Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: VirtualBox on OSX Host: Signal 6 Error, can only run headless

VirtualBox error on OSX host: Signal 6 Error, can only run headless

Quick Answer: Check the Oracle extensions version and update if necessary. Also, ensure that the VirtualBox executable has execute permissions.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The Signal 6 error in VirtualBox on OSX hosts indicates that there is an issue with the virtual machine's process termination. This error affects users who try to run their VMs interactively, causing them to terminate unexpectedly during startup.

This problem can be frustrating as it prevents users from interacting with their virtual machines, and running them headless only provides limited functionality. In this guide, we will walk through the possible causes of this issue and provide two primary fix methods to resolve the problem.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The first main reason for this error is a permissions issue related to the user account running VirtualBox. When you run VirtualBox as a normal user, it may not have sufficient privileges to start the virtual machine. This can be resolved by adding the user account to the 'admin' group or by using sudo to run VirtualBox.
  • An alternative reason for this error is a corrupted or locked file in the Library/VirtualBox directory on the host machine. Although you have already checked all files in this directory, it's possible that a specific file is causing the issue. You can try deleting the 'config.vbox' file and then restarting VirtualBox to see if it resolves the problem.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Run VirtualBox with sudo

  1. Step 1: To run VirtualBox with sudo, open a terminal on your host machine and type the following command: `sudo vboxmanage startvm Kubuntu`. This will allow you to start the virtual machine interactively.
  2. Step 2: If you want to run VirtualBox without using sudo, you can add your user account to the 'admin' group by running the following command in the terminal: `sudo dseditgroup -o editgroup -n admin -t text -e `. Replace `` with your actual username.
  3. Step 3: Once you have added your user account to the 'admin' group, you can run VirtualBox without using sudo by adding the `--type vrdp` option when starting the virtual machine: `vboxmanage startvm Kubuntu --type vrdp`. This will allow you to start the virtual machine interactively.

Check and repair corrupted files

  1. Step 1: To check for corrupted or locked files in the Library/VirtualBox directory, open a terminal on your host machine and navigate to this directory using the `cd` command. Type `ls -lah` to list all files and directories in the directory.
  2. Step 2: If you find any corrupted or locked files, delete them using the `rm` command. Be careful not to delete any important system files or directories.

💡 Conclusion

In conclusion, the Signal 6 error in VirtualBox on OSX hosts can be resolved by either running VirtualBox with sudo or by checking and repairing corrupted files in the Library/VirtualBox directory. By following these steps, you should be able to start your virtual machines interactively without any issues.

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