How to install ubuntu on virtualbox
How to install ubuntu on virtualbox
Download an Ubuntu Image
You can download an Ubuntu image here. Make sure to save it to a memorable location on your PC! For this tutorial, we will use the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release.
Download and install VirtualBox
On Mac OS or Windows you can download VirtualBox from the downloads page here.
This page also includes instructions to download VirtualBox for Linux. However, on Ubuntu, you can find VirtualBox by simply searching for it in the Ubuntu Software app.
Once you have completed the installation, go ahead and run VirtualBox.
2. Create a new virtual machine
Click New to create a new virtual machine. Fill in the appropriate details:
On the next screen, you will be able to select the amount of RAM from your main PC that the virtual machine will access. Be sure to remain inside the green bar to ensure you can continue to work outside of the VM whilst it’s running!
Note: If you select Expert Mode, you will be given the option to set all of these parameters in one go. Useful for future setups!
It’s fine to use the default settings for now.
After that, you can select how much of your hard disk your VM will use.
The type of hard disk depends on whether you use VirtualBox with other VM software. For now, we can leave this as a VDI.
Then you can choose whether the hard disk is dynamically allocated (up to the limit we will set on the next screen), filling up as the VM requires it. Otherwise, we can tell it to allocate the full amount of memory right from the start. This will improve performance but may take up unnecessary space. We’ll leave it as dynamically allocated for this tutorial.
Finally you can set the maximum amount of memory your VM can access.
After this click Create to initialize the machine!
3. Install your image
Choose the disc image you want to use, then click Start on the start-up disc window.
Note: If you close this window before selecting an image you can still do so from the Devices menu at the top of the VM window. Select Devices > Optical Drives > Choose/Create a disc image…
Ubuntu desktop should now boot and display the installation menu.
After this point you can follow the normal installation flow for Ubuntu Desktop.
But there’s one more thing to talk about before we move on!
4. Changing the window resolution
You’ll notice that by default VirtualBox only displays at 800×600 resolution. But if you right click the Window in monitor icon at the bottom of the screen and select Virtual Screen 1, there are many more options available, but greyed out.
To resolve this we need to change some settings. Close the window and select Power off the machine.
Return to the manager window and select Settings.
Then navigate to the Display tab.
Change the Graphics Controller setting to VBoxSVGA and click OK (ignore the warning).
Now restart your virtual machine.
Once Ubuntu has started, you should now be able to select all of the available resolutions from the virtual monitor menu, or simply resize the window to adjust the display.
That’s the end of the primary tutorial. Congratulations, you now have Ubuntu running on a virtual machine!
What follows are some more advanced options if you’d like to explore VirtualBox further.
5. Installing Guest Additions
Guest Additions is an extra piece of software that unlocks some more advanced features of VirtualBox. This includes better integration between your virtual machine and the host machine, as well as improved video support that enables the display resolution options when using VMSVGA.
To install Guest Additions, you need to complete your installation of Ubuntu in your virtual machine and boot to the desktop.
From there, select Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD.
This will prompt you to download the Guest Additions disk image file.
Click Download.
Then click Insert.
The disc will appear inside your virtual desktop and you will be prompted to run the software.
Enter your password to install it.
Once this is complete, you will need to restart your virtual machine for the new features to take effect.
Close the machine, but before you start it up again, return to the Settings menu and change the Graphics Controller back to VMSVGA and Enable 3D Acceleration. This will improve the performance of your virtual machine by taking advantage of your PC’s 3D hardware and allow you to resize your desktop resolution!
Another feature this unlocks is the shared clipboard, which you can activate in Devices > Shared Clipboard. This will allow you to copy and paste between your virtual and host machines, useful when you want to copy outputs from one device to the other.
6. Explore Virtual Box
As you can probably tell, there are tonnes of further configuration options available in VirtualBox and we’ve only scratched the surface.
VirtualBox allows you to create and configure multiple virtual machines, so don’t be afraid to create new instances of Ubuntu to try out different system and storage configurations to fine tune your performance.
Why not try following the tutorial above with one of the Ubuntu flavours!
7. Tell us your thoughts!
Thank you for following this tutorial, we’d love to hear how you got on.
Give us feedback in the Ubuntu Discourse if you have any issues.
To help us improve our tutorials, we’d love to hear more about you:
Install Linux Inside Windows Using VirtualBox [Step by Step Guide]
Brief: Using Linux in a virtual machine gives you the option to try Linux within Windows. This step-by-step guide shows you how to install Linux inside Windows using VirtualBox.
