Complete Setup Guide for Ubuntu on VirtualBox

Do you want to try Ubuntu without messing with your Windows or macOS installation? Do you need a Linux computer, but don’t have a separate machine to install it on? The good news is you can install Ubuntu on a virtual machine. VirtualBox is a free virtual machine platform from Oracle that you can use to install Ubuntu and other Linux distributions on. It’s super easy! VirtualBox will even set up Ubuntu for you. This wikiHow article teaches you how to install Ubuntu on a VirtualBox virtual machine.

Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

Download the Ubuntu ISO file from the official website.
Open VirtualBox and click New.
Enter a name for the VM and select the ISO file next to “ISO Image.”
Create a username and password below “Set up unattended guest OS installation.”
Select the RAM and CPU usage below “Specify virtual hardware.”
Allocate hard drive space below “Specify virtual hard disk” and click Finish.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Downloading Ubuntu

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Go to www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop in your computer's web browser. You can download the Ubuntu disk image (also known as an ISO file) here.
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Scroll down to the version you want to download. The latest LTS (Long Term Support) version is 24.04. You can also download version 25.10.
- Version 24.04 comes with 5 years of security and maintenance updates. Version 25.10 is a newer version, but it only comes with security and maintenance updates until July 2026.
- You can download and install both versions of Ubuntu and install them on separate virtual machines.
- There is a ARM64 version of Ubuntu 25.10 available on the download page. If you want to download an ARM64 version of 24.04, you can download it here.
- You can download previous versions of Ubuntu here.
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It's a green button to the right of your selected version of Ubuntu. Doing so takes you to the support page.
The Ubuntu ISO should begin downloading immediately, but if it doesn't, you can click the download now link at the top of the page.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Creating a Virtual Machine

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1
Install VirtualBox if you haven't yet done so. If you don't already have VirtualBox installed on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, you'll need to install it before proceeding. This process may take several minutes and you may lose your internet connection during the process. Use the following steps to install VirtualBox.
- Go to www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads in a web browser.
- Click the Platform Packages Host for your computer operating system.
- Open the installation file in your Downloads folder.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
Double-click the VirtualBox app icon.
It's a blue badge in the upper-left corner of the VirtualBox window. Doing so opens a pop-up menu.
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Enter a name for your virtual machine. Type whatever you want to name your virtual machine (e.g., Ubuntu) into the "Name" text field that's near the top of the pop-up menu.
- Your computer name cannot contain any special characters.
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Select the Ubuntu ISO file. To do so, click the drop-down menu next to “ISO Image” and click Other. Navigate to and select the Ubuntu ISO file you downloaded.
- This will automatically fill out the rest of the OS information.
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Click Set up unattended guest OS installation. This menu allows you to enter the information needed to automatically set up Ubuntu. You can also select the option to install the guest addons ISO image, which you can use to change the screen resolution.
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Enter a username and password. To do so, enter a username for the installation next to “User Name.” Then enter a password in the line below it. Enter the same password again on the line that says “Confirm Password.”
- The username and host name cannot contain any capital letters. The host name cannot contain any special characters.
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Click the checkbox next to “Install Guest Additions ISO Image.” This adds a CD image to the installation you use to run and install various additions to the Ubuntu image. One of these allows you to change the screen resolution.
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Click Specify virtual hardware. It’s at the bottom of the page. This allows you to select how much RAM and CPU usage you want to allow VirtualBox to allocate to Ubuntu.
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Select an amount of RAM to use. Click and drag the slider left or right to decrease or increase the amount of RAM that VirtualBox will have available for your Ubuntu virtual machine.
- The ideal amount of RAM will automatically be selected when you get to this page.
- Make sure not to increase the RAM into the red section of the slider; try to keep the slider in the green.
- 4 to 8 GB of RAM is ideal.
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Select the number of CPUs you want to allocate. Use the slider bar to select how many CPU cores you want to allocate. You should not allocate more than your host computer has. Keep the slider bar in the green. 2 to 8 cores should suffice.
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Click Specify virtual hard disk. It’s the last menu option at the bottom of the screen.
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Specify how much hard drive space you want to allocate to Ubuntu. Use the slider bar to select how much hard drive space you want to allocate. 25 to 100 GB should suffice. If you can afford to allocate more, feel free to do so.
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Click Finish. Once everything is in order, click Finish in the lower-right corner. This will create your new virtual machine and boot it up automatically. Once it boots up, VirtualBox will install and set up Ubuntu automatically.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Setting up Ubuntu

