How to fix Ubuntu freezing in VirtualBox

If you're curious about Linux but don't want to completely replace macOS or Windows, running this operating system in a virtual machine is a great choice. VirtualBox is one of the most popular virtual machines for many reasons, one of which is because it's free.

Virtual machines are complex things and when something goes wrong, it's hard to know where the problem is. This is especially true if you are running Ubuntu and it freezes continuously. If this happens to you, trying to figure out what the problem is can be a hopeless effort.

Disable 3D Acceleration

Whether you are running Windows, macOS or even Linux, 3D Acceleration can cause problems in VirtualBox. While it may sound attractive, it rarely helps you achieve any real performance. If you encounter freezing, this is one of the first things you should try to disable.

In the left menu in VirtualBox, right-click on the Ubuntu virtual machine in which you are having trouble, then select Settings. Here, click the Display tab and make sure that the Enable 3D Acceleration option is not selected.

Change the number of virtual CPUs

Although regular computers only have one physical CPU, they still have multiple cores (cores) that act like many CPUs. However, VirtualBox, by default, will only display a virtual CPU, proven to cause problems with Ubuntu, especially recent versions.

If you experience freezing, you may want to increase the number of CPUs to 2 to 4. Right-click your virtual machine, select Settings, and then go to the System tab . Here, select the processor at the top of the section and raise the slider until the minimum number of CPUs is two.

Some other options

There are a number of other options that other users have found, which can solve the freeze problem. In the same section, where you can change the number of CPUs, there is an option to Enable PAE / NX . If this option is turned on, turn it off, or turn it on if it is turned off, this method may help solve the problem you are having.

You can also try changing your Paravirtualization settings. Go to Settings, then select System and Acceleration below it. Paravirtualization interface may be set to Default, but some users have better results when setting it to Minimal.

Try another version of VirtualBox

No program has errors and this is true for both Ubuntu and VirtualBox. Some users have discovered that different versions of VirtualBox and Ubuntu are sometimes incompatible with each other. If a certain version of Ubuntu never freezes in the past, you can try installing an older version of VirtualBox.

Otherwise, you can try to run a newer version of Ubuntu. Not only can you solve the freezing problem, but you can also get new features.

Hopefully, one of the options above solved the freezing problem you encountered with Ubuntu. If you still have difficulties, don't give up hope. Trying to combine the different options above may work for your case. Don't let a bad experience make you not use Linux or virtual machines anymore.

This article covers running Ubuntu in a virtual machine, but what about other options? If that's what you need, check out TipsMake.com 's tutorial on how to install and run VirtualBox on Ubuntu.

Hope you are succesful.