You heard a lot about Linux. You want to discover what it has to offer and you do not know where to start. This blog post was written for you. Here you will find the steps you need to take in order to install Ubuntu on a virtual machine.

1. Go to ubuntu.com and download the image.

The first step is to go to the website ubuntu.com and download the image that you would like to install on the virtual machine.

I will select Ubuntu Desktop  22.04 LTS. Wait for the download to finish.

2. Open the virtualization software

After the download completed, open the Virtualization Software. I will use VirtualBox from Oracle. If you do not have any virtualization software running on your computer, you can download it from here and follow the installation steps from the vendor.

3. Create a new Virtual Machine (VM) and specify its name

In order to create a new VM, you need to press the New button. A new window will be opened in which you need to specify the VM name.

4. Specify the VM resources

After you gave a name to your VM, you need to allocate it some resources. The first thing is to allocate the memory size.

After you selected the amount of memory (RAM) to be allocated to the VM, press the Continue button. Here you can add a virtual disk or create a new one. I will create a new hard disk.

In the next window, you need to specify the hard disk file type. You can choose from 3 possibilities: VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image), VHD (Virtual Hard Disk), VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk). I will select the first option and press continue.

Next, you need to specify whether the new virtual hard disk file should grow as it is used (dynamically allocated) or if it should be created at its maximum size (fixed size).

Finally, you need to specify the file location and the size of your virtual hard disk. After you have specified the size for your hard disk, press the Create button.

As you can see from the image below, the virtual machine was created successfully. Its name is UbuntuGulian.

5. Specify the ISO image

Before starting the VM, you need to specify the ISO image from which the operating system will be installed on the new virtual machine.

Identify the Optical Drive (Right Window – > Storage – > Controller: IDE) in the VirtualBox Manager and press on the Empty button to specify the ISO image.

Press on the Empty button and choose a disk file to add to the VM.

6. Start the virtual machine

After all the details for the virtual machine have been specified, you can start the virtual machine by pressing on the Start button. A similar window will be displayed. Use the arrow keys to select which entry is highlighted. In order to install Ubuntu, you need to select the first option and press enter.

7. Install Ubuntu

The first step in the installation process is to specify the language and choose if you want to Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu.

For installing the OS (operating system), press Install Ubuntu button.

Next step is to specify the Keyboard layout. I will go with English (US) and press continue.

In the next window, you need to specify the type of installation: normal or minimal. If you want to use the new VM as your current operating system, select the Normal installation. This option will contain all the software needed by a regular user. In the same window, you can specify if you would like to download the updates and install third-party software.

The next step is to specify the installation type. You need to select the option: “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”. The option “Something else” is for more advanced users. By selecting this option you will have the possibility to create the partitions yourself and you will be able to specify the mount points.

After specifying the installation type, press the Install now button.

When the window “Write the changes to disks” is displayed, press Continue.

In the next window, specify your timezone and press Continue.

The final step is to choose a username and create a password for your account. Once you are ready, press the Continue button.

Now, you will need to wait until the installation process completes. Depending on the specified resources for the VM it can take between 15 and 30 minutes.

You need to restart your VM.

After the boot sequence finishes, you are presented with the login screen. You need to specify your username and your password and press enter.

Now you are ready to explore the newly installed OS, Ubuntu 22.04.

I hope you find this post helpful.

If you struggle to install Ubuntu, please share your issue in the comments and I will try to help you.