How to Install VirtualBox on Linux Mint 22 Step-by-Step

In this blog post, we will explain how to install VirtualBox on Linux Mint 22 step- by-step.

Linux Mint is a user-friendly and popular Linux distribution known for its ease of use and robust performance. If you are planning to run virtual machines on your Linux Mint 22 system, VirtualBox is an excellent choice.

VirtualBox is a powerful open-source virtualization tool that lets you run multiple operating systems on your Linux Mint 22 machine. Whether you need to run different Linux distributions, Windows, or any other operating system, VirtualBox provides a versatile and efficient solution.

Why Use VirtualBox on Linux Mint 22?

VirtualBox provides:

• Cross-platform compatibility: Run Windows, macOS, or other Linux distributions on your Linux Mint 22.
• Snapshots: Save the state of your virtual machines for easy restoration.
• Portability: Transfer virtual machines between systems effortlessly.

Prerequisites

• Pre-Install Linux Mint 22 System
• Sudo User with admin access
• Reliable Internet Connectivity

Without any delay, let’s jump into VirtualBox Installation steps.

1) Install Updates on Your System

It is highly recommended to install all available updates on Linux Mint 22 system. Open the terminal and run following apt command.

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade -y

Post installing updates, reboot your system using following command.

$ sudo reboot

2) Install VirtualBox Dependencies

VirtualBox requires some dependencies to be installed on your system. To do this, enter the following command:

$ sudo apt install dkms build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) -y

This command will install the necessary components for building and installing VirtualBox kernel modules.

3) Add VirtualBox Apt Repository

At time of writing this post, VirtualBox 7.1 is available. But it’s package is not available in the default package repositories of Linux Mint 22. So, in order to install latest version of VirtualBox, add it’s official apt repository. Execute the following commands one after the another.

$ sudo apt install curl wget apt-transport-https gnupg2 -y
$ wget -O- https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc | sudo gpg --yes --output /usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg --dearmor
$ echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg] https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian noble contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list

Output above shows that VirtualBox APT repository has been added on your system.

4) Install VirtualBox on Linux Mint 22

Now, we are all set to install VirtualBox, run beneath apt commands,

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install virtualbox-7.1 -y

Replace virtualbox-7.1 with the latest version if a newer release is available.

5) Add Your Local User to VBoxusers Group

If you want your local user to manage virtualbox then add it to group “VBoxusers”, run

$ sudo usermod -aG vboxusers $USER
$ newgrp vboxusers

6) Launch VirtualBox

Once the installation is complete, you can launch VirtualBox from the application menu or by running the following command:

$ sudo virtualbox

Or

Click on “Oracle VM VirtualBox”, it will take us to VirtualBox GUI as shown below:

This confirms that VirtualBox has been launched successfully. Kindly choose the appropriate experience model based on your requirements.

7) Add VirtualBox Extension Pack

In order to add some additional functionalities to your virtualbox like support for USB 2.0/3.0, VirtualBox RDP, disk encryption and PXE boot etc then install extension pack.

First download the extension pack file using wget command,

$ wget https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/7.1.4/Oracle_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-7.1.4.vbox-extpack

Next, install extension pack by running,

$ sudo vboxmanage extpack install Oracle_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-7.1.4.vbox-extpack

Press “y” to accept license agreement of extension pack.

Head back to VirtualBox GUI and verify extension pack installation,

From the File Menu –> Tools –> Extension Pack Manager

Great, above screen shows that extension pack has been installed successfully. You are now ready to create and manage virtual machines on your Linux Mint 22 system with VirtualBox.

That’s all from this guide, If you found it helpful, share it with others in the Linux community. Feel free to drop your questions or feedback in the comments section below.

Also Read: How to Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux Mint 21