Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Installation on the Framework Laptop 16

First, download Ubuntu 26.04 Desktop image from Ubuntu's website. We'll go through the steps in this Guide assuming you have a simple installation scenario of a fresh install on a blank drive.

Download balenaEtcher as a tool to create the USB installer from the ISO. balenaEtcher is available for MacOS. Install it.

Before booting to the Live USB drive, a note about secure boot.

Launch balenaEtcher. Insert your USB drive (8GB or larger). Click on "Flash from file" and select the ubuntu-26.04-desktop-amd64.iso that you downloaded. Click on "Select target" and choose your USB drive. Click "Flash" and wait a minute or two for it to complete.

Once the USB drive creation is complete, you can close balenaEtcher and eject the USB drive from your OS.

First, download Ubuntu 26.04 Desktop image from Ubuntu's website. We'll go through the steps in this Guide assuming you have a simple installation scenario of a fresh install on a blank drive.

Download Rufus as a tool to create the USB installer from the ISO - select the top download option from the link provided. Rufus is available for Windows. Install it.

If you are removing Windows to install Linux, you may run into the "Device is Active" error. This will provide you with guidance to overcome this error.

Before booting to the Live USB drive, a note about secure boot.

Launch Rufus. Insert your USB drive (8GB or larger). Click on "Flash from file" and select the ubuntu-26.04-desktop-amd64.iso that you downloaded. Click on "SELECT" and choose your USB drive. Click "START" and wait a minute or two for it to complete.

Before we begin the installation process with the Live USB, let's make sure you have your Linux Audio Compatibility set to Linux in the BIOS. Explanation as to what this does can be found here.

Power on the laptop, repeatedly tapping F2 in order to get into the BIOS. Note: If you're having trouble with this, try again, holding down the Fn key while rapidly tapping F2.

In BIOS mode, arrow key over to Setup Utility. Press the enter key. Arrow down to Advanced. Then arrow right, then arrow down to Linux Audio Compatibility. Press enter.

A new box for Linux Audio Compatibility will appear, arrow to Linux, then press enter. Now press F10 key to reboot.

Now we don't have an OS installed yet. So the reboot won't get us to a running operating system and we fully expect to see an error to this point. Simply press the power button to shutdown.

The next step is to install Ubuntu.

Secure Boot is optional: Enabling secure boot is completely optional and not necessary for normal operation, it's a personal choice - but there are trade offs to be aware of. Follow this link if you wish to enable it before installing Ubuntu. More about secure boot here.

If you have decided to disable secure boot. You will do so by booting into the BIOS menu:

Power on, then tap F2 rapidly at the Framework splash screen

Select Administer Secure Boot tile on the screen. Press enter.

Go to Enforce Secure Boot, it will show as Enabled. Click the enter key, arrow it to Disabled. Press F10 key to save and reboot.

IMPORTANT: If you're planning on booting with Windows at all, do not disable it.

Should you wish to enable it later in the future, repeat the above steps but select Enable this time.

Once you have reviewed the previous step, continue

Boot to Live Ubuntu USB: Insert the USB drive into the powered-off machine, then power it on.

If an OS is already installed, immediately begin tapping F12 as soon as the power light comes on. Start tapping before the Framework logo appears.

At the Boot Option Menu, use arrow keys to select your USB drive (shown as "Linpus lite (General UDisk)" or similar) and press Enter. On the black GRUB menu, confirm "Try or Install Ubuntu" is highlighted and press Enter.

Choose your language: Select English or your preferred language from the list. Click Next.

Language: Select your preferred language. Click next.

Accessibility: Adjust Seeing, Hearing, Typing, Pointing and clicking, or Zoom settings if needed. All accessibility options can be changed later in the Settings app. Click Next when done.

Keyboard layout: Select your keyboard layout from the list (default is English US). Choose a matching variant from the dropdown on the right. Test the layout in the "Type here to test your keyboard" field. Click Next.

Internet connection: Choose wired connection, Wi-Fi network, hidden Wi-Fi network, or Do not connect. An internet connection improves the install with compatibility checks and extra software packages. Click Next.

Try or install Ubuntu: Select "Install Ubuntu" to begin installation. Click Next.

Type of installation: Select "Interactive installation" for the guided step-by-step setup. Click Next.

Applications: Select "Default selection" for essentials plus a web browser and basic utilities. Select "Extended selection" if you want an offline-friendly set of office tools included. Click Next.

Optimize your computer: Check "Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware" to include NVIDIA drivers and similar. Check "Download and install support for additional media formats" for MP3, MP4, MOV, and similar. Click Next.

