Try Ubuntu Desktop¶
In this tutorial, you’ll try Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 LTS on your computer without making any permanent changes. Ubuntu Desktop will run from a USB drive and your data will be safe.
What you’ll need:
A laptop or PC.
A flash drive (12GB or above recommended).
Will Ubuntu work on my computer?¶
You can test Ubuntu from a USB drive on any computer to see if it works.
You can also try to find your computer on the Ubuntu certified hardware page. These devices have been tested and confirmed to work well with Ubuntu.
Download an Ubuntu image¶
Get the Ubuntu installation image from the Download Ubuntu Desktop page. Save it to a memorable location on your PC. The downloaded file is called ubuntu-24.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso or similar.
Create a bootable USB stick¶
Write the downloaded Ubuntu image to a USB stick to create the installation media. This is not the same as copying the downloaded image file: you have to use special software.
We’ll use the balenaEtcher application because it runs on Linux, Windows and macOS.
At the balenaEtcher website, choose the version that corresponds to your current operating system.
Download and install the tool.
Insert your USB flash drive.
Open balenaEtcher.
Select the downloaded Ubuntu image and your USB flash drive.
Click Flash! to write the image.
Now you have a USB stick that works as Ubuntu installation media.
Boot from the USB flash drive¶
Insert the USB stick into the laptop or PC where you want to install Ubuntu.
Restart the computer.
Your device should recognize the installation media and launch the Ubuntu installer.
If not, restart it again. This time, hold F12 during startup. In the boot menu that appears, select your USB device.
F12 is the most common key for bringing up the system boot menu but Escape, F2 and F10 are common alternatives. If unsure, look for a brief message when your system starts: this often informs you which key to press to access the boot menu. You can also find the right key in the documentation for your laptop or PC.
Follow the installer¶
The Ubuntu Desktop installer opens. We’ll use it to set a couple of options. Then we’ll close it without installing anything on your computer.
Choose your language.
Select any accessibility settings that your require.
Select your keyboard layout.
Connect to your network.
This allows Ubuntu to download updates and third party drivers, such as NVIDIA graphics drivers, during installation.
It also allows you to use a web browser in the Ubuntu preview.
The network connection is optional. If you can’t connect, the Ubuntu preview will still work.
The installer gives you the choice to try or install Ubuntu.
Click Try Ubuntu so that you can preview Ubuntu without making any changes to your PC.
Test the Ubuntu preview¶
The installer closes. Use the preview to test if your hardware works correctly with Ubuntu.
Look around the interface and see what applications are available.
Install Ubuntu or return to your system¶
If you decide to install Ubuntu, return to the installer menu at any time by clicking the Install Ubuntu shortcut on the desktop. See Install Ubuntu Desktop to proceed with the installation. If you have any data on your computer that you want to keep, make sure to back up your data first.
When you’re done testing Ubuntu and you don’t want to install it, you can reboot the computer and return to your regular system:
Click the menu in the upper right corner of the screen on the top bar.
Click the power button.
Select Restart and confirm.
Ubuntu asks you to remove your USB flash drive from the device. Once you’ve done this, press Enter.
Your computer restarts and loads your regular system.