How To Install VirtualBox 6.1 On MacOS 10.13.6 Or Newer And Setup The VirtualBox Extension Pack.
There are several software and operating system virtualization tools annd utilities that are made for MacOS and one of those is a FREE and open source software called VirtualBox. Virtualbox is a general purpose x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product from ORACLE that makes it possible to run almost any operating system on MacOS without having to reboot. It als has a free virtualbox extension pack that adds even more functionality and features to virtualbox such as virtual machine encryption,virtual machine remote access, and even external device pass through. Continue reading to learn how to install virtualbox 6.1 on MacOS 10.13.6 or newer and setup the virtualbox extension pack in 10 minutes or less..
REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete this tutorial successfully the following items are required. Please ensure to have these items available before taking implimentation action on this tutorial:
1) A Mac computer running MacOS 10.13.6 High Sierra or newer
2) Compare the checksum and install virtualbox on the Mac.
3) An internet connection to download the virtualbox extension pack
4) A MacOS administrator user account.
OVERVIEW
1) Open a web browser such as SAFARI or GOOGLE CHROME and go to the official virtualbox download page.
2) Install VirtualBox on MacOS
3) Open Virtualbox and install the virtualbox estension pack
4) Check for virtualbox updates.
Step 1: Download Virtualbox 6.1
1) Click HERE to go to the official virtualbox download page for MacOS.On the VIRTUALBOX 6.1.xx PLATFORM PACKAGES heading click on the OSX HOSTS link then click on SAVE on the OPENING VIRTUAL 6.1.xx.dmg popup.
Step 2: Compare The SHA256 Checksum And Install VirtualBox.
2) The next step is to compare the checksum of the VIRTUALBOX installation file thats you have just downloaded. This helps to verify the integrity of the file especially if you intend to use virtualbox in a production environment or if you have downloaded virtualbox at work and want to install it on a computer at home or at a remote location.
Open the MacOS terminal application and change directory to the folder where the virtualbox.dmg file is located then run the following command.
openssl sha256 VirtualBox-6.1.12-139181-OSX.dmg
3) Next, go to the virtual box download page and just below the VIRTUALBOX 6.1.12 PLATFORM PACKAGES heading click on the SHA256 CHECKSUMS link. A page with all the checksums for the virtualbox 6.1.12 installation files will be displayed. Simply check if the SHA256 checksum that was returned on the MacOS terminal is the same as the one on the virtualbox website.
To be certain you can use a website such as diffchecker.com to check and make sure that the checksums are the same.
4) Open FINDER and go to the folder where the virtualbox.dmg file was downloaded to. Right click on the file and click on OPEN WITH > DISKIMAGEMOUNTER (DEFAULT) the double click on the VIRTUALBOX icon to open the VIRTUALBOX SETUP.
5) MacOS detects that the virtualbox package was downloaded directly from the internet and a popup message will be displayed warning you that you should only run programs from a trusted source, click on CONTINUE to proceed.
On the ORACLE VM VIRTUALBOX setup program, click on CONTINUE then, leave the default installation location as is and click on INSTALL.
6) During installation virtualbox will attempt to load some new system extensions, if MacOS blocks them then the installation process might fail. If this happens, simply click on then OPEN SECURITY PREFERENCES button and on the GENERAL tab click on ALLOW where it says “SYSTEM SOFTWARE FROM DEVELOPER ORACLE, VIRTUALBOX WAS BLOCKED FROM LOADING”
If nothing happens when you click on ALLOW, restart your Mac and when it starts up open SYSTEM PREFERENCES, click on the GENERAL tab and try to click on the ALLOW button again.
7) Open the virtualbox.dmg file again and start afresh the installation,since virtualbox now has permission to load some new system extensions the installation process will complete succeessfully.
Step 3: Open Virtualbox And Install The Virtualbox Extension Pack.
8) Go to the virtualbox download page and just under the “VirtualBox 6.1.12 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack” heading click on the ALL SUPPORTED PLATFORMS download link.
9) Next, open FINDER and go to the applications folder. Scroll down to the virtualbox icon, right click on it and select OPEN.
From the MacOS menu bar click on VIRTUALBOX > PREFERENCES and click on the EXTENSIONS tab. Click on the ADD NEW PACKAGE button with a small green PLUS(+) icon.
A file selection box will be opened, go to the folder where the virtualbox extension pack was downloaded to, select it and click on OPEN.
A popup message will be displayed and notify you of the action that you are about to take as well as a full explanation of what the virtualbox extension pack can do. Click on the INSTALL button to proceed.
10) Once the EXTENSION PACK installation process is complete click on OK and you can now start to create and deploy VIRTUALBOX virtual machines right on your Mac.
Step 4: Check For And Install VirtualBox Updates.
11) It is recommended it always periodically check for and install virtualbox updates so as to get software fixes, software patches and new features. Virtualbox makes this process easy by providing a builtin software update check functionality.
Simply Click on VIRTUALBOX > CHECK FOR UPDATES and if there are any updates virtualbox will automatically prompt you to download and install them.