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1
Select your language and click Next. Typically, VirtualBox will set up Ubuntu automatically. If you skipped that stage of the installation process, you can use the following steps to set up Ubuntu manually. On the first screen, select your language and click Next in the lower-right corner.
- The setup process may be different depending on which version of Ubuntu you installed.
2
Select any accessibility options you need. If you need any assistance with seeing, hearing, typing, pointing and clicking, etc., select the option in the Accessibility menu. Select any options that may be able to help. Then click Next in the lower-right corner.
3
Select your keyboard layout. Select the keyboard layout that is most common for your region. You can use the blank space at the bottom to type something and test it out. Click Next to continue.
4
Connect to the internet. If you are not currently connected to the internet, you can select one of the options to connect. If you have a wired connection, you can click the option to connect to a wired internet connection. Otherwise, click the option to connect to Wi-Fi and enter the network name and password to connect to your wireless network.
5
Select what type of installation you want to use. You have two options to choose from. Click Next to continue. The options are as follows:
- Interactive Installation: This option will guide you through the process of selecting which apps to install.
- Automatic Installation: Select this option if you have an autoinstall.yaml file you want to use to set up your system.
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Select which apps you want to install. There are two options you can choose from. Click Next to continue. The options are as follows:
- Default selection: This will install just the essentials. It will install a web browser and some utility apps.
- Extended selection: This will install a web browser, all the utility apps, and some office applications you can use for productivity.
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Select any recommended proprietary software and click Next. You may be asked if you want to install Wi-Fi and graphics hardware drivers. You may also be asked if you want to install any media codecs for videos and audio files. Click the checkbox next to anything you want to install and click Next.
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Enter your user information. Next you will be asked to create an account. Enter the following information and click Next.
- Enter your name where it says “Your Name.”
- Enter a name for your computer (your virtual machine) next to “Your computer’s name.”
- Enter the password you want to use where it says “Password.”
- Enter the same password again where it says “Confirm password.”
- Check if you want to require your password to log in.
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Select your timezone. To do so, use the first drop-down menu at the top to select your location. Then use the second drop-down menu to select your time zone. Click Next to continue.
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Review your installation and click Install. Review all the settings you select and click Install in the lower-right corner. Wait for Ubuntu to finish installing.
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Restart your virtual machine. After Ubuntu is finished installing, click the Restart Now button in the pop-up window. Wait for your virtual machine to restart.
12
Log in to your computer. Once your Ubuntu virtual machine is back on, select your name, then enter your password and press Enter. Ubuntu will load your desktop as though you were using a separate computer.

Part 4

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Enabling Fullscreen Mode

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1
Make sure your Ubuntu virtual machine is powered off. If Ubuntu is running, click the network/speaker/battery icon in the upper-right corner. Then click the power icon in the upper-right corner (which resembles a circle with a line through the top). Then click Power off. Click Power off in the confirmation window.
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Select the Ubuntu virtual machine and click Settings. Settings is the Gear icon at the top.
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Click Display. It’s next to an icon that resembles a monitor. It’s in the menu bar to the left.
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Set your video memory as high as you can. Click and drag the slider bar next to “Video Memory” as high as the green bar extends. Do not exceed the green bar. The highest you can possibly set it is 128 MB.
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Click Storage. It’s next to an icon that resembles a disk drive.
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Make sure there is no virtual disk in the CD drive. You may still have the Ubuntu disk image in the drive. If so, right-click it and click Remove disk.
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Start your Ubuntu machine. To do so, click the Ubuntu virtual machine in the list of machines. Then click Start at the top. Enter your username and password at the login screen to log in.
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Insert the Guest Additions CD Image. To do so, click Devices in the menu bar at the top. Then click Insert Guest Additions CD Image. You should see a CD icon appear in the menu bar to the left.
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Click the CD icon. It’s in the menu bar to the left. This displays a folder with some files.
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Click Run Software. It’s in the upper-right corner of the window.
- If prompted, click Run to confirm you want to run the software.
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Enter your password if prompted. You may be prompted to enter your login password. If so, enter the password you use to log in to Ubuntu and press Enter. This will open a Terminal window, where you can watch the progress of the program installation.
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Open the Ubuntu Settings. To do so, click the Ubuntu icon at the bottom of the menu bar to the left. Then click Settings.
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Click Displays. It’s in the menu bar to the left. It’s next to an icon that resembles a monitor.
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Increase the screen resolution. The default screen resolution for VirtualBox is pretty tiny. To increase it, click the drop-down menu next to “Resolution” and select a new resolution. Then click Apply in the upper-right corner. This should increase the windows size.
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Increase the scale. In order to make the icons and text easier to see and read, you may want to increase the scale. To do so, click the drop-down menu next to “Scale” and select a higher number. 200% should be good enough. Then click Apply in the upper-right corner.
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Press Host+F to switch to Full-screen Mode. By default, the right Ctrl key is the Host key. Press this button and F to toggle fullscreen mode on and off.
- If your computer doesn’t have the right Ctrl key, or you wish to change it, click File followed by Preferences. Click Input in the menu to the left. Click the space next to “Host key combo” and press the key(s) you wish to assign as the host key.

Community Q&A

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Question

Will choosing the erase disk option while installing Ubuntu remove my original Windows operating system?

Community Answer

When you're asked this question inside the VirtualBox, it's talking about the virtual disk, not your physical disk. And since the virtual disk is "brand new", there is nothing there that you should worry about. There is no risk to your Windows system.

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If I install Ubuntu from VirtualBox, will it erase all content on my C drive?

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I was worried about this too. Ubuntu will format/erase only the virtual disk space you allocated for the Virtual Machine, not your whole C: drive.

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How do I get the 64-bit option on Virtualbox? I only have the 32-bit option.

Community Answer

To use 64-bit guests on VirtualBox, you need to have a CPU that supports Virtualization. Then, make sure that feature is turned on in the BIOS.

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You can install programs and apps on your virtual machine, though you'll need to make sure that doing so doesn't cause your virtual machine to exceed the amount of space in its virtual hard drive.

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Warnings

Make sure your hard disk has enough space to create the virtual hard disk. For example, if VirtualBox suggests you need an 8 GB virtual hard disk, make sure you have more than 8 GB of free space on your computer.

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It's normal for VirtualBox operating systems to run sluggishly since you're essentially operating two different systems on one computer's worth of hardware.

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