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Step by Step Install Virtualbox on Ubuntu

VM Virtualbox Devops
Updated on

  • update system

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

  • Install Required Dependencies

    • build-essential: Provides tools for compiling software.
    • dkms: Dynamic Kernel Module Support, which helps rebuild kernel modules when the kernel is updated.
    • linux-headers-$(uname -r): Installs the kernel headers for your current kernel version.
    sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

  • Add the VirtualBox Repository

    • Import the VirtualBox GPG key to verify packages:
    wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes --output /usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg
    • Add the VirtualBox repository to your system’s APT sources list:
    echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg] http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list

  • Install VirtualBox

    • Update the package list:
    sudo apt update
    • Install VirtualBox
    sudo apt install virtualbox-7.0

  • Rebuild VirtualBox Kernel Modules

    After installation, VirtualBox needs to build and load its kernel modules. This is done automatically, but you can manually trigger it if needed:

    sudo /sbin/vboxconfig

  • Verify the Installation

    Check if the vboxdrv kernel module is loaded:

    lsmod | grep vboxdrv

    If the module is loaded, you should see output similar to:

    vboxdrv                123456  0

  • Launch VirtualBox

    You can now launch VirtualBox from the command line or the application menu:

    virtualbox
    • Add Your User to the vboxusers Group (Optional) To allow non-root users to access USB devices in VirtualBox, add your user to the vboxusers group:
    sudo usermod -aG vboxusers $USER

  • Troubleshooting

    vboxdrv.sh: failed: modprobe vboxdrv failed. Please use 'dmesg' to find out why.

There were problems setting up VirtualBox.  To re-start the set-up process, run
  /sbin/vboxconfig
as root.  If your system is using EFI Secure Boot you may need to sign the
kernel modules (vboxdrv, vboxnetflt, vboxnetadp, vboxpci) before you can load
them. Please see your Linux system's documentation for more information.

    Check Secure Boot Status

    mokutil --sb-state

    • If the output says SecureBoot enabled, you need to either disable Secure Boot or sign the VirtualBox kernel modules.
      The easiest solution is to disable Secure Boot in your system’s BIOS/UEFI settings:

      • Reboot your system.

      • Enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, F10, Del, or Esc during boot).

      • Locate the Secure Boot option and disable it.

      • Save changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings.

      • Reboot your system. After disabling Secure Boot, rebuild the VirtualBox kernel modules:

    sudo /sbin/vboxconfig