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Install Guest Additions on Windows

Published: December 1, 2025 (Updated: Dec 1, 2025)

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Unlock Full Performance: How to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows (Step-by-Step Guide)

Hi there! This is Darren O’Neill from Darren’s Tech Tutorials, and I’m thrilled you’re here to optimize your virtual machine experience.

If you’ve ever run a Windows VM in VirtualBox and been frustrated by a tiny screen resolution, choppy mouse movement, or the inability to copy files between your host and guest machine, you’ve run into the need for one essential tool: VirtualBox Guest Additions.

Guest Additions is a package of device drivers and system applications designed to improve the performance, usability, and stability of your virtual machine. While we’re walking through this process specifically on Windows Server 2016, the steps are nearly identical for Windows 10, Windows 11, and most other modern Windows operating systems.

Let’s dive right in and get your VM running smoothly!

Step 1: Mounting the Guest Additions CD Image

The first step is instructing VirtualBox to insert the installation media into your running virtual machine (VM). Think of this as putting a physical installation CD into the VM’s virtual CD drive.

  1. Ensure your Windows VM is running and focused (click inside the VM window).
  2. In the main VirtualBox menu bar at the top of your host machine screen, click Devices.
  3. In the dropdown menu, select Insert Guest Additions CD Image…

VirtualBox will now automatically mount the required installation ISO into your Windows VM’s CD drive.

Step 2: Locating and Running the Installer

Now that the image is mounted, we need to locate the executable file inside the Windows operating system and start the installation wizard.

  1. Inside your Windows VM, open File Explorer (or Windows Explorer).
  2. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on This PC.
  3. You should now see a newly visible drive labeled VirtualBox Guest Additions. Double-click this drive to open its contents.
  4. Since most modern systems run 64-bit Windows, we need to run the correct executable file. Look for the file named VBoxWindowsAdditions-amd64.exe.
  5. Double-click the VBoxWindowsAdditions-amd64.exe file to launch the setup wizard.

Step 3: Stepping Through the Installation Wizard

The installation wizard is extremely straightforward and requires minimal input.

  1. When the setup wizard appears, click Next.
  2. Confirm the default installation location (unless you have a specific reason not to), and click Next.
  3. Click Install.
  4. During the process, Windows may prompt you with a security warning asking if you want to install device software from Oracle Corporation. You must click Install here for the drivers to be properly integrated.

The installation process should only take a minute or two to complete.

Step 4: Reboot and Activation

Once the files are copied and the drivers are installed, the system requires a mandatory restart to initialize the new drivers.

  1. The installation wizard will prompt you, saying that the system needs to be rebooted to activate the changes.
  2. Click Finish to allow your Windows VM to reboot.

Wait patiently while your server or desktop VM restarts. Once you log back in, you should immediately notice the difference—your screen resolution will likely adapt to the size of your VirtualBox window, and your mouse movement will be much smoother!

To ensure everything was installed correctly, you can take a quick look inside the Windows Control Panel.

  1. Once logged back into the VM, click the Start Menu.
  2. Type control and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
  3. Navigate to Programs > Uninstall a program.
  4. Verify that VirtualBox Guest Additions is listed among your installed software. If it’s there, you’re all set!

That’s all there is to it! You’ve successfully installed Guest Additions, giving your Windows virtual machine the performance boost it deserves. Enjoy features like dynamic resolution resizing, seamless mouse integration, shared clipboard functionality, and drag-and-drop support.

Did you find this quick tutorial helpful? If so, please do like this post and subscribe to the Darren’s Tech Tutorials YouTube channel for more clear, practical guides. If you ran into any issues, please feel free to comment below—if I can help, I certainly will!

For a full text version of this guide, you can also check out my original detailed walkthrough: https://darrenoneill.eu/?p=570

Thanks for watching! Happy computing!