplified, with better help and error message integration and the ability to quickly adjust settings like the number of CPU cores used when creating virtual machines. We mentioned below are the ways to Upgrade to VirtualBox 7.0 on Windows 11.
Ways to Upgrade to VirtualBox 7.0 on Windows 11
Download the VirtualBox 7.0 Installer File and the Extension Pack
- Open VirtualBox application on your system. Navigate to Help > VirtualBox Website.
- Then app redirects you to the official VirtualBox website.
- Go to the menu on the left and click the Downloads option.
- Then locate VirtualBox 7.0.4 platform packages section. Tab on the Windows Hosts option to download the installer file on your system.
- Scroll down and locate the VirtualBox 7.0.4 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack section. Click the All supported platforms option to download the extension pack file for version 7.0.4.
- Finally, Wait for both downloads to finish and close the browser.
Install VirtualBox 7.0
- Select VirtualBox application if it is already running on your system. You can also restart your system to avoid problems installing the latest version of VirtualBox.
- Then Press Win + E keys to launch the File Explorer app on your system (see Launching File Explorer for more information). Click the Downloads folder and locate the VirtualBox 7.0 installation file.
- Right-click the installation file and select Run as administrator from the context menu.
- After that UAC will appear. Click the Yes button to continue.
- VirtualBox warns you about temporary disconnection of the network interfaces. This means that you will lose the Internet connection for some time.
- Tab on Yes button. The installer will alert you to the missing dependencies. Click the Yes button to install them as well.
- Lastly, Wait until the installation is complete. Click the Finish button to close the installation window. The VirtualBox 7.0 installer will launch. Select the installation target and click the Yes button.
Install the New Extension Pack
The extension pack doesn’t update along with the VirtualBox app, even after you update it to the most recent version. It will therefore have an older extension pack that was compatible with an earlier version of VirtualBox. After downloading the new extension pack using the second method, you must uninstall the old one. Follow these instructions to install the VirtualBox 7.0 extension pack:
- Open VirtualBox app. Navigate to File > Tools > Extension Pack Manager.
- Under list of active extension packs, you will see the older version with a red sign. It indicates that the extension pack is incompatible with VirtualBox 7.0.
- Then Right-click on the old extension pack and select the Uninstall option.
- Tab on the Remove button to begin the uninstallation.
- After that UAC will pop up. Click on the Yes button to begin the uninstallation.
- Click on the Install Extension Pack button located at the top. Locate the extension pack file you downloaded previously and select it. Click on the Open button.
- VirtualBox extension pack installer will pop up. Click on the Install button.
- Accept EULA by scrolling down. Click on the I Agree button.
- Then UAC will pop up. Click on the Yes button to begin the extension pack installation.
- Once extension pack installs, it will appear in the list of installed extension packs.
Install the Guest Additions
All of the drivers required for a virtual machine are provided by VirtualBox Guest Additions. Since VirtualBox supports DirectX 11, installing Guest Additions is advised because it will provide drivers for every component. The VirtualBox Guest Additions can be set up on a virtual machine in the following ways:
- Open VirtualBox app. Click on any Windows virtual machine and then select the Start option.
- Then wait for Windows virtual machine to boot up. After that, navigate to the top of the VirtualBox windows and click on Devices.
- Select Insert Guest Additions CD Image option.
- Open File Explorer app on your Windows virtual machine. You will see the guest additions CD image mounted there.
- Then Double-click to open the CD image directory. Scroll down and right-click on the VBoxWindowsAdditions–amd64.exe file. Select Run as administrator from the context menu.
- After that UAC will pop up. Click on Yes to continue.
- Follows on-screen prompts to install the Guest Additions on your system.
- Tab on the Reboot now option to apply changes to the Windows virtual machine.
Final Words
That’s it with our article on how to Upgrade to VirtualBox 7.0 on Windows 11. With a client/server architecture and clearly specified internal programming interfaces, VirtualBox has a very modular design. This allows controlling it from many interfaces at once simple. For instance, you could start a virtual machine using the conventional virtual machine GUI and then operate it later using the command line or perhaps remotely. In addition, VirtualBox includes a complete Software Development Kit, so you can create new interfaces for VirtualBox without having to hack the source code even though it is Open Source Software.