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I am new to install ubuntu. I want to install it using boot able usb. My question is how much size usb drive required for making bootable ubuntu operating operating system?

md kuddus
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2 Answers2

4

Edit 2023-03-18: Heads up

{ Please notice that Ubuntu Desktop and its community flavours (Kubuntu, Lubuntu ... Xubuntu) grow. Each new version comes with a bigger iso file. Lately they grow faster than ever, mainly because some tools are distributed as snaps.

This means that you need bigger USB drives. The next version of Ubuntu Desktop to be released as 23.04 next month will need an 8GB USB drive (the iso file exceeds 4GB), unless it will be trimmed down during the last few weeks before release.

Most community flavours, particularly the light-weight Lubuntu and Xubuntu continue to be small enough to fit when cloned to 4 GB pendrives.

Ubuntu Server grows too, but slowly compared to the desktop versions/flavours. }

USB drive size 2 GB - Ubuntu live-only

As @ByteCommander indicates, a 2GB USB pendrive or memory card (connected via a USB adapter) will be big enough for a live-only USB boot drive, that you can use to 'Try Ubuntu' or Install Ubuntu into another drive (an internal drive or another USB drive).

There are more details at this link.

USB drive size 4 GB - Ubuntu persistent live

A 4GB USB pendrive or memory card (connected via a USB adapter) will be big enough for a persistent live USB boot drive.

There are more details at this link.

USB drive size 16 GB - Ubuntu installed system

A 16GB USB pendrive or memory card (connected via a USB adapter) will be big enough for an installed system in a USB boot drive (installed like into an internal drive).

There are more details at this link.

General link

Try Ubuntu (Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, ...) before installing it

Edit 2023-02-20:

The iso files are growing quickly and the information above is no longer relevant for the newest versions of Ubuntu. I think the main reason for the growth is the snap system.

  • Generally, we need USB drive size 8 GB nowadays for standard Ubuntu Desktop.

This is illustrated by the following listing of some iso files that I have downloaded. Please notice that some of them exceed 4 GB.

I have used my shellscript newfiles looking for the files touched in my computer during the latest 600 days.

newfiles 600 /media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu {18,20,22}.04 -name '*.iso' | sort -nk5 | cut -d ' ' -f 5-
695205888   2018-04-26_21.58 '18.04/xubuntu-18.04-core-amd64.iso'
851443712   2021-10-15_19.38 '18.04/ubuntu-18.04.1-live-server-amd64.iso'
855638016   2021-09-09_16.42 '20.04/ubuntu-20.04.1-legacy-server-amd64.iso'
866123776   2020-09-18_06.56 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/focal-legacy-server-amd64.iso'
1200881664  2021-08-05_10.18 '18.04/lubuntu-18.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso'
1235918848  2022-05-06_16.50 '22.04/xubuntu-22.04-core-amd64.iso'
1261371392  2021-12-29_17.03 '20.04/ubuntu-20.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso'
1261371392  2021-09-28_10.14 '20.04/persistent-ubuntu-20.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso'
1406533632  2022-09-08_07.32 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/focal-live-server-amd64.iso'
1466714112  2022-04-23_08.38 '22.04/ubuntu-22.04-live-server-amd64.iso'
1474873344  2022-08-09_16.48 '22.04/ubuntu-22.04.1-live-server-amd64.iso'
1507780608  2022-09-07_09.56 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/jammy-live-server-amd64.iso'
1932853248  2022-05-03_18.54 '20.04/lubuntu-20.04.4-desktop-amd64.iso'
1996488704  2022-08-31_07.14 '20.04/lubuntu-20.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso'
2475399168  2022-08-10_18.35 '22.04/xubuntu-22.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso'
2606266368  2022-04-19_10.17 '22.04/lubuntu-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
2688100352  2022-08-09_12.03 '22.04/lubuntu-22.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso'
2701512704  2022-04-21_21.05 '22.04/xubuntu-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
2865117184  2022-04-19_10.16 '22.04/ubuntu-budgie-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
2877227008  2021-08-11_15.30 '20.04/ubuntu-20.04.2.0-desktop-amd64.iso'
2918014976  2022-04-19_10.21 '22.04/ubuntu-mate-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
3379068928  2022-07-30_21.06 '20.04/ubuntu-20.04.4-desktop-amd64.iso'
3412525056  2022-05-05_08.28 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/focal-desktop-amd64.iso'
3654957056  2022-04-19_10.25 '22.04/ubuntu-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
3674746880  2022-04-19_10.22 '22.04/kubuntu-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
3826831360  2022-08-11_16.53 '22.04/ubuntu-22.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso'
4448057344  2022-04-19_10.28 '22.04/ubuntustudio-22.04-dvd-amd64.iso'
4931569664  2022-04-23_08.41 '22.04/ubuntukylin-22.04-desktop-amd64.iso'
4939010048  2023-02-07_07.31 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/jammy-desktop-amd64.iso'
5894375424  2023-02-11_08.16 '/media/multimed-2/test/ubuntu/lunar-desktop-amd64.iso'
sudodus
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It must be minimum 2 GB. You can follow tutorials on Official Ubuntu Installation Page.

https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

Muhammed Yavuz
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