How to Fix “Timed Out While Waiting for the Machine to Boot” in Vagrant on Windows and VirtualBox

Troubleshooting “Timed Out While Waiting for the Machine to Boot” with Vagrant and VirtualBox on Windows

Hey everyone! If you’ve ever run vagrant up on Windows and hit that hair-pulling “Timed out while waiting for the machine to boot” error, you’re not alone! I recently tangled with this very problem while setting up a PHP dev environment, and after a lot of poking around, trial-and-error, and head scratching, I’ve put together a practical guide to squash this annoyance once and for all.

Let’s walk through the rationale behind checking each component—and most importantly, why it’s critical to make sure the VirtualBox application itself is up and running on your host machine!

What Causes the Boot Timeout?

When Vagrant spins up a VM using VirtualBox, it needs to be able to:

  • Start the VM process within VirtualBox
  • Get the network set up (port forwarding, host-only adapters, etc.)
  • Connect via SSH (using default or provided keys)

If anything in that chain breaks down—slow startup, network collision, misconfigured box, port conflicts, or even if VirtualBox itself isn’t running or is locked up—Vagrant can’t “see” your new VM and throws the timeout error.

First Thing’s First: Is VirtualBox Running?

Let’s be honest: Sometimes, it really is as simple as “Is VirtualBox actually running on your machine?” On Windows particularly, VirtualBox isn’t as deeply integrated as some users expect. If you installed it, never actually launched it, or closed it after use, it can get stuck, crash, or not respond to Vagrant requests—even though Vagrant itself is happy to try.

Tip: Before (and while) running vagrant up, I now always make sure the VirtualBox application is open.
If it isn’t:

  • Launch “Oracle VM VirtualBox” on your host.
  • Make sure you can see your expected VMs.
  • Watch the VM appear/disappear as you start/stop with Vagrant.

Why does this matter? Because sometimes Vagrant can throw network-related or port errors that are actually rooted in VirtualBox being unavailable, corrupt, or hung—NOT your Vagrantfile or networking code.

Quick Example: Vagrantfile with Networks, Boot Timeout, and Resource Tweaks

Here’s a Vagrantfile you can use to test things with the tried-and-true Ubuntu box:

VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION = "2"

Vagrant.configure(VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION) do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/bionic64"
  config.vm.network :private_network, ip: "192.168.33.22"
  config.vm.network :forwarded_port, guest: 3306, host: 3307, auto_correct: true
  config.vm.provider :virtualbox do |vb|
    vb.customize ["modifyvm", :id, "--memory", "4096"]
  end
  config.vm.boot_timeout = 600
end

With boot_timeout bumped up to 600 seconds, slow disks or heavier base boxes don’t leave you hanging. If your Windows firewall or another service is hijacking host port 3306, switching it to 3307 (or using auto_correct: true) helps prevent port conflicts (which can also manifest as SSH timeouts).

More Troubleshooting Tips

1. Use vagrant ssh
Always try connecting via vagrant ssh before jumping to another SSH client. If this fails, debug output will often point directly to the problem (SSH key mismatch, bad port, etc.).

2. Check Your Box
Custom boxes sometimes lack Vagrant’s default SSH keys or are missing SSH altogether. Try with a known working public box, then swap back to your preferred custom box when you’re sure everything’s working.

3. Validate VirtualBox and Vagrant Versions
Outdated? Update both.
(Find the latest VirtualBox here and Vagrant here).

4. Windows and Hyper-V
With Windows 10/11, Hyper-V often conflicts with VirtualBox. Disable Hyper-V if you’re getting cryptic hardware or boot errors.

bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

Then reboot.

5. Always Check for Port Conflicts
Use

netstat -anb | findstr 2222

to see if SSH forwarding is being used elsewhere.

Wrapping Up

Vagrant’s “timed out while waiting for the machine to boot” almost always comes down to one of the following:

  • VirtualBox not running, stuck, or with a broken install
  • Port forwarding conflicts
  • Custom box SSH issues
  • Firewall, Antivirus, or UAC blocking network adapters or ports

I’ve found half of my problems disappear just by opening VirtualBox, making sure my VM shows up, and watching to see if it boots cleanly. Combine that with an increased timeout and a working base box, and you’re back in business. Don’t let Vagrant errors kill your dev flow!

Further Reading:

Happy coding! Got your own workaround for this? Drop it in the comments below!

2. 10 Keyword-Rich Title Options

  1. How to Fix Vagrant "Timed Out While Waiting for the Machine to Boot" on Windows
  2. Resolving Vagrant and VirtualBox Boot Timeouts: Complete Troubleshooting Guide
  3. Vagrant Up SSH Timeout Fix: VirtualBox, Port Forwarding, and Network Tips
  4. Ultimate Guide to Troubleshooting Vagrant SSH and Boot Issues on Windows 10/11
  5. Why Your Vagrant Box Won’t Boot: Common Causes and Solutions for Windows Users
  6. Fixing Vagrant and VirtualBox Port Conflicts and SSH Connection Errors
  7. Solving “Timed Out While Waiting for the Machine to Boot” with Vagrant + VirtualBox
  8. Boosting Vagrant Reliability: Increase Boot Timeout and Tackle SSH Errors
  9. Step-by-Step Guide: Vagrant Up Fails to Boot VirtualBox VM (Windows Fix)
  10. Making Vagrant Work with VirtualBox: Troubleshooting SSH, Network, and Boot Errors

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