# Set up an Ubuntu VM on an x86\_64 Mac using UTM
UTM is an open-source VM host for macOS, which allows you to run other operating systems on Macs, including Ubuntu. Setting up an Ubuntu VM using UTM on an x86\_64 Mac involves the
following tasks:
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> **Figure : Workflow to set up Ubuntu VM**
## Host machine requirements
Before setting up an Ubuntu VM using UTM, ensure that your x86\_64 Mac host
machine meets the following system requirements:
| **Processor architecture** | x86\_64 |
| --- | --- |
| **Processor architecture** | To verify that the architecture of your Mac is x86\_64, run the `uname -a` command in a terminal window.
 |
| **CPU cores** | 8 or more |
| **RAM** | 8 GB or more |
| **Storage** | 300 GB free space for the UTM VM |
| **Operating system** | macOS 13 or higher |
| | |
If your x86\_64 Mac host machine meets the system requirements,
download the following software:
| **Software** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| UTM virtualization software | Download the UTM virtualization software from the [UTM website](https://mac.getutm.app/). |
| Ubuntu ISO | All Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit PC (AMD64) Desktop LTS versions are supported. Qualcomm recommends that you download the latest version of Ubuntu 22.04 ISO (for example, ubuntu-22.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso) from the [Ubuntu website](https://www.releases.ubuntu.com/22.04/). |
## Install UTM on an x86\_64 Mac
1. Double-click the **UTM.dmg** file downloaded earlier and drag the **UTM**
icon onto the **Applications** icon.
2. While installing UTM, if you see the following dialog box, click
**Open**:
3. Open Launchpad, search for **UTM**, and click **UTM**.
The UTM main window appears.
## Create a VM in UTM
1. In the UTM main window, click **Create a New Virtual Machine**.
2. On the **Start** screen, click **Virtualize**.
3. On the **Operating System** screen, select the **Linux** OS.
4. On the **Linux** screen, browse and select the Ubuntu ISO image you
downloaded, and click **Continue**.
5. On the **Hardware** screen, specify the memory and CPU cores you want
to allocate to the Ubuntu VM, and click **Continue**. The
recommended values are:
- Memory: About 70% of the available memory
- CPU cores: At least 50% of the available cores
If you leave the **CPU Cores** field blank or set it to 0, UTM allocates all the host machine cores to the VM. Allocating all CPU cores to the VM can make the host machine slow or unresponsive.
Note
To know the memory size and the CPU core count of a Mac
host machine, see the instructions in the [macOS User Guide](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/syspr35536/mac).
6. On the **Storage** screen, specify the drive size for the VM, and
click **Continue**.
Note
It is recommended that you allocate at least 300Â GB for the VM.
7. If you want to share a directory between the host machine and the VM,
do the following on the **Shared Directory** screen:
1. Browse and select the directory.
2. Click **Continue**.
8. On the **Summary** screen, do the following:
1. Review the configuration summary for the VM that you are creating.
2. Provide a name to the VM.
3. Click **Save**. The newly created VM is listed in the UTM main
window.
## Install Ubuntu in UTM
1. In the UTM main window, click the **Play** icon to run the Ubuntu ISO
image through virtualization.
2. Select **Try or Install Ubuntu** using the arrow keys and press **Enter**.
3. On the **Welcome** screen, select a language, and click
**Install Ubuntu**.
4. On the **Keyboard Layout** screen, select a keyboard layout, and
click **Continue**.
5. On the **Updates and other software** screen, **Normalinstallation** is selected by default. Select the **Minimalinstallation** option button if you do not want to install all
the Ubuntu operating system features.
6. On the **Installation type** screen, select the **Erase disk andinstall Ubuntu** option button, and click **Install Now**.
Note
The **Erase disk and install Ubuntu** option erases only the storage area allocated to the VM. It does not erase any other
data or system files on the host machine.
7. On the **Write the changes to disk?** dialog box, click
**Continue**.
8. On the **Where are you?** screen, select the appropriate time zone.
9. On the **Who are you?** screen, specify the required details, and
click **Continue** to start the installation.
10. After the installation is completed, click **Restart Now**.
11. To shut down and stop the VM, click the **Power** icon.
12. In the **Confirmation** dialog box, click **OK**. After the VM is
stopped, close the window.
13. In the UTM main window, in the **CD/DVD** drop-down list, select
**Clear**.
14. Confirm that the ISO image association is cleared/empty against the
CD/DVD option.
15. To run the Ubuntu VM, click the **Play** icon.
16. Log in to the Ubuntu VM you created.
## Access the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit from the UTM VM
1. Connect the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit to the host machine.
The UTM software may show you a dialog box to confirm whether the virtualized Ubuntu operating system should have access to the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit.
If you see a dialog box as follows, click **Confirm**:
After clicking **Confirm**, if you see the following USB
disconnection error, click **OK** to ignore it.
2. To verify if the Ubuntu VM can access the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit, run the `lsusb` command in a Linux terminal window.
The Qualcomm Linux Development Kit is shown in the output as follows:
If the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit is not detected in the Ubuntu VM, do the
following:
1. Click **USB Devices** in the toolbar of the UTM VM window.
2. Select **QCMXXXX\_xxxxxxxx**.
Note
If you do not see the Qualcomm Linux Development Kit listed as one of the USB devices, in UTM settings, click **Input** in the left panel, and set the value in the **Maximum Shared USB Devices** field to 10.
## Configure sleep and wake settings for Mac, and power settings for Ubuntu
To ensure that the Mac host machine and the Ubuntu VM do not go to sleep due to inactivity, do the following:
- To configure the sleep and wake settings for the Mac host machine, see [macOS User Guide](https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchle41a6ccd/mac).
- To configure the power settings for Ubuntu, do the following:
1. In **System Settings** for Ubuntu, click **Power**.
2. Turn off **Automatic Suspend**.
Note
To sync, build, and flash Qualcomm Linux, see [Qualcomm Linux Build Guide](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/topics/80-70017-254).
Last Published: Dec 18, 2024
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