There are several ways to install Linux. You can clean everything from your system and install Linux. You can dual boot Linux with Windows and choose one of the operating systems at the boot time. You can even install Linux within Windows from Microsoft Store (though this only provides you with the command line version of Linux).
But if you want to use Linux without making any changes to your Windows system, you can go the virtual machine route. Basically, you install and use Linux like any regular Windows application. When you just want to try Linux for limited use, virtual machines provide the most comfortable option.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to install Linux inside Windows using VirtualBox.
Installing Linux inside Windows using VirtualBox
VirtualBox is free and open source virtualization software from Oracle. It enables you to install other operating systems in virtual machines. It is recommended that your system should have at least 4GB of RAM to get decent performance from the virtual operating system.
Requirements
I am installing Ubuntu 17.10 in this tutorial, but the same steps apply to any other Linux distribution. If you prefer videos, you can watch the one below from our YouTube channel:
Step 1: Download and install VirtualBox
Go to the website of Oracle VirtualBox and get the latest stable version from here:
Step 2: Download the Linux ISO
Next, you need to download the ISO file of the Linux distribution. You can get this image from the official website of the Linux distribution you are trying to use.
I am using Ubuntu in this example, and you can download ISO images for Ubuntu from the link below:
Step 3: Install Linux using VirtualBox
You have installed VirtualBox and you have downloaded the ISO for Linux. You are now set to install Linux in VirtualBox.
Start VirtualBox, and click on the New symbol. Give the virtual OS a relevant name.
Allocate RAM to the virtual OS. My system has 8GB of RAM and I decided to allocate 2GB of it. You can use more RAM if your system has enough extra.
Create a virtual disk. This serves as the hard disk of the virtual Linux system. It is where the virtual system will store its files.
I recommend using the VDI file type here.
You can choose either the “Dynamically allocated” or the “Fixed size” option for creating the virtual hard disk.
The recommended size is 10 GB. However, I suggest giving it more space if possible. 15-20 GB is preferable.
Once everything is in place, it’s time to boot that ISO and install Linux as a virtual operating system.
If VirtualBox doesn’t detect the Linux ISO, browse to its location by clicking the folder icon as shown in the picture below:
Soon you’ll find yourself inside Linux. You should be presented with the option to install it.
Things from here are Ubuntu-specific. Other Linux distributions may have slightly different looking steps, but it won’t be complicated at all.
You can skip to Continue.
Select ‘Erase disk and install Ubuntu’. Don’t worry. It won’t delete anything on your Windows operating system. You are using the virtual disk space of 15-20GB that we created in previous steps. It won’t impact the real operating system.
Just click on Continue.
Things are pretty straightforward from here.
Try to choose a password that you can remember. You can also reset the password in Ubuntu if you forget it.
You are almost done. It may take 10-15 minutes to complete the installation.
Once the installation finishes, restart the virtual system.
If it gets stuck on the screen below, you may close the VirtualBox.
And that’s all. From now on, just click on the installed Linux virtual machine. You’ll be able to use it directly. The installation is a one time only process. You can even delete the Linux ISO that you downloaded earlier.
I strongly recommend using VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu for it provides better compatibility and you would be able to use copy-paste and drag-drop between Linux and Windows.
Troubleshooting: AMD-V is disabled in the BIOS
If you face this error while using the virtual machine:
Not in a hypervisor partition (HVP=0) (VERR_NEM_NOT_AVAILABLE).
AMD-V is disabled in the BIOS (or by the host OS) (VERR_SVM_DISABLED).
Result Code:
E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component:
ConsoleWrap
Interface:
IConsole
This means that virtualization is blocked on your system. You’ll have to activate it in your BIOS settings first.
Reboot your system and as soon as it powers up, press F2/F10/F12 to access BIOS settings. You have to look for the virtualization option in the BIOS and enable it.
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Any questions?
That’s all you need to do to install Linux in VirtualBox on Windows. If you have any doubts, or if you encounter any issues, please feel free to ask your questions in the comment box below.
Creator of It’s FOSS. An ardent Linux user & open source promoter. Huge fan of classic detective mysteries ranging from Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes to Detective Columbo & Ellery Queen. Also a movie buff with a soft corner for film noir.
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How to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox
What is VirtualBox?