NVIDIA users: Please make sure to check the "Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware" boxes! This will ensure your NVIDIA driver for the dGPU is installed and activated, right out of the box without any extra work.

Disk setup: Select "Erase disk and install Ubuntu" for a clean install. Warning: this wipes all data and partitions on the target drive. Other options: install alongside an existing OS, erase only an existing Ubuntu install, or manual partitioning. Click Next.

Choose the installation drive: Select the target drive from the "Select drive" dropdown, for example nvme0n1. Confirm the Ubuntu entry below shows the correct drive name and size. Click Next.

Encryption and file system: Select "No encryption" for an unencrypted install. Select "Encrypt with a passphrase" to require a passphrase at every boot. Select "Use hardware-backed encryption" to have the disk unlock automatically at startup. Click Next.

Create your account: Enter your name in the "Your name" field. Enter a hostname in the "Your computer's name" field. Enter a username in the "Your username" field.

Enter a password, then enter it again in the "Confirm password" field. Leave "Require my password to log in" checked unless you want auto-login. Check "Use Active Directory" only if joining an AD domain. Click Next.

Select your timezone: Confirm the Location field matches your city or region. Confirm the Timezone field matches your zone. Click on the map to adjust if the values are wrong. Click Next.

Review your choices: Verify Type of installation, Installation disk, and Applications under General. Verify Disk encryption and Proprietary software under Security & more. Verify the Partitions list. Click Install to begin.

Installation runs: The installer copies files and displays a slideshow while it works. When finished, you will be prompted to remove the USB and reboot.

Remove the USB and reboot: When the installer finishes, click "Restart now" in the dialog. When prompted with "Please remove the installation medium, then press ENTER," unplug the USB drive. Press Enter to reboot into the installed system.

First boot - log in: At the GDM login screen, click your username. Enter the password you set during installation. Press Enter or click Sign In.

Welcome to Ubuntu: The setup assistant opens with "Welcome to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS!" Click "View release notes" if you want to read what's new. Click Next to continue.

Location Services: Toggle "Location Services" on if you want apps to determine your geographical location. Leave it off to keep location access disabled. Click Next. This can be changed later in the Settings app.

Help Improve Ubuntu: Toggle "Share system data with the Ubuntu team" on or off (hardware info, language, timezone). Toggle "Share error reports with the Ubuntu team" on or off (crash reports and related system logs).

Appearance: Select "Default" for a light window style or "Dark" for a dark window style. Choose an accent color from the row of colored circles. Click Next. This can be changed later in the Settings app.

Ready to go: The final "Get started with more applications" screen appears. Click "Open App Center" to browse additional apps now, or skip it. Click Finish to close the setup assistant.

Your Framework Laptop 16 with the NVIDIA dGPU module can operate in two primary graphics modes you will want to explore. You can switch between them in your laptop's BIOS settings.

To access this section of your BIOS: Tap F2 when you boot and see your Framework Splash screen (Framework logo). Arrow over to Setup utility. Click enter. Down arrow to Advanced on the left side. Right arrow to NVIDIA Mux. Enter key. Make your selection, press enter. Press F10 and press enter again to save changes and reboot.

The third option, Advanced Optimus, behaves like NVIDIA Hybrid Mode on Linux. So we will forgo it for this guide.

NVIDIA Hybrid Mode (Traditional Optimus): This is the default and most battery-efficient mode.

Display Path: The integrated AMD GPU (iGPU) is always connected to the display. When the NVIDIA GPU (dGPU) is used for a demanding task, it renders the frames and copies them to the iGPU to be shown on the screen.

Switching: Applications run on the power-saving iGPU by default. Steam uses dGPU this automatically for games.

Performance: Small but measurable latency and FPS penalty compared to direct dGPU output because every frame must traverse the iGPU.

Your Framework Laptop 16 with the NVIDIA dGPU module can operate in two primary graphics modes you will want to explore. You can switch between them in your laptop's BIOS settings.

To access this section of your BIOS: Tap F2 when you boot and see your Framework Splash screen (Framework logo). Arrow over to Setup utility. Click enter. Down arrow to Advanced on the left side. Right arrow to NVIDIA Mux. Enter key. Make your selection, press enter. Press F10 and press enter again to save changes and reboot.

The third option, Advanced Optimus, behaves like NVIDIA Hybrid Mode on Linux. So we will forgo it for this guide.

NVIDIA GPU-Only (Discrete Mode)

Display Path The dGPU drives the panel 100% of the time. The iGPU is fully disabled.

Switching: No switching possible without reboot — you must go back into BIOS or flip the MUX manually to return to Hybrid mode.

Performance: Maximum performance and lowest latency, because there is no iGPU in the pipeline.