Multipass
Multipass is a lightweight virtual machine manager for creating Ubuntu instances on Windows, macOS and Linux. This page covers cloud-init, mounts, snapshots, drivers and recovery boundaries.
What Multipass provides
Multipass creates and manages small Ubuntu virtual machines with lifecycle commands, shell access, cloud-init, mounts and snapshots where the active driver supports them. The host backend differs by platform, so a workflow that works on one machine should be checked again after migration.
Treat instance data as a separate system
A cloud-init file can reproduce users, packages and initialization commands, but it does not replace backups of databases, keys or data created later. Keep mounts narrow, protect credentials and distinguish a recoverable delete state from permanent purge.
Maintenance note
This page reviews Multipass for Ubuntu development instances, cloud-init repeatability, mounts and recovery-friendly maintenance. Content review date: 2026-08-23.
Save to your cloud drive
Open the cloud drive to get the file directly, or save it for convenient access on another device.
Quark Cloud Drive
RecommendedSave Multipass to this cloud drive
Baidu Netdisk
Save Multipass to this cloud drive
Multipass Ubuntu instance and recovery guide
Create a small named test instance, verify startup, shell, networking and a dedicated mount, then capture initialization and recovery steps before using a larger instance.
Before you start
- Confirm hardware virtualization and the active Hyper-V, KVM, QEMU or VirtualBox backend.
- Reserve space for the Ubuntu image, instance disk and snapshots and record network policy.
- Prepare a cloud-init test file without long-lived plaintext secrets and back up important VM data.
Installation steps
- 01
Install the matching platform build
Install Multipass for the operating system, check the client and service versions and confirm the selected virtualization driver before creating an instance.
- 02
Create a named test instance
Inspect available images, start a small instance with explicit CPU, memory and disk values and wait for its state to become running before querying its address.
- 03
Test shell and initialization
Enter the instance, verify Ubuntu version, time, DNS and package sources and turn the successful commands into a repeatable cloud-init file.
Quick start
- 01
Test lifecycle commands
Create a test file, stop and start the instance and run a query to confirm its name, state and data persistence without treating the test as a backup.
- 02
Mount one dedicated directory
Mount an empty host test directory, check user mapping and permissions and avoid exposing a whole home or credential directory to the guest.
- 03
Rehearse delete and recovery
Use an unimportant instance to distinguish delete, recover and purge, recording which state remains recoverable and which operation permanently removes data.
Usage tips
- Driver support for mounts, snapshots, clones, networking and suspend differs by host platform.
- Keep long-lived credentials out of shared cloud-init files and images.
- List exact instance names before any destructive lifecycle operation and back up databases separately.
Troubleshooting and uninstall
Why is an instance stuck starting or missing a network address?
Check hardware virtualization, the backend service, disk space, proxy, DNS, firewall and conflicts with other VM tools before restarting the service or deleting the instance.
Why does a mount have the wrong permissions?
Compare host ownership, guest user mapping and platform mount support with an empty test directory before changing permissions on a wider path.
- Inventory instances and dataStop writes, list running and deleted instances, copy guest-only files and export databases and cloud-init settings, then verify a restore copy.
- Purge only after reviewConfirm the instance names and backup locations before purging deleted instances, then uninstall the client and clear images or caches only after recovery needs are closed.
Frequently asked questions
Does cloud-init replace a VM backup?
No. It can reproduce initialization, but later data, keys, databases and manual changes need separate backups.
What is the difference between delete and purge?
Delete generally marks an instance for removal while purge permanently clears deleted instances and their data. Confirm the target before purging.
Are Multipass mounts equivalent to a secure backup?
No. A mount shares live host data with the guest and should remain narrow; use a separate, verified backup for recovery.
Does the download require an extraction code?
The Quark entry does not require one; the four-character code for the Baidu entry is shown beside its download entry.