I'm trying to install guest additions on my macOS Big Sur VM, but the installation never has been successful. I always get a triggering "The installation failed" screen. Since Command+R can't be used to enter recovery mode on Virtualbox for some reason, I used the installation disk and I disabled Csrutil from there. I restarted to the "Normal mode" and guess what? It failed again! I double-checked using csrutil status and SIP is off, but why can't the guest additions be installed?
Virtualbox – Can’t install guest additions (Big Sur)
big sursipvirtualbox
Related Solutions
High Sierra comes with a new security feature: Secure Kernel Extension Loading, which blocks kernel extension loading. The implementation appears to be questionable.
To allow the loading of some non-Apple kernel extension you have to either allow execution in Preferences > Security & Privacy > General:
or disable the security feature with a Terminal command (not recommended):
sudo spctl --master-disable
AFAIR the guest additions's sharing feature doesn't work for the macOS varieties. On the other hand none of the mentioned options is necessary to get file sharing running.
The only thing needed is a proper network connection.
The most simple configuration: using the physical NIC of the host as bridged device in the guest. If the physical NIC is already connected to the internet, you don't even have to set up a NAT-network to get internet in the guest.
- Shut down the guest
- Open the config window of the guest in VirtualBox
- Chose network > adaptor 1
- Choose Bridge and the appropriate physical NIC of the host (usually en0 or en1) and hit the OK button
Now start the guest machine.
Open System Preferences > Network > bridged NIC on the host and make a note of the network settings (e.g. IP: 192.168.0.2/Mask: 255.255.255.0/Gateway: 192.168.0.1 DNS:192.168.0.1).
Open in the guest: System Preferences > Network > only NIC available which usually has a similar name as the physical NIC of the host (e.g. Ethernet - the interface name (en0, en1, etc.) may differ though).
Enter a different IP in the same network (e.g. IP 192.168.0.12). The rest stays the same (255.255.255.0/192.168.0.1 DNS:192.168.0.1)
Create a folder to share on the hosting Mac.
On the host switch to System Preferences > Sharing, enable file sharing, hit the +-sign and choose the folder created in the previous step.
In the guest open in the Finder > Go > "Connect to Server..." and connect to the hosting Mac with the proper IP (e.g. smb://192.168.0.2) and credentials.
This common approach didn't work out for the OP for unknown reasons. So things were reversed and a folder in the guest was shared. On the hosting Mac open in the Finder > Go > "Connect to Server..." and choose the IP of the guest (e.g. smb://192.168.0.12) and log-in with the proper credentials.
This worked after adjusting the time of the hosting Mac (it was off for ~8 minutes and Kerberos doesn't like this - server and client time should be in sync; AFAIR 5 minutes difference is acceptable).
Best Answer
You can not install guest additions when using Big Sur. I have seen some hacks posted that are suppose to work, but I have never found one that works with a Big Sur guest.
Here are some ideas of how to substitute the functionality that guest additions may have offered.
Screen Size: The command given below can be used to change the video resolution of the Big Sur guest. For more information, see section 3.14.1. Video Modes in EFI of the online Oracle® VM VirtualBox® User Manual. You can also download a PDF version from here.
You should enter this command with the guest is powered off.
Transfer Files by Network: You can use SMB to connect to the guest by the host or any other computer on the LAN. You should make sure the
Attached to:for the network is set toBridged Adaptor.Transfer Files by USB: You can attach a physical USB flash drive to the guest. To do so, you must first eject the flash drive on the host. When the guest powers off or ejects the flash drive, the host will automatically attempt to mount any volumes on the flash drive. If the host has USB 3 ports, then
USB 3.0 (xHCI) Controllershould be selected under setting for ports.Perhaps, a better solution would be to avoid VirtualBox all together. VMware now offers the use of Fusion Player for free. You do need to create an account to get a license key. VMware Fusion Player is both Big Sur host and guest compatible with Intel based Macs. Also, installing is simplified. You only need to drag and drop the
Install macOS Big Surapplication into a Fusion Player window and the installer drive is automatically created. In other words, you do not need an ISO or flash drive to install.IMO, the fact that I can not install Big Sur on my 2013 iMac, but can install Big Sur in a virtual machine on the same Mac, just seems wrong (or unfair).