Download
Get Ubuntu Desktop Edition Download
You can download Ubuntu Desktop Edition online, completely free.
Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition
If you're running Windows
You can use Ubuntu Windows installer to run Ubuntu alongside your current system.
Burn your CD or create a USB drive
Once you've finished downloading your file, you'll need to create a CD or USB drive.
Why do I need a CD?
Burning a CD means that you can trial Ubuntu without affecting your current system. And you can install it alongside or instead of your system whenever you're ready.
95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / XP / Server 2003 / Vista: Infra Recorder
- Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open-source image-burning program.
- Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an autorun dialog box pops up.
- Open Infra Recorder and click the 'Write Image' button in the main screen.
- Alternatively you can select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'.
- Select the Ubuntu CD image file you want to use, then click 'Open'.
- In the dialog box, click 'OK'.
XP / Server 2003 / Vista: ISO Recorder
- Download and install the appropriate version of ISO Recorder.
- Insert an unformatted DVD into your burner. (Note: You can only burn DVDs with this tool from Vista.)
- Open Windows Explorer, find your ISO file, right-click and choose 'Next'.
Windows 7
- Right-click on an ISO image and choose 'Burn disc image'.
- Select a disk burner (drive) and choose 'Burn'. If you check 'Verify disc after burning', it will confirm that the ISO image has been burned correctly.
Mac OS X
Note: To burn most ISOs, you can use Apple's Disk Utility (Disk Copy in older versions).
- Launch Disk Utility (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility).
- Insert your blank CD/DVD.
- Drag and drop your .iso file to the left pane in Disk Utility. Now both the blank disc and the .iso should be listed.
- Select the .iso file, and click on the 'Burn' button in the toolbar.
- Ensure that the 'Verify burned data' checkbox is ticked (you may need to click on the disclosure triangle to see the checkbox).
- Click 'Burn'. The data will be burned and verified.
Ubuntu
The procedure may differ slightly depending on which version of Ubuntu you are using.
- Insert a blank CD into your burner. A 'CD/DVD Creator' or 'Choose Disc Type' window might pop up. Close this, as we will not be using it.
- Look for the downloaded ISO image in the file browser.
- Right click on the ISO image file and choose 'Write to Disc'.
- Where it says 'Write disc to', you may have options such as 'File image' as well as your CD drive. Choose your CD drive. Your CD drive may show as something like 'BD-MLT UJ-210S'
- Select the write speed. If you are burning an Ubuntu Live CD (one that you may want to boot from), it is recommended that you write at the lowest possible speed.
- Start the burning process.
- After burning is completed, verify that your CD contains multiple files and folders and not just the ISO file. This way you will know the process was completed correctly.
Windows
- Insert a USB stick with at least 2GB of free space
- Download the Universal USB Installer
- Click 'Run' when prompted
- If the security dialog appears, confirm by clicking 'Run'
- Read the licence agreement and choose 'I Agree' to continue
- Select Ubuntu Desktop Edition from the dropdown list
- Click 'Browse' and open the downloaded ISO file
- Choose the USB drive and click 'Create'
Mac
We would encourage Mac users to download Ubuntu Desktop Edition by burning a CD for the time being. But if you would prefer to use a USB, please follow the instructions below.
Note: this procedure requires an .img file that you will be required to create from the .iso file you download.
TIP: Drag and Drop a file from Finder to Terminal to 'paste' the full path without typing and risking type errors.
- Download the desired file
- Open the Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities/ or query Terminal in Spotlight)
- Convert the .iso file to .img using the convert option of hdiutil (e.g.,
hdiutil convert-format UDRW -o ~/path/to/target.img ~/path/to/ubuntu.iso) -
Note: OS X tends to put the
.dmgending on the output file automatically. - Run
diskutil listto get the current list of devices - Insert your flash media
- Run
diskutil listagain and determine the device node assigned to your flash media (e.g. /dev/disk2) - Run
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN(replace N with the disk number from the last command; in the previous example, N would be 2) - Execute
sudo dd if=/path/to/downloaded.img of=/dev/rdiskN bs=1m(replace/path/to/downloaded.imgwith the path where the image file is located; for example,./ubuntu.imgor./ubuntu.dmg). -
- Using
/dev/rdiskinstead of/dev/diskmay be faster. - If you see the error
dd: Invalid number '1m', you are using GNU dd. Use the same command but replacebs=1mwithbs=1M. - If you see the error
dd: /dev/diskN: Resource busy, make sure the disk is not in use. Start the 'Disk Utility.app' and unmount (don't eject) the drive.
- Using
- Run
diskutil eject/dev/diskNand remove your flash media when the command completes - Restart your Mac and press
altwhile the Mac is restarting to choose the USB-Stick
Ubuntu
- Insert a USB stick with at least 2GB of free space
- In the main menu, go to System > Administration and open 'Startup Disk Creator'
- Click 'Other' to choose the downloaded ISO file
- Select the file and click 'Open'
- Select the USB stick in the bottom box and click 'Make Startup Disk'
- That's it! When the process completes, you'll be ready to restart your computer and begin installing Ubuntu.
Try it!
You can try out Ubuntu before you install it. When your CD or USB stick is ready, you can run Ubuntu directly from your CD or USB without affecting your current system.
Trial Ubuntu before you install it.
1. If you're using a CD: Put the Ubuntu CD into the CD/DVD-drive and restart the computer. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the CD.
If you don't get this menu, read the booting From the CD guide for more information.
2. If you're using a USB drive: Most newer computers can boot from USB. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the CD.
If your computer does not automatically do so, you might need to edit the BIOS settings. Restart your computer, and watch for a message telling you which key to press to enter the BIOS setup. It will usually be one of F1, F2, DEL, ESC or F10. Press this key while your computer is booting to edit your BIOS settings.
You need to edit the Boot Order. Depending on your computer, and how your USB key was formatted, you should see an entry for 'removable drive' or 'USB media'. Move this to the top of the list to force the computer to attempt to boot from USB before booting from the hard disk. Save your changes and continue.
3. Choose your preferred language and click on 'Try Ubuntu 10.04'
4. Your live CD desktop should appear. Have a look around!
5. When you are ready to install Ubuntu click on the icon on your desktop: 'Install Ubuntu 10.04'
Install it!
When the CD is ready, simply put it in your CD drive, restart your computer and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
Install Ubuntu
1. If you're using a CD: Put the Ubuntu CD into the CD/DVD-drive and restart the computer. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the CD.
If you don't get this menu, read the booting From the CD guide for more information.
2. If you're using a USB drive: Most newer computers can boot from USB. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the CD.
If your computer does not automatically do so, you might need to edit the BIOS settings. Restart your computer, and watch for a message telling you which key to press to enter the BIOS setup. It will usually be one of F1, F2, DEL, ESC or F10. Press this key while your computer is booting to edit your BIOS settings.
You need to edit the Boot Order. Depending on your computer, and how your USB key was formatted, you should see an entry for 'removable drive' or 'USB media'. Move this to the top of the list to force the computer to attempt to boot from USB before booting from the hard disk. Save your changes and continue.
3. Choose your preferred language and click on ''Install Ubuntu 10.04'
4. Select your location and click 'Forward' to proceed.
5. Select your preferred keyboard layout
6. You can install Ubuntu alongside your current system or instead of it. Use this screen to choose your installation preferences.
Using the 'install side by side' option will install Ubuntu on the free space in your computer. You can use the slider to allocate more or less space.
7. Enter your account and password details
8. Review your options and click on 'Install'
9. Learn more about Ubuntu while the system installs... Or make a cup of tea!
10. Restart and enjoy Ubuntu!
