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A Guide to Running Linux Natively on Apple Silicon Macs

Yammbo
· 9 min read
Copyright: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
apple m1 linux fedora asahi ubuntu asahi nixos apple silicon macbook linux
A Guide to Running Linux Natively on Apple Silicon Macs

Apple Silicon Macs offer powerful hardware, but many users seek the flexibility and open-source nature of Linux. While virtualization is an option, installing Linux natively on these machines provides direct access to hardware and often better performance. This tutorial guides you through the process of installing several popular Linux distributions directly alongside macOS, allowing you to dual-boot and experience Linux on your M-series Mac.

Step 1: Preparing Your Apple Silicon Mac for Linux Installation

Before proceeding with any Linux installation, it's crucial to prepare your system to avoid data loss and ensure a smooth process. Native Linux installations often involve repartitioning your internal storage, which carries inherent risks.

Backup Your macOS Data

The most critical first step is to back up all important data from your macOS installation. Use Apple's Time Machine, clone your drive, or manually copy essential files to an external drive or cloud storage. This safeguard ensures you can recover your system if any unforeseen issues arise during the installation.

Ensure Sufficient Free Disk Space

Linux installations require a dedicated partition. While some installers can automatically shrink your macOS partition, it's good practice to ensure you have ample free space beforehand. A minimum of 50-100 GB is recommended for a comfortable Linux desktop experience, allowing for the operating system, applications, and user data. You can check your available space in macOS by going to "About This Mac" > "Storage."

Understand Hardware Compatibility

Support for Apple Silicon hardware in Linux is constantly evolving. While M1 and M2 Macs generally have good support for core functionalities like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and graphics, M3 support is newer and may have more limitations (e.g., sleep, HDMI, 3D graphics). Always check the specific project's documentation for the latest compatibility status for your Mac model before beginning the installation.

Step 2: Installing Fedora Asahi Remix

Fedora Asahi Remix is the flagship distribution of the Asahi Linux project, which is dedicated to bringing Linux to Apple Silicon Macs. It combines Fedora Linux with the extensive hardware enablement work from Asahi Linux, offering a robust and well-supported experience.

Running the Installer

The installation process for Fedora Asahi Remix begins directly from within macOS. Open the Terminal application (found in Applications > Utilities) and execute the following command. This command downloads and runs an interactive script that guides you through the partitioning and installation:

curl -L https://alx.sh/ | sh

Follow the on-screen prompts carefully. The installer will help you shrink your existing macOS partition to create space for Fedora Asahi Remix. You will also be prompted to select your desired desktop environment, with KDE Plasma on Wayland as the default, and GNOME, Minimal, and Server images available as alternatives.

Post-Installation Steps and Verification

Once the installation is complete, your Mac will reboot, and you will be presented with a boot menu allowing you to choose between macOS and Fedora Asahi Remix. Select Fedora to boot into your new Linux environment.

For M3 owners, it is highly recommended to open a terminal in Fedora Asahi Remix after the initial boot and run a system update to ensure you have the latest packages and bug fixes:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Verification: After booting into Fedora Asahi Remix, confirm that essential hardware like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and audio are functioning. You can test these by connecting to a network, pairing a Bluetooth device, and playing some system sounds. The graphics drivers for M1 and M2 Macs are well-developed, passing OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4 conformance tests, which you can verify with relevant diagnostic tools if needed.

Step 3: Setting Up Ubuntu Asahi

For users familiar with Ubuntu, Ubuntu Asahi provides a community-driven port built upon the foundational Apple Silicon support developed by the Asahi Linux project. This project aims to deliver a feature set comparable to Fedora Asahi Remix, bringing the popular Ubuntu experience to your M-series Mac.

Initiating the Installation

Similar to Fedora Asahi Remix, the Ubuntu Asahi installer is executed from the macOS Terminal. This script will interactively guide you through the process of resizing your macOS partition and selecting your preferred Ubuntu release and build:

curl -sL https://ubuntuasahi.org/install | sh

The installer offers various flavors, typically covering recent Ubuntu Desktop and Server releases (e.g., 26.04 and 26.10). Choose the version that best suits your needs. The process ensures your existing macOS installation remains intact, allowing for a seamless dual-boot setup.

Understanding Update Cadence and Verification

Because Ubuntu Asahi carries over Apple Silicon support from the Asahi Linux project, new hardware support and updates may arrive a few weeks after they are available in the Fedora base. This means system updates might be slightly behind the absolute bleeding edge, but stability is often prioritized.

Verification: After successfully running the installer and rebooting into Ubuntu Asahi, confirm basic functionalities. Connect to your Wi-Fi network, check if your trackpad and keyboard respond correctly, and open a web browser to ensure internet connectivity. You can also open the system settings to verify that your display resolution and other hardware detections are accurate.

Step 4: Exploring Debian Bananas

Debian Bananas is an unofficial community effort by the Bananas Team to bring Debian Linux to M1 and M2 Macs. While official Debian support for Apple Silicon is still pending, this project packages the necessary missing components and ships them from its own unofficial archives, making a Debian installation possible.

