# [Multipass](https://canonical.com/multipass) ## About this Install Guide | Reading time: | 30 min | |----------------------|----------------------| | Last updated: | 27 Oct 2026 | | Ecosystem dashboard: | [View](https://developer.arm.com/ecosystem-dashboard/linux?package=Canonical%20Multipass) | | Author: | Jason Andrews, Arm [GitHub](https://github.com/jasonrandrews) [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jason-andrews-7b05a8) | | Official docs: | [View](https://canonical.com/multipass/docs/) | | Tags: | [Multipass](https://canonical.com/multipass) | This guide shows you how to install and use the tool with the most common configuration. For advanced options and complete reference information, see the official documentation. Some install guides also include optional next steps to help you explore related workflows or integrations. [Multipass](https://canonical.com/multipass) provides cloud-style virtual machines (VMs) for local development and testing. This guide installs Multipass on macOS with Apple Silicon or on Arm Linux, such as a Raspberry Pi 5, and verifies it by launching an Ubuntu instance. Multipass provides a clear command line interface (CLI) to easily start virtual machine instances, do development tasks, and clean the VMs from your computer. Multipass uses the terms virtual machine and instance synonymously. In this guide, you’ll learn how to create a compatible Ubuntu Linux environment for working on cloud instances. A Mac with Apple Silicon or an Arm Linux computer with Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) enabled is required. The macOS installation also requires an account with administrator privileges. ## Download Multipass for macOS Download Multipass for macOS from GitHub: > **Note:** The following commands use Multipass version 1.17.0. The same commands work with other versions. Replace the file used in these steps with the file for your version of choice. To find the latest version, see [Multipass releases](https://github.com/canonical/multipass/releases). ```bash curl -fL -o multipass-1.17.0+mac-Darwin.pkg https://github.com/canonical/multipass/releases/download/v1.17.0/multipass-1.17.0%2Bmac-Darwin.pkg ``` ## Install Multipass on macOS Install the downloaded package: ```bash sudo installer -pkg multipass-1.17.0+mac-Darwin.pkg -target / ``` To upgrade an existing installation, run the new installer in the same way. Existing instances are preserved. The following instructions use the command line interface. If you prefer the graphical interface, open Multipass from **Applications**. You can use it to create, start, and stop virtual machines. ![The Multipass graphical interface on macOS](https://learn.arm.com/install-guides/_images/multipass-gui.webp) *The Multipass graphical interface on macOS* ### Select the macOS virtualization driver Multipass 1.17.0 introduces a preview driver based on the Apple Virtualization framework, selected with the name `applevz`. QEMU remains the default driver. To try the new driver before creating an instance, run: ```bash multipass set local.driver=applevz ``` Confirm the selected driver: ```bash multipass get local.driver ``` The expected output is: ``` __output__ applevz ``` > **Note:** Instances belong to the driver that created them. Switching drivers hides existing instances until you switch back; it does not migrate them. See [Canonical’s driver setup guide](https://canonical.com/multipass/docs/latest/how-to-guides/customise-multipass/set-up-the-driver/) for details. If you prefer to use QEMU instead of the preview driver, run the following command. Skip it to continue with `applevz`: ```bash multipass set local.driver=qemu ``` Multipass is now installed. Continue with [Get started with Multipass](https://learn.arm.com/install-guides/multipass/#getstarted). ## Install Multipass on Arm Linux Multipass can be used on Arm Linux computers such as the Raspberry Pi 5. Running Multipass on Linux requires KVM acceleration. Use a physical Arm Linux computer, or a virtual machine whose host exposes nested virtualization. The following instructions have been tested on a Raspberry Pi 5 running Raspberry Pi OS and Ubuntu. ### Check if KVM is available Install and run the `kvm-ok` command to confirm KVM is available. Install `kvm-ok` on Debian-based Linux distributions: ```bash sudo apt update sudo apt install cpu-checker -y ``` To check if KVM is available, run: ```bash sudo kvm-ok ``` If KVM is available, the output is similar to: ``` __output__ INFO: /dev/kvm exists __output__ KVM acceleration can be used ``` If KVM is not available, the output is similar to: ``` __output__ INFO: /dev/kvm does not exist __output__ HINT: sudo modprobe kvm __output__ INFO: For more detailed results, you should run this as root __output__ HINT: sudo /usr/sbin/kvm-ok ``` If KVM is available, proceed with the install. ### Install the Snap daemon on Arm Linux You might need to install the Snap daemon, `snapd`, before installing Multipass. If you aren’t sure if it is running, execute the command: ```bash snap version ``` If the output includes versions for both `snap` and `snapd`, the Snap daemon is available. If you need to install `snapd`, run: ```bash sudo apt install snapd -y ``` For distribution-specific setup, including Raspberry Pi OS, follow the [snapd installation instructions](https://snapcraft.io/docs/installing-snapd). Log out and back in, or restart the computer, after installing `snapd` so that its paths and services are available. The following command installs the latest stable Multipass release. Snap updates it automatically. Use `snap info multipass` to inspect the versions available in other channels; beta and edge builds are intended for