VirtualBox Utilities and Settings

This guide focuses on installing and removing VirtualBox Guest Additions on common Linux distributions, with the packages and commands you actually need.

VirtualBox Guest Additions

How to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux

Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions on a Linux VM enables support for adaptive display scaling, drag-and-drop file transfer, and clipboard sharing.

On Ubuntu and Debian

Start the VM and wait for the desktop to load. From the VirtualBox menu, select Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD image. Then run:

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sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

# Install required build tools and headers
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

# Open the Guest Additions folder
cd /media/$USER/VBox_GAs_*

# Run the installer
sudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

Reboot the VM once the installation completes.

On Arch-Based Distros

To install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Arch Linux and Manjaro, type:

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sudo pacman -Syu

# Install guest utilities and matching modules
sudo pacman -S virtualbox-guest-utils virtualbox-guest-modules-arch
# Or use DKMS if you're on a custom kernel:
# sudo pacman -S virtualbox-guest-utils virtualbox-guest-dkms

# Enable the guest service
sudo systemctl enable --now vboxservice

Finish by restarting the virtual machine.

On Fedora, CentOS, and RHEL

Start the VM and insert the Guest Additions CD image from Devices. Then run:

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sudo dnf install gcc make perl kernel-devel kernel-headers dkms

cd /run/media/$USER/VBox_GAs_*
sudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

Restart the VM after the installation completes.

How to Uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux

On Ubuntu and Debian

To uninstall Guest Additions on Ubuntu and Debian, type:

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cd /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-*
sudo ./uninstall.sh

After the process is complete, restart the virtual machine and verify the changes.

On Arch Linux and Manjaro

To uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions on Arch-based distributions like Manjaro, type:

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sudo pacman -Rns virtualbox-guest-utils

# Optional: disable the guest service
sudo systemctl disable --now vboxservice

On Fedora and Other RPM-Based Distros

To remove VirtualBox Guest Additions on Fedora, type:

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sudo dnf remove virtualbox-guest-additions

If you manually installed Guest Additions, run the uninstallation script by typing:

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cd /opt/VBoxGuestAdditions-*
sudo ./uninstall.sh

Finally, restart the virtual machine to verify if the changes persist.