Video Modes in EFI
EFI provides two distinct video interfaces: GOP (Graphics Output Protocol) and UGA (Universal Graphics Adapter). Modern OSes, such as Mac OS X, generally use GOP, while some older ones still use UGA. provides a configuration option to control the graphics resolution for both interfaces, making the difference mostly irrelevant for users.
The default resolution is 1024x768. To select a graphics resolution for EFI, use the following
VBoxManage command:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" VBoxInternal2/EfiGraphicsResolution HxV
Find the horizontal resolution H and the vertical resolution V from the following list of default resolutions:
Default Resolutions for Display Types
Common display types and their default resolution values.
Display Type
Default Horizontal Resolution (px)
Default Vertical Resolution (px)
Color Depth (BPP)
Display Aspect Ratio
VGA
640
480
32
4:3
SVGA
800
600
32
4:3
XGA
1024
768
32
4:3
XGA+
1152
864
32
4:3
HD
1280
720
32
16:9
WXGA
1280
800
32
16:10
SXGA
1280
1024
32
5:4
SXGA+
1400
1050
32
4:3
WXGA+
1440
900
32
16:10
HD+
1600
900
32
16:9
UXGA
1600
1200
32
4:3
WSXGA+
1680
1050
32
16:10
Full HD
1920
1080
32
16:9
WUXGA
1920
1200
32
16:10
DCI 2K
2048
1080
32
19:10
Full HD+
2160
1440
32
3:2
Unnamed
2304
1440
32
16:10
QHD
2560
1440
32
16:9
WQXGA
2560
1600
32
16:10
QWXGA+
2880
1800
32
16:10
QHD+
3200
1800
32
16:9
WQSXGA
3200
2048
32
16:10
4K UHD
3840
2160
32
16:9
WQUXGA
3840
2400
32
16:10
DCI 4K
4096
2160
32
19:10
HXGA
4096
3072
32
4:3
UHD+
5120
2880
32
16:9
WHXGA
5120
3200
32
16:10
WHSXGA
6400
4096
32
16:10
HUXGA
6400
4800
32
4:3
8K UHD2
7680
4320
32
16:9
If this list of default resolutions does not cover your needs, see Custom VESA Resolutions. Note that the color depth value specified in a custom video mode must be specified. Color depths of 8, 16, 24, and 32 are accepted. EFI assumes a color depth of 32 by default.
The EFI default video resolution settings can only be changed when the VM is powered off.