Some learning activities use Oracle VM VirtualBox to run a virtual machine on your computer. A virtual machine lets you run a separate operating system in an isolated environment without making permanent changes to your main system.

If you're having trouble starting a virtual machine, the issue is often related to your computer's available resources or virtualization settings.

Check your computer resources

Running a virtual machine requires additional system resources because your computer is running more than one operating system at the same time.

Before starting VirtualBox:

• Close any applications you don't need.
• Close unnecessary browser tabs.
• Make sure your computer has enough available memory and processing capacity.

If your computer is low on memory or CPU resources, VirtualBox may fail to start or perform poorly.

Check whether virtualization is enabled

VirtualBox requires hardware virtualization support.

If virtualization is disabled, you may see unexpected or unclear error messages when attempting to start a virtual machine.

On Windows, you can use Task Manager to check whether virtualization is enabled.

If it is disabled, you'll need to enable your computer's virtualization setting in the BIOS or UEFI firmware. Depending on your hardware manufacturer, this setting may be called:

• SVM
• Intel VT-x
• Virtualization Technology

The exact location and name of the setting varies between computer manufacturers.

Changing BIOS or UEFI settings should only be done if you're comfortable doing so. If you're unsure, refer to your computer manufacturer's documentation.

If virtualization is enabled and your computer has sufficient resources, VirtualBox should be able to run supported virtual machines.