Oracle VM VirtualBox is a cross-platform virtualization application developed by the Oracle Corporation. It allows users to install operating systems on virtual hard disks such as Windows, macOS, Solaris and Linux.
As an example, you can run Windows and Linux on your Mac, run Windows server on your Linux server, or run Linux on your Windows PC while running your other existing applications.
Disk space and memory are the only problems that you’ll face when installing multiple virtual machines.
Why You’ll Need It
VirtualBox Installation
VirtualBox can be downloaded here: VirtualBox Downloads
Why Ubuntu?
Setup for Ubuntu
First, open VirtualBox, then click «New» to create a virtual machine.
Enter «Ubuntu» as the name, select «Linux» as the type, and select Ubuntu (64-bit) as the version.
NOTE: Select any amount of memory you wish, but don’t add more than 50 percent of your total RAM.
Check the «Create a virtual hard disk now» option so we can later define our Ubuntu OS virtual hard disk size.
Now, we want to select «VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)».
Next, we’ll dynamically allocate storage on our physical hard disk.
We want to specify our Ubuntu OS’s size. The recommended size is 10 GB, but you can increase the size if you wish.
After creating a virtual hard disk, you’ll see Ubuntu in your dashboard.
Now, we have to set up the Ubuntu disk image file (.iso).
The Ubuntu disk image file can be downloaded here: Ubuntu OS download
To set up the Ubuntu disk image file, go to settings and follow these steps:
Your Ubuntu OS is ready to install in VirtualBox. Let’s start!
NOTE: Ubuntu VirtualBox installation and actual OS installation steps may vary. This guide helps you to install Ubuntu in VirtualBox only.
Let’s install Ubuntu!
Click Install Ubuntu.
Select your keyboard layout.
In the «Updates and other software» section, check «Normal installation» and continue.
In «Installation type», check «Erase disk and install Ubuntu».
Choose your current location.
Now, set up your profile.
You’ll see Ubuntu installing.
After the installation, restart it.
After logging in, you’ll see the Ubuntu desktop.
We have successfully installed Ubuntu in VirtualBox. It’s ready to use for your future development projects.
Let’s verify the installation.
Open your terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and type in the commands below and check if they work.
After checking those, power off your machine by using the following command.
Conclusion
VirtualBox is free and is a great tool for running multiple operating systems on a single OS. Ubuntu has many benefits. If you’re a beginner to Linux, I would recommend you use Ubuntu as it’s beginner friendly.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
You can contact and connect with me on Twitter and Medium.
How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 on VirtualBox
Downloading Ubuntu 20.04 ISO Image:
To download Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image, visit the official release page of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
Once the page loads, click on the 64-bit PC (AMD64) desktop image link if you want to download Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS ISO image.
Click on the 64-bit PC (AMD64) server install image link if you want to download Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS ISO image.
Your browser should prompt you to save the file. Select Save File and click on OK.
The download should start. It may take a while to complete.
Creating a VirtualBox VM:
In this section, I am going to show you how to create a VirtualBox VM for installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
First, open VirtualBox.
Then, click on Machine > New…
Now, type in a name for the VM, select Linux from the Type dropdown menu, and Ubuntu (64-bit) from the Version dropdown menu. Then, click on Next >.
Now, you have to set the memory size for the VM.
For Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS, it should be at least 2048 MB (2 GB).
For Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS, it should be at least 512 MB.
Once you’re done, click on Next >.
Now, select Create a virtual hard disk now and click on Create.
Now, select VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) and click on Next >.
Now, select Dynamically allocated and click on Next >.
Now, set the virtual hard disk size for the VM. It should be at least 20.0 GB.
Once you’re done, click on Create.
A new VM should be created.
Attaching Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO Image to the VM:
Now, select the newly created VM and click on Settings.
Now, go to the Storage tab, select the Empty IDE device, click on the CD icon, and click on Choose Virtual Optical Disk File…
Now, select the Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS or Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS ISO file depending on which version of Ubuntu you want to install on the VM and click on Open.
Now, click on OK.
Starting the VM:
Now, select the VM and click on Start.
The VM should start and boot from the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image.
After a while, the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installer should start.
Installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS in the VM:
In this section, I am going to show you how to install Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS on a VirtualBox VM.
If you want to install Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS, the installation process will be a little bit different as Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS uses a terminal based installer. If you need any assistance on that, check my article Installing Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS at LinuxHint.com.
