How to Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

Thanoshan MV
5 min readJan 26, 2021

What is VirtualBox?

Oracle VM VirtualBox is a cross-platform virtualization application developed by the Oracle Corporation. It allows users to install operating systems on virtual hard disks such as Windows, macOS, Solaris and Linux.

As an example, you can run Windows and Linux on your Mac, run Windows server on your Linux server, or run Linux on your Windows PC while running your other existing applications.

Disk space and memory are the only problems that you’ll face when installing multiple virtual machines.

Why You’ll Need It

  • Oracle’s VirtualBox is easy to install and use
  • It’s free
  • You can run and experience any operating system safely
  • If you’re a developer, VirtualBox can be used as a tool for safely testing your own development projects in multiple OS environments
  • It can run everywhere from small embedded systems to laptops
  • It’s good for testing and disaster recovery as it can be easily copied, backed-up, and transported between hosts

VirtualBox Installation

VirtualBox can be downloaded here: VirtualBox Downloads

Why Ubuntu?

  • It’s free
  • Easy customization: The GNOME desktop environment helps you customize easily
  • It’s secure
  • Ubuntu is open-source
  • Friendly and supportive community
  • Low system requirements
  • According to FOSSBYTES, Ubuntu is the second-best Linux distro for programming and developers [2019 Edition]
  • It’s beginner-friendly

Setup for Ubuntu

First, open VirtualBox, then click “New” to create a virtual machine.

Enter “Ubuntu” as the name, select “Linux” as the type, and select Ubuntu (64-bit) as the version.

Thanoshan MV

My notes, findings, thoughts and investigations.