How to Install and Run Linux on Mac

Your Mac can run Linux in two different ways. One method involves installing Linux via virtualization software, while the second boots the operating system in a dual setup alongside macOS. In this guide, we’ll cover both methods of running Linux on a Mac.

Linux Distros and System Requirements

Linux comes in various distributions or distros. There are over 1,000 Linux distros, each with its unique style. If you’ve never used Linux before, you might want to pick one of the following user-friendly distros that are easy to install:

• Linux Mint
  
• Ubuntu
  
• Fedora
  
• Manjaro
  
• Arch Linux
  

The system requirements can be different for each distro. For example, Linux Mint requires that your Mac meets the following specs:

• 2GB of RAM
  
• 20GB of disk space
  
• 64-bit Intel processor
  

Most Linux distros are lightweight on resources and can run on Macs that are even ten years or older.

About Macs with T2 and Apple Silicon Chipsets

This could come as a surprise, but installing Linux on newer Mac models (2018 and later) is harder than installing it on older models because of the Apple T2 Security Chipset and the Apple Silicon CPU.

Macs with T2 Security Chipsets

If you use an Intel Mac with a T2 Security Chip, you can install most Linux distros in a dual boot setup, but you’ll need to do more work.

For instance, you’ll need to configure the firmware to allow booting from external media, while some hardware components, like the trackpad, keyboard, and Wi-Fi, may only fully work if you install a kernel with T2 support. Depending on the distro you plan to install, you may have to do additional preparations.

There’s too much detail to cover here, so you should instead head over to T2linux.org to learn more about setting up a T2 Mac for Linux. You don’t have to worry if you only want to run Linux as a virtual machine.

Apple Silicon Macs

Apple Silicon chipsets are based on the ARM architecture, but most Linux distros don’t support ARM chipsets. Apple also uses proprietary code during the boot process, so distros will not boot even if they support the architecture. A project called Asahi Linux is in the works that could provide support in the future.

However, you can use virtualization software to run ARM versions of Linux—like Debian ARM—on Apple Silicon Macs. You can even emulate Intel-based distros but at the cost of performance.

Download a Linux Distro Before You Begin

Before you move on, download a Linux distro in ISO format from the official website. For example, to download Linux Mint:

1. Visit the official Linux Mint website.
   
2. Select the Download button.
   
3. Choose the Linux Mint edition you want—Cinnamon, Xfce, or MATE.
   

Install Linux via Virtualization Software

Virtualization software can help you get Linux up and running quickly on your Mac. It’s safe and lets you test things before running a distro in a dual-boot setup.

There are a couple of free virtualization solutions that you can use:

• VirtualBox (you’ve probably heard of this already)
  
• UTM
  

We’ll use UTM for this tutorial because it’s easier to use and fully supports Intel and Apple Silicon chipsets. It also supports emulation, which means you can run 32/64-bit Linux distros on Apple Silicon.

The steps below will show you how to virtualize or emulate Linux Mint Cinnamon on a Mac with UTM.

Set Up the Linux VM

Begin by setting up the Linux virtual machine in UTM.

1. Install and open UTM.
   
2. On the Welcome to UTM screen, select Create a New Virtual Machine.
   

3. Select Virtualize (or Emulate if you’re on an Apple Silicon Mac) and choose Linux as the operating system you want to install.
   
4. Select the Browse button and specify the location of the Linux Mint ISO file.
   
5. Use the Memory slider to specify the amount of memory you want to allocate to the VM. Also, specify the CPU cores you want to allocate or leave at Default.
   

6. In the Size field, enter the amount of storage you want to allocate to the VM in gigabytes—Linux Mint requires at least 20.
   
7. Set a folder path if you plan to share files and folders between Linux Mint VM and macOS.
   
8. Enter a name for the VM—e.g., Linux Mint—and select Save.
   

Install Linux on the VM

You can now install Linux on the UTM virtual machine.

1. Select the Play button to start the virtual machine.
   
2. Wait for the VM to boot from the Linux Mint ISO file.
   
3. Once the boot menu appears, highlight Start Linux Mint Cinnamon and press Return.
   

4. The VM will load a Linux Mint live environment—feel free to check around. To continue, double-click the Install Linux Mint icon on the desktop area.
   

5. Select your language and keyboard layout.
   
6. Check the box next to Install multimedia codecs.
   
7. Keep the Erase disk and install Linux Mint option selected and choose Install Now.
   

8. Select your time zone on the world map.
   
9. Enter your name, set up a username, and create a password—select Continue.
   

10. Wait until Linux Mint installs itself and select Restart Now.
    

That’s it! You’ve finished installing Linux Mint Cinnamon on your Mac. To get started, check out our Linux Mint beginners guide.

