How to Install Ubuntu on Apple Silicon with VirtualBox

How To Install Ubuntu ARM64 Desktop Edition On Apple Silicon Macs including M1 M2 M3 and M4 Using Virtual Box.. 

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you have at least 40GB of free space on your macOS system.

Download VirtualBox & Ubuntu Linux ISO

Once downloaded, place all files in an easily accessible location.

Install VirtualBox & Extension Pack

1. Double-click the VirtualBox DMG file.

2. Open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

Create a Ubuntu Virtual Machine

1. Click New in VirtualBox and name the VM.
2. Set Type to Linux, SubType to Ubuntu and Version to Ubuntu ARM 64 Bit.
3. Allocate at least 4GB RAM and 4 CPU cores for smooth performance.
4. Create a virtual hard disk of at least 20GB.

Optimize Virtual Machine Settings

1. Open VM Settings → Display → Increase Video Memory to the maximum.
2. Set Graphics Controller to VMSVGA (do not enable 3D acceleration).
3. Go to Storage, select Empty, Click Drive Icon from the right and import the Ubuntu ARM64 ISO.
4. Click OK to save changes.

Start Ubuntu Linux Installation

• Click Try Or Install to get Graphical Install.
• Follow the installation prompts:
  • Select Language, Keyboard Layout.
  • Use Wired Connection. Then Select Extended Apps ..
  • Choose Erase Disk
  • Create a User Account & Password.
  • Select Your Timezone
• Complete the installation and reboot.

Update Packages

Run the following command to update pacakges

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Install VirtualBox Guest Additions

To enable full-screen resolution and additional features:

• Open Terminal : Install dependencies & Linux headers:
  • sudo apt install -y gcc make perl linux-headers-generic
• In VirtualBox, go to Devices → Insert Guest Additions CD Image.
• Open the CD in the file manager and copy the contents to your Documents folder.
• Using the Terminal navigate into Documents directory
  • (cd ~/Documents)
• Type ls to see the contents
• Change file permissions
  • chmod +x VBoxLinuxAdditions-arm64.run
• Execute the installer
  • sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions-arm64.run
• Restart the VM to apply changes.

Enable Display Scaling

If the interface appears too small:

1. Open Settings Manager.
2. Select Displays & Enable the Scale value to 200%

Performance

Since VirtualBox lacks 3D acceleration on Apple Silicon, animations and transitions may be slower. However, Ubuntu runs smoothly for general tasks and application usage.

Bonus: Deleting Ubuntu Linux VM

If you no longer need Ubuntu:

1. Shut down the VM.
2. Right-click the VM in VirtualBox Manager and select Delete.

Final Thoughts

That’s pretty much, this is how you can install Ubuntu on Apple Silicon Macs using VirtualBox for free.