Addressing Kernel Support Challenges

One of the primary challenges for official Debian support on Apple Silicon is the upstreaming of required kernel patches from the Asahi Linux project. The Bananas Team works around this by providing a patched kernel. However, many other essential components, such as the m1n1 bootloader and the audio stack, have already been integrated into Debian since the Trixie release, simplifying parts of the porting effort.

Running the Bananas Installer

To install Debian Bananas, open your macOS Terminal and execute the following command. The installer will guide you through the setup, offering choices for your desktop environment:

curl -L https://bananas.debian.net/install | sh

The Bananas Team's installer typically provides options for a GNOME desktop, a KDE desktop, or a console-only setup, catering to different user preferences. Select the environment that aligns with your intended use for Debian.

Verification: Upon booting into Debian Bananas, confirm that your chosen desktop environment loads correctly. Test network connectivity, and if you selected a graphical environment, try launching a few applications to ensure they function as expected. Check the system's `uname -a` output in a terminal to confirm you are running the Debian kernel.

Step 5: Deploying NixOS on Apple Silicon

NixOS offers a unique approach to system configuration, where the entire operating system is defined declaratively in Nix files. This community port brings the power of NixOS to bare metal Apple Silicon, allowing you to manage your Mac's Linux environment with unprecedented reproducibility and control.

The Declarative NixOS Philosophy

Unlike traditional distributions, NixOS treats the entire system as a function of its configuration files. You describe your desired system state (packages, services, users, kernel modules) in a Nix configuration file, and NixOS builds and deploys it. Rebuilding your system from these files ensures consistency and makes rollbacks straightforward.

The Hands-On Installation Process

Installing NixOS on Apple Silicon is a more involved, hands-on process compared to the script-driven installers of other distributions. It typically involves several stages:

  1. Prepare a UEFI Environment: You'll use the Asahi Linux installer (or a similar tool) from macOS to set up a UEFI boot environment on your Mac's storage. This prepares the necessary firmware components for booting a non-macOS operating system.
  2. Boot from a USB Drive: You'll then create a bootable NixOS installer USB drive. This drive contains a minimal NixOS environment that you'll use to partition your disk and install the base system.
  3. Command Line Configuration: The remainder of the installation is performed from the command line on the booted USB installer. This includes partitioning the disk, mounting filesystems, generating an initial NixOS configuration file, and finally installing NixOS to your internal drive. You'll define your system's specifics within the Nix configuration file before building and activating it.

The maintainers of NixOS on Apple Silicon strive to keep their versions aligned with Fedora Asahi Remix for hardware support, leveraging the advancements made by the broader Asahi Linux project.

Verification: After completing the command-line installation and rebooting, confirm that NixOS boots successfully. The true verification of NixOS lies in its declarative nature: make a small change to your `configuration.nix` file (e.g., install a new package), run `sudo nixos-rebuild switch`, and observe the system updating predictably.

Step 6: Considering Omarchy M for Arch-based Linux

Omarchy M represents a dedicated community effort focused on bringing the Arch-based Hyprland desktop environment to Apple Silicon Macs. While still in its early stages, this project targets users who prefer the Arch Linux philosophy of simplicity and control, combined with the modern, tiling Hyprland compositor.

Project Focus and Early Development

Omarchy M is less a separate distribution and more a focused project or team working on specific hardware enablement and desktop integration for Arch Linux on Apple Silicon. The goal is to provide a highly customized and performant experience for users who appreciate the flexibility and minimalism of Arch.

Given its early development status, specific, user-friendly installation scripts like those for Fedora Asahi or Ubuntu Asahi might not be available or as streamlined. Users interested in Omarchy M should expect a more manual installation process, typical of Arch Linux, potentially involving:

  • Booting an Arch Linux live environment (possibly a modified one with Apple Silicon support).
  • Manually partitioning the disk.
  • Setting up the base Arch system.
  • Installing and configuring Hyprland and other desktop components.

Detailed installation instructions would typically be found on the Omarchy project's documentation or community forums, which are essential resources for users attempting this setup.

Verification: Successfully booting into an Arch Linux environment with the Hyprland desktop indicates a successful Omarchy M setup. Verify that the Hyprland compositor is running, allowing you to manage windows using keyboard shortcuts, and that basic system functions like network connectivity are operational.

Conclusion

Running Linux natively on your Apple Silicon Mac opens up a world of possibilities, from leveraging open-source tools to exploring different desktop environments. Whether you prefer the robust stability of Fedora Asahi Remix, the familiarity of Ubuntu Asahi, the community-driven Debian Bananas, the declarative power of NixOS, or the minimalist Arch-based Omarchy M, there's a path for you to unlock the full potential of your hardware. Remember to always back up your data and consult the specific project's documentation for the most up-to-date installation instructions and hardware compatibility details. For more technical guides and insights, visit Yammbo.