How to Quickly Spin Up Ubuntu VMs on macOS with Multipass

Getting Started with Multipass

After trying paid virtual‑machine solutions on macOS, the author discovered Multipass, an open‑source lightweight VM manager from Canonical that runs on Linux, Windows and macOS using KVM, Hyper‑V or HyperKit.

Installation

Download the macOS installer from Multipass website or install via Homebrew:

<code>brew cask install multipass</code>

Verify the installation:

<code>multipass --version</code>

Creating an Ubuntu Instance

List available Ubuntu images:

<code>multipass find</code>

Launch a VM named

vm01

with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 10 GB disk:

<code>multipass launch -n vm01 -c 1 -m 1G -d 10G</code>

Managing the VM

View running instances:

<code>multipass list</code>

Execute a command inside the VM:

<code>multipass exec vm01 pwd</code>

Show detailed information:

<code>multipass info vm01</code>

Open an interactive shell:

<code>multipass shell vm01</code>

Basic Operations Inside the VM

Set a root password and install

nginx

:

<code>sudo passwd
su root
apt-get update
apt-get install nginx</code>

After installation, the web server can be accessed from the host at the VM’s IP address (e.g.,

192.168.64.2

).

Mounting and Transferring Files

Mount a host directory into the VM:

<code>multipass mount /Users/yourname/hello vm01:/hello</code>

Transfer a single file:

<code>multipass transfer hello.txt vm01:/home/ubuntu/</code>

Unmount when no longer needed:

<code>multipass umount vm01</code>

Lifecycle Commands

Start, stop, delete or purge an instance:

<code>multipass start vm01
multipass stop vm01
multipass delete vm01
multipass purge vm01</code>

Automating with cloud‑init

Use the

--cloud-init

flag to run a YAML configuration on first boot, for example to install Node.js automatically.

Conclusion

Multipass provides a fast, lightweight way to run Ubuntu VMs on macOS, with a Docker‑like workflow and simple CLI commands, making it suitable for development and learning environments.