23/7/24, 9:31 p.m. FIX: VirtualBox Running Very Slow in Windows 10/11. (Solved) - WinTips.

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FIX: VirtualBox Running Very Slow in Windows

10/11. (Solved)
Author: Konstantinos Tsoukalas , Last updated: July 18th, 2022

After installing VirtualBox on a Windows 10 or 11 host machine you may notice that
the guest VM machine is running very slowly for no apparent reason. If you are
experiencing such a problem and want to make VirtualBox run faster, continue
reading below.

This tutorial contains several methods to optimize VirtualBox's performance under

Windows 10 and Windows 11 OS.

FIX: VirtualBox Machine Runs Slowly on

Windows 11/10.
1. Disable Hyper-V & Hypervisor.

2. Remove & reinstall Guest Additions.

3. Allocate More System Resources to VM.

4. Set Power Plan to High Performance.

5. Disable 3D Acceleration in VirtualBox.

6. Change Graphics Controller in VirtualBox.

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7. Disable Host I/O Cache in Virtual Box.

Method 1. Disable Hyper-V & Windows hypervisor.

Hyper-V is a hardware virtualization product built into Windows 11/10/8.1
Professional and Enterprise Editions and on Windows Server 2012 and later
versions. But, when Hyper-V feature is enabled, VirtualBox VM runs very slowly
and must be disabled.

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows
features on or off

2. Uncheck the following features:

Containers *

Hyper-V *

Virtual Machine Platform

Windows Hypervisor Platform

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Windows Sandbox

* Note: The 'Containers' and the 'Hyper-V' features exists only in Windows 10 PRO.

3. Restart the computer after uninstall.

4. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

5. Type the following command and press Enter:

bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

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6. Reboot your PC.

7. After reboot, start the VirtualBox VM machine and normally the problem will be
fixed. If not, proceed to the rest methods below.

Method 2. Remove & re-Install VirtualBox Guest

Additions.
The VirtualBox Guest Additions consist of device drivers and system applications
that optimize the operating system for better performance and usability. But
sometimes, especially after a Windows update of the guest machine, it needs to be
reinstalled to fix performance issues.

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Programs and Features and uninstall the
VirtualBox Guest additions.

2. After uninstall restart your PC.

3. Finally proceed to install Guest Additions again and check if the problem is fixed.
If not, proceed to the next step:

Method 3. Allocate More CPU and Memory resources.

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Another cause of slow VirtualBox performance is the low resources you have
allocated to the virtual machine. For example, Windows 10 needs at least 4GB of
RAM to run smoothly. To allocate more CPU and Memory on the VM machine:

1. Open VM settings and select System on the left.

2. At Motherboard tab, drag the slider to the right and maximize the allocated
memory for the VM machine.

3. At Processor tab, drag the slider to the right and allocate more CPU's for the VM
machine.

4. Also ensure that the processor's Execution Cap is set to 100%

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Method 4. Change Power Plan to High Performance.

Another reason for the slow performance of VirtualBox, especially if you are using a
laptop, is the power plan you use for how your device consumes and saves power.
In order for VirtualBox to run smoothly and without delays, Power Plan must be set
to High Performance.

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Power Options.

2. Select Change Plan Settings.

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3. Click Change advanced power settings.

4. Change the Power Plan to High performance and click OK.

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5. Start the VirtualBox machine and see if it continues to run slowly.

Method 5. Disable 3D Acceleration in VM Settings.

Another reason VirtualBox runs very slowly is when 3D acceleration is enabled.

1. Open VM settings and select Display on the left.

2. Uncheck the Enable 3D acceleration checkbox and click OK.

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3. Now start the VM machine and see if it's running faster.

Method 6. Change Graphics Controller in VM Settings.

Another method to optimize VirtualBox's performance under Windows 10/11, is to
use a deterrent graphics controller on the VirtualBox machine. So proceed as
follows:

1. Open VM settings and at Display options change the Graphics Controller from
VboxSVGA or VboxVGA. *

* Note: If it is already VboxVGA, change it to VboxSVGA and see if that makes any
difference.

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Method 7. Disable Host I/O Cache in SATA Controller.

Although the Host I/O Cache of the disk controller helps VirtualBox to run faster, in
some cases it does not.

1. Open VM settings and select Storage on the left.

2. Uncheck the Use Host I/O Cache checkbox and click OK. *

* Note: If it is already Disabled then Enable it.

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3. Start the VM and see if it running better now.

That's it! Which method worked for you?

Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your
experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a
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