How to enable full screen in VirtualBox Ubuntu?

by | Jan 11, 2024 | Ubuntu 16.04

When we install Ubuntu 22.04 or any other Linux distribution on VirtualBox as a virtual machine, it does not occupy the full screen. Even if you maximize the Virtualbox the problem remains the same, it does not fit in the whole screen. It left some space around its sides as shown in the diagram:

The space is left around its left and right sides.

In this article, we’ll learn about how you can enable full screen in VirtualBox.

 How to enable full screen in VirtualBox Ubuntu 22.04?

To enable full screen in VirtualBox, we can use some additional packages, that will solve this problem. If you have installed Ubuntu 22.04 on VirtualBox, you’ll face this problem. Follow these steps for solving this problem:

  • Turn on your Ubuntu 22.04 machine and log into your machine
  • In VirtualBox, top menu bar select “Devices” and click on “Insert Guest Additions CD image..”:
  • Now go to the sidebar of the Ubuntu Desktop, and you’ll the CD icon:

It means that the VBOX Guest addition CD image has been loaded.

  • Now open the terminal by pressing “Ctrl + Alt + t”
  • Run the following command:
$ sudo apt update

The command will update the packages:

  • Now run the following command to install the “Linux headers build-essential” package
$ sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms -y

The command will install the package:

  • Now double-click on the CD icon from the sidebar in the Ubuntu Desktop
  • Open the directory in the terminal
  • Type the ls command and the following output will be displayed:
  • Now type the following command in the terminal to autorun the package for installation:
$ ./autorun.sh

The command will run the package for installation:

  • The command will require authentication to proceed with the installation:
  • Specify your password and click on the “Authenticate” button
  • The installation of Guest Addition will start
  • After installation, the system will show a message “Press return to close this window”
  • Press “Ctrl + c” to terminate the process:
  • Now restart the system 
  • As the system boots up you’ll see that the full screen has been enabled
  • The space around the left and right sides will be covered:

This is how you can enable full screen in VirtualBox using guest additions.

Conclusion

To enable full screen in VirtualBox, use the guest additions image CD and install the Linux headers build-essentials package. After the installation of these packages, your full screen will be activated.  In this article, we have explained how you can enable the full screen in VirtualBox for Ubuntu 22.04.