Install Guest Additions in Ubuntu

After installing a guest OS with Virtualbox, the first thing you need to do is to install the guest additions. Installing guest additions will improve performance and make integration much more seamless. Among the features provided by these Guest Additions are mouse pointer integration and arbitrary screen solutions (e.g. by resizing the guest window). If you install a Windows guest and you choose the "Install Guest Additions" option from the devices menu, the installation program will execute automatically. But with an Ubuntu guest this will not happen automatically and needs a bit of hand holding.

Step 1 Click Install Guest Additions from the Devices menu

This will mount the guest additions cd and Ubuntu will place a cd icon on the desktop. Double click on the cd icon. This will open the mounted cd with nautilus (gnome's default file manager).

Find the file "VBoxLinuxAdditionsX86.run" for 32 bit guest or "VBoxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run" for 64 bit guest. Right click on the .run file and choose "Open with Other Application..."



The Open With popup dialog box will open. Go down to the bottom and open the "Use custom command" box and type "gksudo" in the custom command file. Then click Open.


Follow the instructions on the screen from here on.

Note: if you upgrading Virtualbox from an older version, remember to reinstall your guest additions in all of your virtual machines.