How to install Ubuntu

How to install Ubuntu

1. Make room

To create an empty partition for Ubuntu, you'll first have to squeeze your existing Windows partition. Fire up the Disk Management tool in Windows, and right-click your main partition; typically assigned the drive letter C.

Then select the Shrink Volume option from the pop-up menu.

How to install Ubuntu

2. Shrink Windows

This brings up the Shrink dialog box, which shows you the maximum amount of space you can squeeze out of the partition. To create a new partition, specify the size of the partition in megabytes (MB) and click Shrink to start the process.

Ubuntu needs at least 5,000MB, but 20,000MB would be ideal.

How to install Ubuntu

3. Updates & plugins

After your PC boots from the Ubuntu installation medium, it'll display a checklist. Make sure you toggle the two available checkboxes on this screen.

The first will fetch any available updates from the internet, and the other will install the plugin required to play MP3 content.

How to install Ubuntu

4. Use free space

In the screen labelled Installation type, toggle the 'Something else' radio button to manually partition the disk. Ubuntu will now show you a list of partitions on the disk.

Select the one labelled free space and click the + sign to create a partition out of the space you freed up in Windows.

How to install Ubuntu

5. Define partitions

In the Create partition box enter the size for the Ubuntu partition leaving enough room for the swap partition. Then use the Mount point pull-down menu to select the / option.

Similarly create a partition for swap but instead of the default Ext4 option, select the swap area option.

How to install Ubuntu

6. Login credentials

That's it. The installer will now start installing Ubuntu. While the files are being copied to the disk in the background, it will ask you for your location and time zone, as well as your keyboard layout.

In the last screen you'll be asked to enter your desired login and password details.

TOPICS
Latest in Storage & Backup
SanDisk portable SSD on a blue background
Get a 2TB portable SSD for less than $0.07 per GB in this limited-time deal at Amazon
An Orico O7000 SSD on a table with its retail packaging
Orico O7000 SSD review: high-end PCIe 4.0 storage without the frills
A PC Gamer looking happy sat in front of their desktop monitor
Looking at buying an SSD? Hold fire for now – prices are predicted to drop (and on top of that, Black Friday is on the horizon)
External hard drive
How to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up
Staples Task Chair in a home office
This budget office chair gets a massive discount, dropping below $50
Lexar Computex 2024
Lexar reveals incredibly fast SSDs, RAM and other storage innovations at Computex 2024
Latest in How Tos
Trinity Rodman #2 of the Washington Spirit crosses the ball during a game between Bay FC and Washington Spirit at Audi Field on November 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.
National Women's Soccer League 2025: How to watch NWSL games live from anywhere
AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series Graphics Card on top wooden desk beside a keyboard
How to update AMD GPU drivers
tiktok
How to edit TikTok videos
Irish boxer TJ Doheny receives an undercard bout, ahead of the WBO super welterweight world title fight in March, 2023
Ball vs Doheny live stream: how to watch the boxing action from anywhere
 Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
How to delete all your Facebook posts
Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match in February 2025
Liverpool vs Newcastle live stream: how to watch Carabao Cup final 2025 online