How to Run Virtual Machine on Mac Ubuntu

With the release of macOS Catalina, Apple made the decision to switch from using Intel processors to their own custom-built Arm processors.

This change has caused a lot of headaches for people who run virtual machines on their Macs, as most virtualization software doesn’t yet support the new architecture.

Fortunately, there is a way to run a virtual machine on macOS Catalina using the open-source virtualization software QEMU. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do it.

How to Run Virtual Machine on Mac Ubuntu

Introduction

This document describes how to run Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine on OS X using VMware Fusion. This setup will allow you to use both OS X and Ubuntu side-by-side, giving you the best of both worlds.

Before you begin, you will need to have the following:

  • A copy of VMware Fusion
  • A copy of Ubuntu

What is a virtual machine?

A virtual machine (VM) is a software program that emulates the workings of a physical computer.

By running a VM on your computer, you can run a different operating system (OS) without having to install it directly on your computer’s hard drive.

VMs are useful for software development, testing and experimentation, as well as for accessing legacy applications that are not compatible with your current OS.

What are benefits of running a virtual machine?

There are a number of benefits to running a virtual machine on your Mac. One of the most obvious is that you can use multiple operating systems on the same computer without having to partition your hard drive or reboot each time you want to switch between them.

Another benefit is that you can allocate a certain amount of RAM and storage space to each virtual machine, meaning that you can use very powerful software on a Mac with less than top-of-the-line hardware.

Finally, virtual machines are perfect for testing new software or trying out new operating systems without risking any damage to your main system.

How to set up a virtual machine on Mac

If you want to run Ubuntu on your Mac, one option is to install it in a virtual machine using software like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion.

This way, you can run Ubuntu and macOS side by side, and switch between them whenever you want.

Before you start, you’ll need to:

  • Download the Ubuntu ISO file
  • Create an account on Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion

Once you’ve done that, follow the instructions below to set up your virtual machine.

Instructions:

  1. Open Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion.
  2. Click the “+” sign to create a new virtual machine.
  3. Select “Linux” as the operating system and “Ubuntu” as the version.
  4. Choose how much memory (RAM) to allocate to the virtual machine. We recommend at least 2GB.
  5. Select the disk size for the virtual machine. We recommend at least 20GB.
  6. Click “Create.”
  7. In the “Select Installation Media” window, select “ISO Image” and click “Browse.”
  8. Find the Ubuntu ISO file that you downloaded earlier and click “Open.”
  9. Click “Continue.”
  10. In the next window, leave all of the options selected and click “Continue.”
  11. In the next window, select your language preferences and click “Continue.”
  12. In the next window, select your time zone and click “Continue.”
  13. In Verbalize or else Installer Type in your name, a username, and a password when prompted – be sure to remember this password!
  14. When installation is completed close down installer an reboot computer
  15. Eject iso by righting clicking on it on your desktop

How to set up a virtual machine on Ubuntu

A virtual machine is a computer file, typically called an image, that behaves like an actual computer.

In other words, creating a virtual machine in VirtualBox on your Ubuntu machine gives you the ability to run an operating system within your current operating system.

For example, you could have Windows 10 installed on your MacBook Pro. But, within that same computer, you could also have Ubuntu running in a virtual machine. When you want to use Ubuntu, you can launch VirtualBox and start your virtual machine.

Virtual machines are useful for a variety of tasks. Perhaps you need to test out software or browse the web without putting your main operating system at risk.

Maybe you want to try out another Linux distribution without going through the hassle of installing it on your hard drive.

Or maybe you just want to play classic video games that won’t run on modern machines.

Whatever the reason, setting up a virtual machine on Ubuntu is easy to do and only takes a few minutes.

1.) Download VirtualBox for Ubuntu from Oracle’s website. You’ll need to scroll down a bit to find the link for the .deb file—this is the file you need to install VirtualBox on Ubuntu.

2.) Double-click the downloaded file to open it in the Ubuntu Software Center. Click “Install” to install VirtualBox on your system. You’ll need to enter your password when prompted.

3.) Once installed, launch VirtualBox from the Activities menu (or any other method you prefer). If this is your first time launching VirtualBox, you may see a warning message about “VT-x/AMD-V hardware acceleration not being available on your system.” You can safely ignore this message—it won’t affect VMware Player’s performance or stability in any way..

4.) Create a new virtual machine by clicking the “New” button in the VirtualBox main window. Give your new virtual machine a name—anything will do—and select the type of operating system you want to install from the “Type” drop-down menu

How to run a virtual machine

If you have a Windows or Linux PC, you can use Oracle’s free VirtualBox software to run another copy of another operating system inside your current operating system.

For example, you could install Windows 10 inside Ubuntu, or vice versa. This is called “virtualization,” and it’s useful for a couple of reasons:

  1. You can try out another operating system without actually installing it on your computer (which can be risky).
  2. You can run multiple operating systems at the same time on the same computer. This is useful for tasks that require different OSes, like Android development (requires Linux) and iOS development (requires macOS).

Here’s how to set up a virtual machine running Ubuntu on your Mac using VirtualBox.

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned how to run a virtual machine on mac Ubuntu. We have also learned about the various types of virtual machines and their benefits.

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