testing. ```bash sudo snap install multipass ``` ## Get started with Multipass Multipass is now installed. You can try it out. ### Confirm Multipass is installed To confirm Multipass is installed, run: ```bash multipass version ``` The expected output for the macOS package above is: ``` __output__ multipass 1.17.0+mac __output__ multipassd 1.17.0+mac ``` On Linux, if the `multipass` command is not found, add `/snap/bin` to the shell search path: ```bash export PATH="$PATH:/snap/bin" ``` ### List available Ubuntu images Multipass 1.17 supports Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora images. This guide uses Ubuntu. Blueprints, including the Docker environment with Portainer, were removed in version 1.17. To see the images available for your host architecture, run the `find` command. Use an image name or alias from the list when creating an instance. ```bash multipass find ``` The output is similar to the following. Image versions and available releases change over time: ``` __output__ Image Aliases Version Description __output__ 22.04 jammy 20261020 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS __output__ 24.04 noble 20261017 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS __output__ 26.04 resolute,lts,ubuntu 20261016 Ubuntu 26.04 LTS __output__ 26.10 stonking 20261019 Ubuntu 26.10 __output__ core:core22 current Ubuntu Core 22 __output__ core:core24 current Ubuntu Core 24 __output__ core:core26 current Ubuntu Core 26 __output__ debian trixie 20261001 Debian 13 __output__ fedora 20260422 Fedora 44 ``` ### Launch a Multipass instance The default values for launching instances allocate 1 CPU, 5 GB of disk space, and 1 GB of memory. By default, the name of the instance is automatically assigned. Use the following command to launch the latest Ubuntu LTS image with 4 CPUs, 16 GB of disk space, and 4 GB of memory. Make sure your host has these resources available. ```bash multipass launch lts --name m1u --cpus 4 --disk 16G --memory 4G ``` The first launch downloads the image and waits for Ubuntu initialization to complete, which can take several minutes. When it finishes, the output is similar to: ``` __output__ Launched: m1u in zone1 ``` The command prompt returns and the instance runs in the background. Multipass assigns an availability zone automatically, so the zone name can differ. ### Connect to a Multipass instance Use the `list` command to identify created instances. Note the instance names as the name is used in other commands. ```bash multipass list ``` To start a command line shell on a running instance, use the `shell` command: ```bash multipass shell m1u ``` Run `exit` to return to your host shell before running the remaining `multipass` commands. ### Execute a command on a Multipass instance To run a specific command from the host on the instance, use the `exec` command. The command to be run comes after the `--`: ```bash multipass exec m1u -- uname -m ``` The expected output on an Arm host is: ``` __output__ aarch64 ``` ### Print instance information The `info` command prints information about the instance, including the IP address. ```bash multipass info m1u ``` The output is similar to the following. The zone, IP address, image hash, release, and resource usage depend on your instance: ``` __output__ Name: m1u __output__ State: Running __output__ Zone: zone1 __output__ Snapshots: 0 __output__ IPv4: 192.168.252.3 __output__ Release: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS __output__ Image hash: 8eb876c2ccc4 (Ubuntu 26.04 LTS) __output__ CPU(s): 4 __output__ Load: 0.17 0.08 0.02 __output__ Disk usage: 2.5GiB out of 15.4GiB __output__ Memory usage: 410.7MiB out of 3.8GiB __output__ Mounts: -- ``` ### Mount a host directory into a Multipass instance To access a large number of files on the host machine without copying or transferring them into the instance, use the `mount` command. This command makes a host directory visible in the instance and all files can be accessed. Modifications made from inside the instance will directly change the files on the host. For example, create a host directory called `scratch` if it does not exist, then use the `mount` command: ```bash mkdir -p scratch multipass mount scratch m1u:/home/ubuntu/scratch ``` > **Note:** If accessing mounted files returns `Permission denied`, check the ownership of both the host directory and its files. Files owned by a group other than your primary host group can require an explicit `--gid-map` mapping. Use `--uid-map` and `--gid-map` to map host IDs to the Ubuntu user’s IDs. See the [mount command reference](https://canonical.com/multipass/docs/stable/reference/command-line-interface/mount/) for the syntax. ### Unmount a host directory from a Multipass instance Use the `umount` command to unmount the directory: ```bash multipass umount m1u:/home/ubuntu/scratch ``` Directories can be dynamically mounted and unmounted without stopping the instance. ### Stop and start a Multipass instance Multipass instances can be stopped and started quickly. Stop the instance: ```bash multipass stop m1u ``` After stopping the instance, the state will change to Stopped on the list command. Start the instance: ```bash multipass start m1u ``` ### Clean up Multipass instances Use the `delete` command to delete the instance: ```bash multipass delete m1u ``` After deletion, the state will change to Deleted. There is one extra level of protection to recover deleted instances before they are fully deleted. Use the `recover` command to recover the deleted instance: ```bash multipass recover m1u ``` Use the `purge` command to permanently remove all deleted instances: ```bash multipass purge ``` You’re now ready to use Multipass.