How to Install VirtualBox in MacOS Mojave if Installation Fails or Shows Kernel Driver Errors

If you have attempted to install VirtualBox in macOS Mojave you may have noticed the installation sometimes fails with a generic “The installation failed” error message. Then, when trying to run VirtualBox you may experience another error saying “Kernel driver not installed” and VirtualBox fails to function. We’ll cover two different resolutions to the installation/running VirtualBox problem, one involving a Gatekeeper bypass, and the other using a Gatekeeper exception (for macOS 10.14.5 or later).
The reason for the installation failure and the inability for the kernel module to load successfully is due to security restrictions in MacOS Mojave, and thus to be able to successfully install VirtualBox and run the app you will need to make a relatively simple bypass of those aforementioned security restrictions (alternatively, you can also disable Gatekeeper completely but that is generally not recommended). By the way, while this article is obviously focused on VirtualBox you will find this same general process is necessary for installing other apps that include kernel extensions.















