How to Install Ubuntu using UTM on Mac

October 26, 2024 (1y ago)

by Satrya ⚡

I've tried to install ROS on Mac but it's really hard, most ROS package are built for Linux and some packages need to be patched to work well. So I've decided to install Ubuntu on Mac using UTM. UTM is a virtual machine for Mac that employs Apple's Hypervisor virtualization framework to run ARM64 operating system on Apple Silicon near native speeds.

Below are the steps I took to get Ubuntu installed and working for M3 Mac.

Preparation#

Download UTM and Ubuntu ISO Image#

  • Download and install UTM.
  • Download the Ubuntu ISO image you want to install here.
  • Note: Use live server arm64 version. We will install desktop version later for post-installation.

UTM Setup#

Create a New Virtual Machine#

  • Open UTM on Mac, and create a new VM.
  • Choose Virtualize > Linux.
  • Browse the Ubuntu ISO image, in this case I use ubuntu-24.04.1-live-server-arm64.
  • Hardware
    • Memory: 8 GB
    • Enable hardware OpenGL acceleration.
  • Storage: 64 GB

Open VM Settings#

  • On the final Summary screen, select Open VM settings.
  • Clisk save to create the VM image.

Configure VM Settings#

  • In the VM settings, select QEMU in the side panel.
  • Disable the RNG device.
  • Select Display in the side panel.
  • Change the Emulated Display card to virtio-ramb-gl (GPU Supported)

Start the Virtual Machine#

  • Start the VM and follow the prompts to install Ubuntu 24.04 server.
  • Most installation steps are straightforward, just select default and enter.
  • After the installation, you'll be prompted to reboot. Shutdown the VM.

Clear Installer ISO#

  • Select clear / empty in the bottom of VM on CD/DVD to enter installed Ubuntu.

Post Installation#

Setup DNS nameserver#

I experienced some network issue because of DNS doesn't resolve some domain. So, I need to set DNS nameserver in /etc/systemd/resolved.conf

DNS=1.1.1.1 8.8.8.8
FallbackDNS=208.67.222.222

restart systemd-resolved

sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

Install Desktop Environment#

  • Reload and upgrade apt package
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
  • I preferred XFCE desktop environment.
sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop

Result#

Here's Ubuntu 24.04 running using UTM. Run Ubuntu using UTM