Installing Linux on a Mac depends mainly on which type of Mac you have:
- Intel-based Mac (pre-2020) → relatively straightforward
- Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3) → requires special Linux builds
I’ll outline both methods.
1. Installing Linux on an Intel Mac (Most Flexible)
Step 1 — Back up your Mac
Use Time Machine or another backup method before modifying partitions.
Step 2 — Download a Linux distribution
Popular beginner-friendly options:
- Ubuntu
- Linux Mint
- Fedora
Download the ISO file.
Step 3 — Create a bootable USB drive
Use balenaEtcher.
Process:
- Insert a USB stick (8GB+)
- Open Etcher
- Select the Linux ISO
- Select the USB drive
- Click Flash
Step 4 — Boot from the USB
- Insert the USB stick
- Restart the Mac
- Hold the Option (⌥) key while booting
- Choose EFI Boot
Step 5 — Install Linux
The installer will appear.
You can choose:
- Dual boot (keep macOS)
- Replace macOS completely
For most people choose:
Install Linux alongside macOS
The installer automatically creates partitions.
Step 6 — Reboot and choose OS
After installation you’ll see a boot menu from GRUB allowing you to select:
- Linux
- macOS
2. Installing Linux on Apple Silicon Macs (M1 / M2 / M3)
Standard Linux distributions won’t boot directly on these machines.
Instead you install Linux via Asahi Linux.
Install steps
Open Terminal in macOS and run:
curl https://alx.sh | sh
The script will:
- shrink the macOS partition
- install the bootloader
- install Linux automatically
Reboot and choose Asahi Linux.
3. Easier Option (No partitioning)
You can run Linux inside macOS using virtualization.
Good tools:
- UTM
- VMware Fusion
- Parallels Desktop
Advantages:
- no disk partitioning
- easy to remove
- safe for experimenting
Things that sometimes need extra setup
On Macs you may need drivers for:
- Wi-Fi
- trackpad
- graphics acceleration
Most modern distributions handle this automatically.
✅ Recommendation:
- Intel Mac → Ubuntu dual-boot
- M-series Mac → Asahi Linux
✔️