Multipass is a lightweight virtual machine manager designed to make it easy to launch and manage Ubuntu environments. Whether you’re developing cross-platform software, testing distributed systems, or experimenting with cloud technologies, Multipass offers a fast, consistent experience on Linux, macOS, and Windows. With just a few commands, you can spin up fully functional Ubuntu instances tailored to your needs.
Recent Updates to Multipass
Multipass 1.15 brought several key improvements across platforms. It introduced instance cloning, making it easier to duplicate environments for testing or scaling. Bridging support was added on Linux with QEMU. The GUI client was updated with a better terminal and streamlined workflows. On Windows, a new MSI-based installer improved installation and uninstallation consistency and security.
Last week, we released Multipass 1.16, marking a major step by making the entire project fully open source. Proprietary components for Windows and macOS are now in the main repository, and documentation has been moved to ReadTheDocs. This release also deprecates LXD, libvirt, and blueprints. These features will be completely removed soon. It’s expected to be the final version supporting macOS 13. Among other improvements, users can now launch custom images from a file or URL on macOS and Windows, the GUI adds a “Launch and configure next” option and terminal zoom and finally ARM Linux now supports the QEMU driver.
The Vision for Multipass
As Multipass continues to evolve, we’re moving beyond its origins as a simple VM launcher. Our vision is to transform Multipass into a comprehensive local cloud sandbox: a self-contained environment where developers can simulate, prototype, and learn about cloud-native technologies without requiring access to a public cloud. Multipass will offer a rich platform for local experimentation and will help developers and operators explore cloud technologies in an isolated, repeatable setting.
The Road Ahead
Looking toward the 25.10 and 26.04 Ubuntu release cycles, we are working on a number of foundational changes and new capabilities.
One of the major additions is the introduction of Availability Zones. Users will be able to simulate cloud deployments with up to three configurable zones, supporting round-robin placement or manual selection of instance locations. This feature will be essential for replicating high-availability cloud scenarios on a local machine.
We are also expanding the storage capabilities of Multipass. Block storage will allow you to attach persistent volumes to your instances, while blob storage support will make it easier to work with unstructured binary data. These improvements will enable new workflows for applications that require more complex data management.
In terms of hypervisor support, we’re simplifying and modernizing the stack. On Windows, Hyper-V will become the default and primary backend, while macOS users will benefit from deeper integration with Apple’s native Virtualization Framework. These native hypervisors promise better performance and more seamless user experiences.
The image catalog is also being redesigned. In addition to Ubuntu, we plan to introduce support for other popular distributions such as Debian and Fedora. A cleaner user interface and better filtering options will make it easier to discover images by version, architecture, and use case.
We’re continuing to enhance the Multipass GUI with more powerful features and visual improvements. A new “multipass console” is being added to allow direct interaction with instances without the need to configure SSH and troubleshoot early boot issues. To improve connectivity even further, we are exploring deeper support for VSOCK, which offers a faster and more secure communication channel between the host and the virtual machine. It will allow interactions with the guest without network connectivity.
All these developments are driven by our commitment to quality and security. We’re constantly improving our continuous integration pipelines and adding more end-to-end tests.
The documentation will also continue to grow, with more tutorials, how-tos, and real-world examples to help you get the most out of Multipass.
Try and contribute to Multipass today
If you haven’t yet explored Multipass, now is the perfect time to get started. You can install it easily on your platform of choice and be up and running with your first Ubuntu VM in seconds.
The project is open source, and we welcome contributions from the community. Whether you want to report a bug, suggest a new feature, or improve the documentation, head over to our GitHub repository to get involved.
Multipass is becoming the simplest and most powerful way to explore cloud ecosystems from your own machine. We can’t wait to see what you build with it.