Beginner's guide to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

Have you ever thought about trying different operating systems (OS) in your computer? Or, you may be afraid of installing different OS as it may cause some other issues in booting up your OS. Fret not, nowadays, we have a handy virtualization software which can help you experiment without any risk.
This guide will help you in installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine and provide some other information to make it easier for you to interact with your host machine. We will use VirtualBox which is a free software created by Oracle.



4 steps to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

1. Download Ubuntu OS image

Ubuntu is free of charge and can be downloaded from this link: https://ubuntu.com/download.
For this tutorial, we will use Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 LTS.

2. Download and install VirtualBox

You can download VirtualBox software from this link: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Under VirtualBox platform packages, choose the files based on your existing operating system.


It is also recommended to download the extension pack as well.

Upon successful installation, open up the software.


3. Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

We will create a new virtual machine for our Ubuntu OS.
    1. Click on Machine > New








    2. Fill in the details of the virtual machine
    • Name: name of your virtual machine
    • Machine Folder: where you want the virtual machine files to be put in
    • Type: operating system type. Choose Linux
    • Version: operating system version. Choose Ubuntu (64-bit)
    • Memory size: RAM size of your virtual machine. By default, VirtualBox will define a specified RAM size, but you can modify it to be smaller or larger. It is recommended to put a larger amount so our virtual machine will run more smoothly.
    • Hard disk: since we are creating a new virtual machine, we will create a new virtual hard disk now.
      Once all the details have been filled in, click on Create.

      3. After that, you will be asked to define the hard disk size and type. I'd recommend to use VDI as the file type as it is native to VirtualBox and set the storage as dynamically allocated to save some unused space. Once done, click on Create.


      4. Now, you will see an virtual machine entry in your VirtualBox Manager. It is time to install the Ubuntu image file to this virtual machine.


      5. Imagine if you are installing in an actual computer, you will need to insert a DVD to the computer so you can install the operating system. In VirtualBox, you can "insert" the Ubuntu image file in the virtual machine's "DVD-ROM". Under the Storage section, click on [Optical Drive] Empty.


      6. Click on Choose a disk file.

        7. Navigate to the folder where you download the Ubuntu image file, choose the file and click Open.


        8. The image will be inserted into the "DVD-ROM" of the virtual machine.


        9. Start the virtual machine by clicking on the Start icon.



        10. Click on Install Ubuntu.

        11. Choose your preferred keyboard layout, otherwise just leave using the default option, and click Continue.


        12. Choose Normal Installation and click Continue.


        13. Since we are creating a new virtual disk image, there is nothing in the drive yet, so we can safely choose Erase disk and install Ubuntu. Click on Install Now.


        14. The confirmation dialog will be prompted. Click Continue.


        15. Choose your location and click Continue.


        16. Fill in all the details. The username and password you enter will be used as the credentials for the virtual machine. Click Continue.


        17. The installation will commence. Wait until it finishes.


        18. Upon completion, click Restart Now.


        19. If the following is shown, press Enter.


        20. The virtual machine will be restarted. Once loaded, you will be prompted with the user that you fill in previously. Click on the user and enter your password.


        21. Congratulations! Your virtual machine is ready to use.

        4. (Optional) Install VirtualBox Guest Additions

        You may notice that the virtual machine screen resolution is quite small.



        In order to make it display the full resolution, we can install the VirtualBox Guest Additions that we have downloaded before.

        1. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded and double click on the file.

        2. A confirmation dialog will be shown. Click Install.

        3. Scroll down to the bottom and click I Agree.


        4. Wait until the extension pack is installed successfully.


        5. Now, start your virtual machine. Once it has been started, click on Devices menu and click
        Insert Guest Additions CD Image.


        6. A confirmation dialog will be shown. Click Run.


        7. Enter your password to proceed with the installation.


        8. Wait until the installation is complete and press Enter.


        9. Restart Ubuntu by clicking the top right icon, Power Off / Log Out and Power Off.


        10. Choose Restart.


        11. Once restarted, proceed to enter your credentials. Once in the desktop screen, click on the resize window and see the effect. Now Ubuntu is able to use bigger resolution.


        Hope it helps!

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