How to Install Ubuntu on Mac Using Multipass and Use VSCode Remote Access

The Mythical Engineer
Apr 15, 2025

Ever got stuck with working on some older projects which won’t compile on mac, but they run well on your ubuntu server?

Well, you can now run ubuntu on your mac and use vscode to remote access it.

In this post, I’ll show you how to setup ubuntu on your mac using multipass and use vscode to remote access it.

Why Multipass?

Multipass simplifies Ubuntu VM management with a CLI-driven workflow. It’s optimized for macOS, uses minimal resources. Pair it with VSCode’s Remote SSH extension, and you get a native development environment for Linux projects without dual-boot. If you want to dual boot on silicon mac, you can try Fedora Asahi Linux.

Prerequisites

• macOS 12.3 or newer (Intel or Apple Silicon)
• VSCode with the Remote SSH extension

Step 1: Install Multipass

Open Terminal and install Multipass:

wget https://github.com/canonical/multipass/releases/download/v1.15.1/multipass-1.15.1+mac-Darwin.pkg

open multipass-1.15.1+mac-Darwin.pkg

Follow the manual installation steps.

Verify the installation:

multipass version

Step 2: Launch an Ubuntu Instance

Create a VM named primary (adjust CPU, RAM, and disk as needed):
You can also use the multipass GUI to launch the instance and mount your local directory to the instance as well.

multipass launch --name primary 20.04 --cpus 4 --memory 4G --disk 30G

# OR If you want to mount your local directory to the instance use
multipass launch --name primary 20.04 --cpus 4 --memory 4G --disk 30G --mount /local/path:/instance/path

Wait for the VM to initialize. Once done, check its status:

multipass list

Step 3: Set Up SSH Access

Retrieve the VM’s IP Address

multipass info primary  

Note the IPv4 address (e.g., 192.168.64.2).

Generate SSH Keys

On your Mac, generate a key pair if you haven’t already:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Copy the public key to the VM:

multipass transfer ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub ubuntu-vm:/home/ubuntu/.ssh/authorized_keys

# OR
# You can manually copy the public key content in the authorized_keys file in ubuntu vm

Configure SSH on the VM

Access the VM’s shell:

multipass shell primary  

Update the SSH configuration to enforce key-based authentication:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config  

Ensure these lines are uncommented and set:

PubkeyAuthentication yes  
PasswordAuthentication no  

Restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart ssh  

Exit the VM:

exit  

Step 4: Connect VSCode to the VM

Configure SSH on macOS

Add this entry to ~/.ssh/config:

Host ubuntuvm  
    HostName 192.168.64.2  # Replace with your VM’s IP  
    User ubuntu  
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa  
    ServerAliveInterval 120  

Connect via VSCode

1. Open VSCode, press Cmd+Shift+P, and select Remote-SSH: Connect to Host.
2. Choose ubuntuvm from the list.
3. VSCode will connect and set up the remote environment.

Troubleshooting

• VM Not Starting: Check the Multipass daemon:

  sudo launchctl list | grep multipass  
  

• SSH Connection Refused: Verify the VM’s IP hasn’t changed using multipass info.
• Permission Issues: Ensure private key permissions are strict:

  chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa  
  

To terminate instance

multipass delete <instance-name>

Change instance configuration

multipass stop primary
multipass set local.primary.cpus=6
multipass set local.primary.disk=60G
multipass set local.primary.memory=8G

You now have a fully functional Ubuntu VM on your Mac. If you are working on some legacy projects, I would recommend choosing the oldest ubuntu version available.

Suggested Reading

Share this: