Need an Ubuntu server to practice on? Here’s how to create an Ubuntu VM on a Mac with Multipass, Canonical’s free app. A VM (virtual machine) is a complete computer that runs inside an app on your Mac. You’ll use only the Multipass app: no Terminal commands.
By the end, you’ll have Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS running on your Mac, with a terminal open inside it.
Prerequisites
- A Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- An administrator account. The installer asks for your Mac password.
- Free disk space for the VM. This guide gives it 20 GB.
Step 1: Download Multipass
Open canonical.com/multipass/install, choose MacOS and click Download Multipass for MacOS.
Step 2: Install Multipass
Open the downloaded file. Click Continue on each screen, Agree to the license, then click Install. Type your Mac password when asked.
When it says the installation was successful, click Close. If macOS offers to move the installer to the Bin (Trash), that’s fine.
Step 3: Choose Ubuntu Server
Open Multipass from your Applications folder. On the Catalogue page, the Ubuntu Server card already shows 26.04 LTS, the current long-term-support release. Click Configure on that card.
Step 4: Name the VM and Set Its Size
In the Configure instance window, set these, then click Launch:
- Name:
pg-server, or any name you like. You can’t change it later. - CPUs: 2
- Memory: 2 GiB
- Disk: 20 GiB
Leave everything else as it is. This size is enough for practice.
Step 5: Wait for the Ubuntu VM to Start
Multipass downloads Ubuntu, then starts the VM. A box in the bottom-right corner shows each stage. On this Mac it took about six minutes, mostly the download.
When it’s ready, the Shells tab shows a terminal inside Ubuntu. If it doesn’t appear on its own, click Open shell.
You’re in. The prompt ubuntu@pg-server means you’re the user ubuntu on the VM pg-server. Commands you type here run in Ubuntu, not on your Mac.
Clean Up: Stop or Delete the VM
A running VM keeps using memory on your Mac. Open the Actions menu at the top right of the VM’s page:
- Stop shuts the VM down and keeps everything in it. Start brings it back.
- Delete removes the VM when you no longer need it.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
Naming the VM primary | Multipass shares your Mac’s home folder with a VM called primary. | Use another name, such as pg-server. |
| Leaving the VM running all the time | It keeps using memory on your Mac. | Choose Stop in the Actions menu when you’re done. |
FAQ
Is Multipass free?
Yes. Multipass is open source (GPL-3.0) and comes from Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.
Why choose an LTS version of Ubuntu?
LTS (long-term support) releases come out every two years and get 5 years of security updates. The releases in between, such as 26.10, get 9 months. For a server, pick the LTS.
Conclusion
You now have Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS running on your Mac, for free, set up in a few clicks. The next guide in the PostgreSQL Tutorial installs PostgreSQL on it: How to Install PostgreSQL 19 on Ubuntu.
Additional Resources
- Install Multipass (Canonical)
- Getting started with Multipass (Multipass documentation)
- Ubuntu release cycle (ubuntu.com)
Related
- PostgreSQL Tutorial for Beginners: the whole series, from first concepts to advanced topics
- PostgreSQL Tutorial — Part 1: What Is PostgreSQL? Databases, Tables and SQL Explained
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