Practical Ways on How to Make Your Virtual Machine Faster

What's great about running a virtual machine is that you can try out a new operating system or test an application without affecting the host OS. However, there are times wherein the program you are using to do so may not be running the virtual machine up to its optimum level.

There are few reasons underlying the decrease in speed of your virtual machine -- it could be due to your physical system's hardware capabilities or it may be the program running your virtual machine that is sluggish. Read more to learn some tips on how to go about speeding up your virtual machine.

Restart Your PC

Before you do anything else, it's best to give your PC a restart. This option is often overlooked but is one very effective step to iron out the wrinkles your PC may be having.

Keep Your Virtualization Software Up to Date

These updates over time will get rid of the bugs and handle your physical machine's RAM and processing power far better than before.

Adjust Dedicated RAM and Add Software Acceleration

If too much memory is handed over, your physical PC may not have sufficient RAM remaining in order to complete its regular tasks. Similarly, if too little is allotted to your virtual machine, it may have some difficulties doing as much as loading a web browser. There is a healthy medium, and what this is will vary based on your physical PC's specifications. Take note that you need to provide your virtual machine with 1GB of RAM per 4 GB of RAM on your physical PC. This may not be the ultimate solution, but it is a wise thing to consider if you are new to configuring a virtual machine.

In addition to adding more memory, you can also add more CPUs and or enable hardware virtualization and/or acceleration through your virtual machine's hosting software.

Defragment Your Host's Hard Drive (for Windows Only)

You need to allot some time to defragment your computer's disk -- it may just be a simple procedure but it can do wonders. For those unaware, defragging a hard drive is simply the act of placing blocks of data closer together so that data can be read by the machine more quickly. You will notice load times significantly decrease, not only across your virtual machine, but on your physical PC as well.

Reduce the Disk Size of Your Virtual Machine

If your virtual machine is hogging a very large amount of storage, processes can take a lot of time to complete. For more information, click here.

Disable Windows Defender on Virtual Machine (for Windows Only)

As long as you aren't using your virtual PC permanently or to test sketchy or otherwise suspicious programs, you may wish to disable preinstalled antivirus. Antivirus will use extra CPU and RAM resources that, while necessary on a PC, are not so crucial on a virtual machine. Again, choosing to disable antivirus will vary based on the user's preference.

Disable Background Tasks on Your Virtual PC

Your virtual machine will noticeably run faster and smoother if the running processes in its background are at minimal, since these are eating up RAM and the hard drive's reading and writing. Try closing any program that is not urgently needed to complete the task at hand.