How to get your feet wet with Linux (safely, without committing)

Curious about Linux but not ready to wipe your computer? You don’t have to. There are two safe, beginner-friendly ways to explore: a Live USB or a Virtual Machine (VM): Both let you try Linux without touching your main system.

Note: Performance from either of these options can be a bit slow, but they're great for a first taste.

Option 1: Try Linux From a USB Stick (Live USB)

You can basically just carry Linux on a flash drive. You plug it in, restart your computer, and it runs Linux directly - without touching your files or system. When you’re done, you unplug it and restart, and your regular computer is back like nothing happened.

Step 1: Get a USB stick

• Any 8 GB or larger USB stick will work.

• Warning: everything on it will be erased - so if you have things on the USB stick you want to preserve, be sure to move them somewhere else first.

Step 2: Download Linux

• Go to ubuntu.com/download or linuxmint.com. There are many versions of Linux, but these two are common, well-supported, and user-friendly.

• Click the big download button for Ubuntu Desktop or Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition.

• This gives you a file ending in .iso - save it in your Downloads folder.

Step 3: Download the flashing tool

You need a small program to “flash” the Linux file onto your USB so your computer can boot from it.

• Go to balena.io/etcher and download Balena Etcher (Windows / Mac).

• Install it like any other app (double-click the file, follow the steps).

Step 4: Flash the USB stick

1. Plug your USB stick into the computer.

2. Open Balena Etcher.

   • Click Flash from file → choose the .iso file you downloaded.

   • Click Select target → choose your USB stick. Be sure you actually selected your USB stick - don't accidentally flash (erase) your main drive!

   • Click Flash!

3. Wait a few minutes until it finishes. Your USB stick is now a Linux Live USB.

Step 5: Restart and boot from USB

This is the only slightly tricky part - you need to tell your computer to start from the USB instead of your normal hard drive.

On Windows PCs:

1. Leave the USB stick plugged in.

2. Restart your computer.

3. As it restarts, press one of these keys repeatedly: F12, Esc, F2, or Del (depends on the brand).

4. A “boot menu” appears. Use arrow keys to choose your USB stick, then press Enter.

On Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, etc.):

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Plug in the USB stick.

3. Hold the Power button until you see startup options.

4. Choose your USB stick.

On Intel Macs (before Apple Silicon):

1. Shut down your Mac completely.

2. Plug in the USB stick.

3. Press the power button, then immediately hold the Option (⌥) key.

4. A menu appears with drive icons - pick the orange one labeled “EFI” or “USB.”

Note: If it doesn't work the first time, restart and try a different key (F12, Esc, etc.).

Step 6: Explore Linux!

• After a few minutes, you’ll see the Linux desktop.

• Look for the option “Try Ubuntu” or “Try Linux Mint” (If you see an install option, don’t select it - that would replace your system).

• Now you can open the web browser, click through menus, and see what Linux feels like.

Step 7: Go back to normal

When you’re done:

• Shut down your computer.

• Remove the USB stick.

• Boot back up as normal - your system comes back just as it was.

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Option 2: Running Linux in a Virtual Machine

A Virtual Machine (VM) is just a program you open, like a web browser or Word. But instead of browsing the web, it lets you run an entire computer inside a window on your desktop. You don’t need to restart, and you can close it at any time.

VM with Windows/Intel chip Mac: VirtualBox

Step 1: Install the VM program

• Windows / Intel Mac: Download and install VirtualBox.

• Apple Silicon Mac: Download and install UTM.

When it’s installed, you’ll find an icon for it on your desktop or in your applications folder. Double-click to open it.

Step 2: Download Linux

Go to ubuntu.com/download and click Download Ubuntu Desktop. This gives you a file ending in .iso. Save it to your Downloads folder.

Step 3: Create your “virtual computer”

1. Open VirtualBox (or UTM).

2. Look for a button near the top left that says New (in VirtualBox it’s a blue star with a spark). Click it.

3. A window will pop up asking for a name. Type something like Ubuntu Test.

4. Under “Type” choose Linux. Under “Version” choose Ubuntu (64-bit). Then click Next.

Step 4: Give it some memory (RAM)

This screen will show a slider bar. You're essentially going to be telling your machine how much RAM to let the VM "borrow" while it runs. Drag the slider to at least 2048 MB (2 GB) if you have that much to spare. If not, do as much as you can (lower RAM will mean slower performance).

Click Next.

Step 5: Give it some storage space

The next screen asks if you want a virtual hard disk. Again, this is just storage space the VM will "borrow" while it runs.

• Choose Create a virtual hard disk now → click Create.

• When it asks what kind, leave the default that appears (likely VDI). Click Next.

• When it asks “dynamically allocated or fixed,” choose Dynamically allocated. Click Next.

• Set the size to 20 GB if you have that much to spare (type 20 and make sure it says GB, not MB). Click Create.

Now you’ll see your new VM appear in the list on the left.

Step 6: Connect the Linux file

1. Click once on your VM (e.g. “Ubuntu Test”) to highlight it.

2. Click Settings (the yellow gear icon).

3. In the menu on the left, click Storage.

4. You’ll see a small “Empty” CD icon under “Controller: IDE.” Click on Empty.

5. On the right, click the tiny CD icon next to “Optical Drive” → choose Choose a disk file…

6. Navigate to your Downloads folder and pick the Ubuntu .iso file you downloaded.

7. Click OK to save.

Step 7: Start it up

Now highlight your VM again and click Start (the green arrow at the top). A window opens, and inside it, Ubuntu will begin loading. It’s just like turning on a brand-new computer.

Step 8: Explore safely

VM with Apple Silicon (M chip) Mac: UTM

1. Download UTM (free) and install it.

2. Download Ubuntu or Mint .iso as outlined above.

3. Open UTM → click Create a New Virtual Machine.

4. Choose Virtualize (important for speed on M1/M2).

5. When it asks for installer media, pick your Ubuntu .iso.

6. Give it some memory (at least 2048 MB). Disk size: 20 GB. Defaults usually work fine.

7. Click Save → then click Play to start.

8. When Ubuntu loads, pick Try Ubuntu.

In either of these cases, when Ubuntu finishes loading, you may be prompted to either Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu. If so, click Try Ubuntu. If nothing appears and it just boots you into the system, that means you're automatically in Try Ubuntu mode.

You can click around, open the web browser, try the settings, even break things - none of it affects your real computer.

When you’re done, close the VM window, which should prompt you to power off the virtual machine. That’s it!

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