Develop and Solve How to Install Linux on Your Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide
Have you ever wanted to try out the Linux operating system but don't want to erase your current macOS installation?
Installing Linux alongside macOS is totally possible thanks to dual boot configurations. While the process requires some technical know-how, setting up a Linux/macOS dual boot system unlocks powerful new capabilities on your Mac.
Overview of Linux/macOS Dual Booting
The concept of "dual booting" means having two operating systems co-exist on the same computer. When you turn on a dual boot machine, you're greeted with a boot menu allowing you to choose between macOS and Linux. Both OSes have their own storage spaces and don't disturb each other.
Dual booting Linux with macOS lets you enjoy the best of both worlds:
Use macOS for your day-to-day Mac applications, Adobe Creative Suite tools, and overall slick/stable experience.
Boot into Linux to access open-source software, UNIX command line tools, advanced customization options, and enhanced development environments.
The process involves carefully partitioning your Mac's SSD storage drive to open up space for Linux. We'll install Linux in this new partition while leaving the current macOS system untouched.
Dual booting does have some downsides to consider:
Partitioning is moderately risky. Always maintain backups via Time Machine before proceeding.
You'll need about 32-64GB of spare SSD space for a decent Linux install.
Booting between OSes introduces a minor amount of overhead.
Upgrading or replacing the macOS system may require Linux re-installation.
However, for most tech enthusiasts the benefits outweigh the costs. Installing Linux introduces you to coding opportunities, server tools, flexible interfaces, and beyond. Let's examine the installation process step-by-step.
Step 1: Back Up Your Mac
I can't stress enough the importance of fully backing up your Mac before dual booting. Use Time Machine or your backup service of choice to create a full system image. This provides a safety net in case anything goes wrong during partitioning or Linux setup.
Once your backup finishes, reboot your Mac and continue to the next step.
Step 2: Free Up Disk Space
Check your Mac's storage allocation in the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. My 250GB MacBook Pro shows:
121.12GB AppleAPFSContainer (Macintosh HD)
128.88GB FREE
I have enough free space to continue, but if you see less than 32GB free you'll want to clear space first. Some options:
Move movies/music out of Macintosh HD into cloud storage/external drives
Delete old downloads, archives, and system caches with Disk Utility
Disable local Time Machine backups and reduce System storage history
Uninstall unneeded Mac apps as well to maximize available room for Linux. With your disk prepared, shut down macOS completely and continue.
Step 3: Enter Recovery Mode
To install Linux, we must first open up SSD space by partitioning the drive. This requires using macOS Recovery Mode:
Fully shut down your Mac
Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys together
Keep holding until you see the macOS Utilities screen
This boots you into Recovery Mode which runs from a separate hidden partition. When the Utilities screen appears, you can release the keys.
Step 4: Launch Disk Utility
From the Utilities screen choose Disk Utility and click Continue. All available drives appear under Internal on the left. Choose your Mac's main drive volume (likely named Macintosh HD).
Now choose Partition from the toolbar. This will split your storage drive into two adjustable partitions. Popup warnings about erasing data can be safely ignored.
Step 5: Partition the Drive
You'll see a pie chart of the current single macOS partition occupying 100% of the space. Click the - below it to create a second partition.
Some best practices for partitioning:
The macOS partition should have at least 110GB to give the OS ample room. But allocate as much remaining space as possible to Linux since macOS storage is easily expandable via external drives if ever needed.
For the new partition choose Name: Linux, Format: OS X Extended (Journaled), and Size: remaining free space minus 10GB.
Double-check check you have partitions named Macintosh HD and Linux before proceeding.
Click Apply, input your administrator password to authenticate, and then click Partition to split the drive.
Step 6: Install Linux
Great job! Your drive is now split between macOS and a blank partition for Linux. Next, we'll install a Linux distribution onto that available space.
For this guide, I recommend Ubuntu since it works very smoothly on Mac hardware. However popular Linux choices like Debian, Fedora, Mint, and others can be used as well.
To install Linux:
First, insert at least an 8GB spare USB flash drive. We'll transform this temporarily into bootable installation media.
Download the Ubuntu .iso file matching your Mac's processor type (Apple Silicon or Intel).
Follow Ubuntu's "Tutorial for macOS" to correctly format your spare USB drive and load the Ubuntu installer files onto it.
Reboot by holding down the Option to select the flash drive from startup. Proceed with the onscreen installation steps, choosing the Linux partition.
After installation completes, restart again holding the Option to verify Ubuntu (Linux) is now a second bootable choice alongside macOS. Select the desired system to initialize it. Enjoy.
Dual Booting Tips
With Linux installed alongside macOS, here are some usage tips:
To boot back into macOS, hold Option at startup and pick Macintosh HD volume again.
Set aside a storage partition or external drive for transferring files between macOS/Linux systems.
Managing dual OSes is easier with rEFInd boot manager installed.
Expect to reinstall or configure Linux if ever updating macOS or replacing Mac hardware.
And for advanced users, tools like QEMU virtualization let you even run Linux virtually inside macOS.
I hope this guide helped explain the process of configuring a dual-boot Linux environment on your Mac. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.
Also read -
How to Check NFS Mounts in Linux
Getting Kali Linux Network Manager Up and Running
Troubleshooting When Kali Linux Network Manager is Not Running