Starting a virtual device fails with

Starting a virtual device fails with "VBoxHeadless.exe - Application Error. [...] The memory could not be read."

Source: https://support.genymotion.com/hc/en-us/articles/9423473314973-Starting-a-virtual-device-fails-with-VBoxHeadless-exe-Application-Error-The-memory-could-not-be-read

Published: 2026-02-12

Keywords: Genymotion Desktop, VBoxHeadless.exe, memory could not be read, Windows GPU switch, hybrid graphics

Document ID: https://support.genymotion.com/hc/en-us/articles/9423473314973-Starting-a-virtual-device-fails-with-VBoxHeadless-exe-Application-Error-The-memory-could-not-be-read#split1

Overview

The article explains a fix for the VBoxHeadless.exe memory read error on Windows.
The error occurs on laptops with two GPUs: a low-profile integrated GPU and a high-profile discrete GPU.
The fix requires forcing Windows to use the high-profile discrete GPU by default.
The article provides a link to the guide titled "How to force Genymotion Desktop use the high performance discrete GPU on laptops?" for the steps.
The page shows user feedback: 30 out of 49 found this helpful.
The page offers a link to request technical support.
The page includes related articles.

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Overview

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