Select an image
Ubuntu is distributed on two types of images described below.
Desktop image
The desktop image allows you to try Ubuntu without changing your computer at all, and at your option to install it permanently later. This type of image is what most people will want to use. You will need at least 1024MiB of RAM to install from this image.
There is one image available:
- 64-bit PC (AMD64) desktop image
- Choose this if you have a computer based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon, Core 2). Choose this if you are at all unsure.
Server install image
The server install image allows you to install Ubuntu permanently on a computer for use as a server. It will not install a graphical user interface.
There is one image available:
- 64-bit PC (AMD64) server install image
- Choose this if you have a computer based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon, Core 2). Choose this if you are at all unsure.
If you require LVM, RAID, multipath, network vlans, or network interface bonding during the installation; if you need to reuse existing partitions on your installation disk; or for support for other architectures besides AMD64/EM64T, see the alternative images location.
A full list of available files, including BitTorrent files, can be found below.
If you need help burning these images to disk, see the Image Burning Guide.