Skip to main content

"Unable to start the virtual device" (Windows 10)

Julien
  • Updated

1. Reboot Windows

VirtualBox 6.1 may require a reboot after first run. Try to reboot your computer first.

2. VPN

If you use a VPN, please refer to Genymotion Desktop and VPN.

3. Hyper-V

If you use Windows Professional or Enterprise, this error may also be caused by Hyper-V which interferes with VirtualBox. See Genymotion Desktop and Hyper-V (Windows 8/8.1/10) for more details.

4. VirtualBox Host-only issues

If none of the above worked or applies to you, try the following:

  1. Open Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Change adapter options
  2. Right-click on VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter
  3. Select Disable
  4. Right-click on the VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter again and Select Enable

Fix_Host_only_interface.gif

If it still does not work, please try this:

  1. Open Settings > Network & Internet > Change adapter options
  2. Right-click on VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter
  3. Click on Properties and then Configure
  4. Click on the Driver tab
  5. Click on Update Driver
  6. Select Browse my computer for drivers. Now choose Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer
  7. Select VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter from the list and click on Next
  8. Click Close to finish the update

If it still fails, try to remove all the VirtualBox Host-Only Adapter:

  1. Open VirtualBox
  2. Go to File > Host Network Manager...
  3. Remove all the VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter

Remove-host-only.gif

5. Windows Defender

The Memory Integrity Core Isolation feature of Windows Defender is known to cause this type of errors. You may need to disable it before using Genymotion Desktop. For more information, please refer to How to disable Memory integrity in Windows 10?

6. Re-install VirtualBox

If it still does not work, try to remove and re-install VirtualBox:

  1. Remove VirtualBox
  2. Download VirtualBox 6.1.14 for Windows hosts here
  3. Right-click on the installer and select Run As Administrator, even if your account has admin rights.
  4. Reboot your PC

7. Downgrade VirtualBox

On some configurations, VirtualBox 6.1 is unable to create a Host-only interface. If none the above worked for you, follow these steps:

  1. Remove VirtualBox
  2. Download VirtualBox 6.0.24 for Windows hosts from here
  3. Right-click on the installer and select Run As Administrator, even if your account has admin rights
  4. Reboot your PC

8. Switch to our Cloud SaaS solution

Your Windows installation or user account may have parameters which are not compatible with VirtualBox. To avoid re-installing Windows entirely or using a different PC/OS, you may consider switching to our Genymotion SaaS cloud solution:

  • Genymotion SaaS does not require any 3rd party software
  • It has the same features as Genymotion Desktop
  • It can be accessed from anywhere with any computer with a working network connection and compatible web browser
  • It is compatible with most IDE, such as Android Studio or VSCode, via ADB

For more information, feel free to visit our website at https://www.genymotion.com/ and Genymotion SaaS user guide.

Related articles