Install Linux in a Dual-Boot Setup

To keep things simple, we’ll set up Linux Mint Cinnamon in a dual boot configuration on a MacBook Air 2017. This Mac model uses a 64-bit Intel chipset and does not include a T2 Security Chip.

If you own a newer Mac, you can:

• Visit T2linux.org for dual booting instructions on macOS devices with Apple’s T2 Security Chip.
  
• You can use an ARM version of a Linux distro (e.g., Debian ARM) to run Linux via virtualization software on an Apple Silicon.
  
• Check out Asahi Linux if you want to try Linux in a dual-boot setup on Apple Silicon.
  

Installing Linux in a dual boot setup on your Mac requires you to:

• Create a new partition on the internal storage.
  
• Install a third-party boot manager.
  
• Create a bootable flash drive and boot into it.
  
• Install hardware drivers.

Create a New macOS Partition

You must create a new partition on your Mac’s internal storage. It’s where you will install Linux.

1. Open the Launchpad and select Other > Disk Utility.
   
2. Select View > Show All Devices in the left-hand corner.
   
3. Highlight the internal storage drive at the top of the sidebar and select Partition.
   

4. Select the Plus button.
   
5. Select Add partition and specify a size. Make sure it meets the minimum requirements for your distro.
   
6. Keep the default format intact—it doesn’t matter because you’ll be reformatting it later.
   

7. Select Apply and wait until your Mac finishes creating the partition.
   

Install the rEFInd Boot Manager

rEFTind is a third-party boot manager that makes it easier to install and boot between Linux and macOS. Before you can do that, you must briefly disable a security feature called System Integrity Protection.

1. Restart your Mac and hold the Command + R keys at startup until the macOS Recovery menu appears.
   
2. Select Utilities > Terminal on the menu bar.
   

3. Type csrutil disable into the Terminal window and press Return.
   

4. Open the Apple menu and select Restart to boot into macOS normally.
   
5. Download rEFInd on your Mac.
   
6. Open the Launchpad and select Other > Terminal.
   
7. Open the downloaded rEFInd folder and drag and drop the refind-install file into the Terminal window.
   

8. Press Return and enter your Mac’s administrator password to install rEFInd.
   
9. Boot your Mac back into macOS Recovery, run csrutil enable in Terminal, and restart.
   

Create a Bootable Flash Drive

Next, you must create a bootable flash drive. It must have a storage capacity of at least 4GB, but some Linux distros will require more than that. You also need an image flashing utility to get the job done.

1. Install balenaEtcher and open it.
   
2. Choose Select Image and select your Linux ISO file.
   
3. Connect the flash drive and select it.
   

4. Select the Flash button.
   
5. Wait until balenaEtcher finishes creating the USB drive.
   

Boot Linux From USB

You can now boot the Linux distro from the USB.

1. Restart your Mac and wait for the rEFInd Boot Management screen to appear.
   
2. Select the Linux logo and press Return.
   

3. Select Start Linux Mint Cinnamon on the boot menu.
   

Install the Linux Distro

Your Mac will load a live version of the Linux Mint environment, after which you can install the operating system.

1. Double-click the Install Linux Mint icon on the desktop area.
   
2. Select the radio button next to Something else and choose Continue.
   

3. Select the partition you created (you can identify it by storage size) and select Change.
   
4. Set the format to Ext4 journaling file system and the root to /.
   
5. Select Install Now.
   

6. Wait until Linux installs itself on your Mac.
   
7. Select Restart Now and remove the USB drive.
   

Install Hardware Drivers

You’ve finished installing Linux Mint, but you must install drivers to get hardware components like Wi-Fi to work on your Mac. To do that:

1. Select First Steps on the Welcome window’s sidebar, then Launch under Driver Manager.
   

2. Plug in your USB drive and select Mount installation media.
   

3. Select all available drivers and choose Apply Changes.
   

Boot Between Linux and macOS

Because of the rEFInd boot manager, you can easily choose between launching macOS or Linux at startup. Just highlight the operating system you want to boot into and press Return.

Can You Only Have Linux on Your Mac?

Yes, you can have only Linux running on your Mac, and it’s a sensible approach for older macOS devices struggling with performance. Most Linux distributions allow you to wipe the entire disk during installation. However, you should be aware of issues like missing firmware updates and hardware components that may not work. Check community forums and read about the experiences of other users before making the switch.