A virtual machine always starts with a default window size on VirtualBox, which is small and not ideal for navigating an operating system.

Usually, in the case of Windows 10, you would go to the “Display” settings to change the resolution to make the screen bigger or full screen, but you will quickly find out that the “Display resolution” option does not include many settings.

However, if you want to make a virtual machine running Windows 10 full screen, you have a couple of choices. You can use the “Full-screen Mode” option or use the “Auto-resize Guest Display” option. The first option will make the guest operating system full screen, meaning that the VM will take the entire screen as if it was the primary system. The second choice only stretches the virtual machine resolution based on the size of the window.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to stretch or full screen a virtual machine running Windows 10 on VirtualBox.

How to use Windows 10 in full-screen mode on VirtualBox

On VirtualBox, you can only make a virtual machine full screen if the Guest Additions are installed. If you have not installed the virtual drivers, complete those steps first and then continue with the instruction below.

Use the following steps to make Windows 10 full screen on VirtualBox:

  • Open VirtualBox.
  • Right-click the virtual machine, select the Start submenu and choose the Normal Start option.
  • Sign in to your Windows 10 account.
  • Click the View menu in the virtual machine and select the Full-screen Mode (Right Ctrl (Host) key + F) option.
  • VirtualBox full-screen option
  • (Optional) Click the View menu in the virtual machine and select the Auto-resize Guest Display option.
  • Quick note: If the VM window is already maximized, click the Restore down button and then Maximize button again to allow VirtualBox to change the screen resolution automatically.

Once you complete the steps, the guest operating system will automatically change the resolution to switch to full-screen mode.

Open VirtualBox.

Right-click the virtual machine, select the Start submenu and choose the Normal Start option.

Sign in to your Windows 10 account.

Click the View menu in the virtual machine and select the Full-screen Mode (Right Ctrl (Host) key + F) option.

VirtualBox full-screen option

(Optional) Click the View menu in the virtual machine and select the Auto-resize Guest Display option.