How To Install Linux Ubuntu On Mac

This in depth guide will take you every step of the way through installing Ubuntu Linux on your Mac, by way of VirtualBox – a free and outstanding program. Using this method you'll be able to run Ubuntu and macOS at the same time!

The first task in installing and configuring Ubuntu on your Mac is to create a live bootable USB flash drive that contains the Ubuntu Desktop OS. Use this flash drive to not only install Ubuntu but also to confirm that Ubuntu can run on your Mac. You should be able to boot Ubuntu directly from the USB stick without having to perform an install. For Mac OS users who want to try Linux without erasing all of their other data - a step by step tutorial on how to install Ubuntu on a Mac using Parallels.

How To Install Linux Ubuntu On Mac Windows 10

Please note: although this guide was initially authored in 2015, it has been updated (2020) to be current. The following guide uses Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS 'Bionic Beaver', but the steps and screenshots are nearly identical for most versions of Ubuntu, up to including 20.04.1 LTS.

Using this method to install Ubuntu not only allows you to run it and macOS at the same time, you can really try out Ubuntu – and if you don't like it – very easily get rid of it. Plus, it will not affect the files in macOS itself at all. None of the data on your Mac is at risk of being deleted or altered. The entire process is actually quite straightforward – and all of the software involved is free – so why not give it a shot :)

1. Before you get started, there are a few things that should be noted up front.
   1. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it might take a while to download Ubuntu. During the actual installation process, based on the version of Ubuntu you opt to install – you may have to spend some time downloading updates as well.
   2. The installation time is about 20 minutes, depending on the speed of your Mac, amount of memory etc. You may want to make yourself a cup of coffee or tea before you start.
   3. Running both Ubuntu and macOS at the same time will 'slow down' your Mac. The more memory you have and the faster your CPU and/or hard drive is, the less you'll notice it.

   Let's get started!

   1. First up, head over to the Ubuntu download page and download Ubuntu.
   2. Now you'll need to download and install VirtualBox. Visit their download page and click the link OS X hosts (which is the current stable version). Once the download has completed, open the .dmg file and run the installer – the installation is as easy as clicking ‘next' a bunch of times. When installation is done, launch VirtualBox from your Applications folder.
   3. When VirtualBox opens, click the New button.
   4. Give your 'virtual machine' a name (something descriptive is good, but it doesn't matter). Make sure the Type: is set to Linux and the Version: is Ubuntu (64 bit). Then click the Continue button.
   5. Now you're going to decide how much memory (RAM) you're going to allocate to Ubuntu when it's running, and how much to leave for macOS. As illustrated in the screenshot below, my total RAM is 4GB, so I allocated half of it to Ubuntu, and the other half to macOS. The more memory you give to Ubuntu, the faster it will run. The drawback is that macOS will have less to use while Ubuntu is running. At a minimum, give Ubuntu at 1GB (1024MB) of RAM. When you've decided how much memory (RAM) to give Ubuntu, click the Continue button.
   6. On the Hard drive screen, select Create a virtual hard drive now and then click Create.
   7. Now select VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) and click Continue
   8. Select Dynamically allocated and yep – you guessed it – click Continue
   9. Use the 'slider' to determine the size you want to make the 'hard drive' for Ubuntu. At a minimum, you'll want to select 6GB – and that will not allow for you to install many programs, let alone store files etc. Keep in mind that because you selected 'Dynamically allocated' in the previous step, that does not mean that VirtualBox is going to take up that space right away. It means that as Ubuntu needs more space, it will allow the 'hard drive' to increase up to whatever size you set at this step.

      As illustrated in the screenshot below, I opted to give Ubuntu 10GB. That's enough for the installation and to install quite a few programs. Since I won't be 'storing' many files in Ubuntu (movies, pictures, music etc) – 10GB will suit my needs. Plus, I have a small hard drive on my MacBook Air. If you have a big hard drive, you might as well allocate more rather than less, again – the space won't be used until it's needed. After you've made your selection, click Create.

   10. Almost time to install Ubuntu! Click the Start button.
   11. If you're using macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later, you're going to need to ‘allow' Virtualbox to receive keystrokes from any application (which is completely safe). Click the Open System Preferences button.
   12. Click the ‘lock' icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. After entering your password, place a check in the box next to the Virtualbox item in the list.
   13. Click Later when prompted.
   14. Back in Virtualbox you'll be prompted to locate a file. Click the 'folder' icon next to menu that says Empty (see screenshot below).
   15. Again, if you're using macOS 10.15 or later, you'll be prompted to grant permission for Virtualbox to access a folder. Click OK. You may be prompted to do this several more times – just click OK each time.
   16. Navigate to the Ubuntu .iso file that you downloaded all the way back in step #1. Select it, and click Open
   17. Now click Start
   18. Finally! Click Install Ubuntu
   19. Select your keyboard layout and preferred language then click Continue
   20. Make sure to place a check in both of the boxes – Download updates while installing Ubuntu and Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware and additional media formats – then click the Continue button.
   21. Select Erase disk and install Ubuntu. NOTE: this is not going to ‘wipe out' or erase any data in macOS. None. It is safe to click Install Now, so do just that.
   22. Click Continue
   23. When prompted, select your Time Zone and then click Continue
   24. Fill in each field with the required information. When you're done, Continue
   25. Now it's time to sit back and relax with that cup of coffee or tea. This may take a bit.
   26. Yay! It's done! Click Restart Now
   27. Hit Enter (the ‘return' key on your keyboard) when prompted.
   28. And you'll boot into Ubuntu! Enter your password when prompted.
   29. Welcome to the Ubuntu Desktop! At this point you should be connected to the Internet and completely ready to go – have fun!