Now, click on Install Ubuntu.
Now, select your Keyboard Layout and click on Continue.
From here, you can do a Normal installation or Minimal installation.
Normal installation comes with all the apps as usual.
Minimal installation comes with a limited number of apps. It saves a lot of disk spaces.
If you have internet connection on your computer, you can check Download updates while installing Ubuntu to download all the necessary updates while installing Ubuntu on your computer.
Once you’re done, click on Continue.
As this is a VM, I won’t go through the trouble of manually partitioning the hard drive. Just select Erase disk and install Ubuntu and click on Install Now. The Ubuntu installer will automatically create all the necessary partitions in your virtual hard drive.
If you need to do manual partitioning, check my article Installing Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS at LinuxHint.com.
Now, click on Continue to write the partition changes to the disk.
Now, select your time zone and click on Continue.
Now, type in your personal information and click on Continue.
Ubuntu installer should start copying all the necessary files to your virtual hard drive. It may take a while to complete.
Once the installation is complete, click on Restart Now.
You should see the Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS login window. Now, you can log in using the password you’ve set during the installation.
Once you log in, you should be able to use Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS as usual.
Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS:
VirtualBox Guest Additions allows you to use a lot of useful features of VirtualBox, i.e. automatic VM window resizing, shared clipboard, shared folders etc. To learn more about VirtualBox Guest Additions, check my article Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu VirtualBox VM.
You can easily install VirtualBox Guest Additions from the official package repository of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
First, update the APT package repository cache as follows:
Now, you can install VirtualBox Guest Additions with one of the following commands:
For Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS:
For Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS:
I’ve run the command for Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS in this article.
APT package manager will download and install all the required packages. It may take a while to complete.
At this point, VirtualBox Guest Additions should be installed.
Now, you should be able to resize the VM window freely and the Ubuntu display size would automatically adjust itself. This confirms that VirtualBox Guest Additions is working correctly. Enjoy Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS on VirtualBox.
So, that’s how you install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on VirtualBox. Thanks for reading this article.
How to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox?
I would like to know if anyone can help me with installing Ubuntu on VirtualBox
6 Answers 6
Follow this guide:
Open Virtualbox and click at New button.
Setup Wizard will appear and click at Next button.
Enter your Virtual Machine name, and choose your guest OS and architecture (32- vs. 64-bit) from the dropdown menu and click Next button.
Enter memory (RAM) to reserve for your virtual machine and click Next button.
Leave enough memory to the host OS.
Tick at Startup Disk and Create New Hard disk and click at Next button.
Choose the type of file that you want to use for virtual disk and click Next button.
Choose your storage detail and click Next button.
Enter the size of your virtual disk (in MB) and click Next button.
A dynamically growing virtual disk will only use the amount of physical hard drive space it needs. It is better to be rather generous to avoid running out of guest hard drive space.
You will see the detail of your input here. Click Create button to continue.
The «New Virtual Machine Wizard» will close and back to VirtualBox Manager. Select your Virtual Machine and click Start button.
«First Run Wizard» will appear and click Next button.
Click at ‘folder’ icon and choose your Ubuntu iso directory.
Select your Ubuntu iso file and click Next button.
In ‘Summary’ box, click Start button.
This screen will appear when it start boot.
For smooth graphics, and to be able to use shared folders it is recommended to install the guest additions.
Installing Ubuntu under virtual box
Go to the home page on Ubuntu’s website and then go to the download section, and get Ubuntu if you haven`t done so already. You can burn the image to a CD or use it as is ISO image. Install VirtualBox if not installed already.
To install Virtualbox you can download it from VirtualBox
Once downloaded, navigate to where the file was downloaded, and then double click on it to install.
Once you have done the previous steps go here for a complete tutorial on how to install Ubuntu inside a virtual box.
You can get images specifically configured for virtual machines (for example, they might have VirtualBox Guest Additions preinstalled), but AFAIK they’re all third-party.
For more details, see
Most of the answers here are from 2012, below is one that is describing the 2020/2021 software situation better. Many options differ, others has changed.
Install virtualbox (version 6.1.10 was used to create the text below here).
Download «Ubuntu install and live media» (an *.iso file, from e.g. https://ubuntu.com/download)
Click Storage and then Empty under Controller: IDE
click OK, click Start
Install Ubuntu in the VM (Virtual Machine), exactly the same way as when using a computer (follow the instructions provided for the chosen Ubuntu variant).