Written with the help of an AI assistant, and reviewed by me. I build Velo Workspaces, the Mac app this guide walks through.
Ubuntu's installer normally asks about your language, keyboard, disk and account. With automatic installation, Velo Workspaces answers all of it for you, from what you enter once and your Mac's own settings. Here's the whole process, screen by screen.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Your time | About 2 minutes; the install runs on its own |
| Download | About 4 GB (Ubuntu 26.04.1 Desktop ISO) |
| You get | Ubuntu Desktop, with your account, keys and SSH set up |
| Same steps for | Ubuntu Server, Fedora and Rocky Linux too |
Automatic installation works for Ubuntu Server and Desktop, Fedora Server and Everything, and Rocky Linux. If you want a server, a cloud image is quicker still. The installer is the way to get Ubuntu's full desktop.
1. Start a workspace from an installer
Pick a kind of workspace in the sidebar and click + at the top right of the window. On the first step of the assistant, choose Installer image.
Installer image runs a distribution's own installer, downloaded for you.
2. Choose Ubuntu Desktop and keep Automatic installation on
Choose Ubuntu, then a release: 26.04 LTS is recommended. Each release has a Server and a Desktop ISO. Click Download next to Desktop. It's about 4 GB, comes from cdimage.ubuntu.com, and is checked against Ubuntu's SHA-256 list when it arrives.
The Desktop ISO, downloaded and verified, with Automatic installation ticked.
Below the list, Automatic installation is ticked. That's what makes this hands-free: Velo Workspaces answers the installer with the account and SSH keys from the next step, and your Mac's language, keyboard and time zone. Click Continue.
3. Set up the workspace and your account
Name the workspace (the name becomes the hostname) and pick a profile. A desktop wants at least 4 GB of memory, and Code & Build (4 CPU, 8 GB) is more comfortable. Under Account, enter the username and password the installer should create. This Mac's key is already listed, and Add Other Public Keys… takes any others you want to sign in with.
The account you enter here is the one the installer creates.
Show Advanced Settings sets exact CPU, memory and disk size. The disk is 64 GB unless you change it, and it only uses space on your Mac as it fills.
4. Review and start the installation
Setup reads Automatic: Ubuntu autoinstall. Click Start Installation.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Desktop, verified, with an automatic install.
5. Let it install
The workspace boots straight into Ubuntu's installer, and a banner in the app says what's going on: Installing Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Desktop automatically. Don't type in the installer — Velo Workspaces restarts the workspace when it's done. Take it at its word and go do something else.
Ubuntu's installer copying files, with the app's banner above it.
Underneath, Velo Workspaces boots a copy of the ISO with autoinstall on the kernel command line and attaches a small disk holding the answers. That's why Ubuntu doesn't stop to ask anything, not even its usual “Continue with autoinstall?” question. When the installer finishes, it tells the app, and the workspace restarts from its own disk.
Rarely, the ISO can't be prepared that way. Ubuntu then asks once before it erases the virtual disk, and the banner shows a Confirm Installation button that answers for you.
6. Sign in
After the restart you get Ubuntu's desktop and its short welcome tour. SSH is already set up with your keys, so the Access tab soon shows SSH ready, and Open Terminal signs you straight in.
The installed desktop, and the built-in terminal signed in over SSH.
Pro feature. The built-in terminal is part of Velo Workspaces Pro, which you can try free for a week. Without it, copy the
sshcommand from the Access tab into Terminal. That uses the keys in your~/.sshfolder, so the workspace has to trust one of them: the SSH and VS Code guide shows how.
Good to know
- Server instead of Desktop: the steps are the same with the Server ISO, and you end up at a console instead of a desktop.
- Debian: automatic installation isn't available for Debian's installer yet. The Debian cloud image sets up automatically.
- Server or Desktop? This comparison helps you choose.
Top comments (0)