I've been experimenting with running Linux on Macs for some time and – for a variety of reasons – needed to make a clean install of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on my early 2008 24″ iMac. The Mac is now on its last legs, and Mac OS does not run very swiftly on it – my aim is to run Ubuntu on it, and use it as a computer for watching TV and DVDs, and for web browsing for guests.

So here's the guide as to how to get Ubuntu up and running. Adobe reader for mac catalina.

First, third prerequisities. First there is no way to do this without using the command line – accessible through the Terminal app in both Mac OS and Ubuntu. It is a matter of copying and pasting the right commands – there is rather little need to fully understand what is going on. Command line is needed very seldom once Ubuntu is running, but is required for the setup. Second, the solution to more or less any Ubuntu on a Mac problem can be found by Googling around (probably the way you found this blog entry!) Third, you're going to need an empty USB stick (at least 2Gb capacity) to make this work.

Step 1 – Make a Ubuntu bootable USB stick while running Mac OS
This is simple – follow the instructions here. Note that step 3 is not very well described – you will end up with a file called 'ubuntu.img.dmg' that you will need to rename 'ubuntu.img' by just renaming the file in the Mac OS finder. Simply copy and paste the relevant commands into Terminal.

Step 2 – Install rEFInd to allow dual booting
This presumes that you want to be able to boot your Mac in either Mac OS or Ubuntu, and to be able to switch between them. For this you will need a software utility called rEFInd. Its interface looks horrid, but it works. You can find instructions of how to install it from How To Geek here, and you can get the latest edition of the rEFInd software here. Before you start this connect your Mac to the internet with an ethernet cable – wifi will not work initially, and if you are connected to the internet then extra Ubuntu packages will be downloaded while you are installing it.

Please note that the final screen from the How To Geek piece can be inaccurate – for me there was no 'install alongside Mac OS' option – I instead needed to choose 'Something else' for the disk partitions, following the instructions here about how to set this up – putting / as the mount point for the main (60Gb size) ext4 partition, and 6Gb for swap. At the end of the installation process Ubuntu will ask you to reboot your machine.

Step 3 – Get the wifi working
Go to 'System Settings' in the left apps bar in Ubuntu, then choose 'Software & Updates'

Then click 'Additional Drivers' and select the Broadcom driver (note this is how it looks on an iMac – the driver manufacturer might be different on other Macs, but the procedure will be the same). You may need to restart before the wifi works.

Step 4 – Software updates
Click the search button at the top left of the screen (shown here to the right), and type 'Software Updater'. Run it, and it will download and update your installation.

Step 5 – Further software
You can install GIMP (equivalent of Photoshop), Dropbox, Kaffeine (for DVB), and VLC (for DVD playback) from the 'Ubuntu Software Center' in the left apps bar. Can you update mac os. Some other apps are more complex – follow these instructions for Skype (and note I needed to use the Skype 4.3 on 15.04 instructions – including the extra instructions to get this to work). To install the ownCloud sync client follow these instructions (needs command line).

Step 6 – Peripherals
I have a Brother MFC-J4510DW printer-scanner – Brother's linux support is a bit sketchy, but this series of commands did the job perfectly – just note that you need to find the local IP address of your scanner under Settings on the device itself. Note that Ubuntu defaults to letter size paper – you'll need to set this to A4 in Printers in System Settings. I also use the pre-installed app Simple Scan for my scanning – works with either the flatbed scanner or the sheet feeder on the Brother device.

Step 7 – DVB and DVD playback
I have an old DVB TV tuner Stick – a Miglia TV Mini. This can be used with Ubuntu, using Kaffeine (see above) as the playback software and following this french language guide to get it installed (requires command line, and a restart). Extra installations are also required to allow Ubuntu to read movie DVDs – instructions for how to do this are here (command line and restart required) – and I use VLC for the playback.

How To Install Linux Ubuntu On Mac Virtualbox

Step 8 – Tunnelbear VPN
Instructions to get Tunnelbear working on Linux are here. Works simply enough!

Step 9 – number pad
I had the issue that numbers on the number pad on the right hand side of my Mac keyboard were not working, and worked as arrow keys instead. To get them to work press the 'Clear' button as shown (varies between US and European keyboards) – this has the same function in Ubuntu as the Num Lock key on a PC keyboard.