Use a virtual machine
Library and VM windows
The library keeps your VMs between sessions. Click a card to select it; double-click it or choose Open Window from its context menu to open its VM window. The card's configuration button or Configure… context action opens its settings. The library supports grid and list views.
A VM window is separate from the library window. Use macOS's Window menu to select an open window. Closing a window should not be used as a substitute for explicitly stopping a guest; check the VM's state before quitting Transit or disconnecting its storage drive.
Start, pause, resume and stop
| Control | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Start / Play | Starts a stopped VM; wait for Ubuntu's desktop |
| Pause | Suspends the running guest; it keeps its memory and occupies the running-VM slot |
| Resume / Play | Continues a paused guest |
| Stop | Requests shutdown according to your General settings; Ubuntu can show a confirmation dialog |
| Force Stop | Ends an unresponsive guest without completing normal shutdown; unsaved work can be lost |
Only one VM can run at a time, including paused guests. Stop the current VM before starting a different one.
For normal shutdown, save work in Ubuntu and choose its power-off action. If you use Transit's Stop control, watch the guest for a confirmation dialog. The host may keep waiting until you confirm it. Wait for Stopped before disconnecting an external drive or quitting. Settings > General contains the shutdown policy and waiting behavior.
Keyboard and cursor
Click the Ubuntu desktop to direct typing to the guest. The toolbar reports Cursor free or Cursor captured. In free mode you can move the Mac pointer out of the guest normally. Right-click is sent as a right-click to Ubuntu.
Real toolbar component with a sample running VM; no guest screen is included.
Choose Capture Cursor for apps that need relative mouse movement. Press Esc to release it, or use Release Cursor when the toolbar is reachable. The visible Mac cursor may not reflect every guest cursor shape, such as a text caret or resize cursor.
Mac Command shortcuts remain available to the Mac app. Use Linux shortcuts inside the guest for Linux apps, such as Control-S to save a document. The Mac screenshot shortcut below operates on the focused Transit VM window.
Fullscreen
Choose Enter Full Screen from the VM toolbar or use macOS's fullscreen control. Move the pointer to the top edge to reveal the VM's compact fullscreen controls. Release cursor capture with Esc first if needed. Use Exit Full Screen or macOS's View > Exit Full Screen to return to the window. If the strip does not respond, use the View menu and see fullscreen troubleshooting.
Window size and guest resolution
You can resize the Mac window; Transit scales the guest image proportionally, with margins where the window and guest have different shapes. This does not change Ubuntu's resolution.
More (…) > Fit Window to Guest changes the Mac window to fit the guest's current display mode, within the available Mac screen space. The toolbar's monitor-shaped Fit Window to Guest button performs the same action. It is unavailable before a guest frame arrives or while the window is fullscreen. It does not request a new guest resolution.
To change the guest itself, use Ubuntu Settings > Displays and choose a mode Ubuntu offers. Keep the working mode if a larger option is unavailable. A toolbar action that selects the nearest guest resolution is still being qualified; it is not an instruction for this version.
Audio output
Guest audio plays through the Mac. The toolbar's speaker control becomes available when the VM's output starts; choose it to mute or unmute the guest. If you hear nothing, check Ubuntu's volume/output, the toolbar's mute state and macOS's output volume. Microphone input is not supported.
Save a screenshot
In the replacement development version, choose the toolbar's Save Screenshot camera button, or File > Save VM Screenshot… with the VM window focused. The shortcut is Shift-Command-S (⇧⌘S). Choose a location in the Mac Save sheet, then Save or Cancel.
The PNG contains the guest frame at its original pixel dimensions, not the Mac window's toolbar or its scaled margins. A paused VM can save its retained frame. The action is unavailable before a guest frame exists or while an export is already in progress. Submitted build 862 does not have this feature.
More menu
The VM toolbar's More (…) menu contains:
- Fit Window to Guest
- Configure…
- Serial Console
- Export Diagnostics…
Configuration changes require a stopped VM. See files and storage and advanced tools for these workflows.