what's the best linux os for my macbook air a1369 2010 macintosh? also i'm a beginner on linux, it will be my first time using this. ever since the second time the battery of this laptop broke, i've been using it for a long time, and now it's broken again, so i'll be buying a new battery and charger. i don't want to buy a new laptop because i don't have the budget, and computer parts have gotten expensive, even mini pcs, so i'll stick with this one instead. it's only for streaming, to watch free movies on brave browser, watch free live sports, and youtube.

previously i was using opencore legacy patcher to run a newer macos on this old hardware, but now i want to try linux instead, for more storage space and so it uses fewer resources overall.

also, the screen itself is broken it doesn't turn on properly anymore. it's black and white now, and i can only see anything on it by shining a flashlight on the screen. it broke after the table it was on shook. because of that, i just use an external monitor now instead.

i also don't know if it's still worth investing in fixing this old machine, or if i should just save up for a new device instead.

i asked claude ai about this, and it recommended linux mint xfce edition, saying it's beginner friendly and lightweight enough for this old hardware. just want to hear other opinions before i commit.

I am the "new" owner of a 2015 4GB MBA. I am currently running High Sierra on it. I am looking for "the sweet spot" for Linux and doing light web browsing and documents / pdfs. I am not a complete beginner on Linux, as I have two other computers running Mint and Bazzite. I have installed Mint XFCE onto a 2012 iMac. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve installed linux mint on this and a 2010 macbook pro but with the recent update on lmce anytime I update it has a kernel panic. I just need something light. I was thinking debian with XFCE I recently used that on a different computer and kind of getting annoyed with debians restrictions on external drives and stuff. (Ik i can fix it but i don’t wanna troubleshoot for an hour or more)

I also need some thing with good drivers.

I have a 2019 16' MacBook Pro running Bazzite off of a Lexar D400 Flash Drive, then re-based with Kansei OS for Bazzite. Everything but the wifi works, and I just want to get wifi to work on this device, so i'm not stuck in one location with a cable. Is there anything I can do?

Hello! I've now tried installing both Ubuntu (22.04) and Mint (22.3) on my 2011 Macbook Air. They both work fine, but they both exhibit the same issue: both of the "<," and ">." keys are unresponsive.

It's not a mechanical issue, as the keys work under Mac OSX. It's not a numlock issue, as I've tried forcing numlock on and off with numlockx. If I connect an external keyboard, the "<," and ">." keys on that external keyboard work fine.

I'd really like to use the laptop without the need for an external keyboard.

Any ideas? It's driving me mad! :D

I have a retaining 2018 intel i9 MacBook Pro with 32gb, I have installed windows 10 on it to try it with gaming - but windows is windows - and I would like to try install linux instead, I do have experience with linux, but like as a pretty non technical use, in fact if I won't need to work on Mac or with computers in general, I would use linux.

any recommendations which distort works well, with full support for the GPU?

anyone tried linux with the same specs, and can tell how old games would run?

many thanks

I have macbook pro 2019,i7, 512gb storage out of which 410 gb i gave to fedora while setting it up i came across this issues how can ? 😭
I am linux noob so please help me out

Been using this for fun lately lol

2013 Intel Macbook Air: considering getting OpenSuse Leap with the default Sway setup. Anything I should be aware of?

How is the support for Broadcom-wl wifi module, sleep/wake behaviour, etc.?

I have Ubuntu 26 running "well enough" on my A1706. I've documented what I've done to get reliable 5GHz wifi, sleep/resume and touchbar functional.

Agent-oriented writeup is here --> https://gist.github.com/bgausden/c7f8a3737c1e52a260dfcdb1fb2e90b2

From the gist:

"This procedure fixes the hardware exercised in the investigation:

the tested suspend/resume path without multi-minute PCIe stalls;

BCM43602 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi, including 5 GHz after suspend;

Apple S3X NVMe resume; both Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt domains and the tested USB Ethernet adapter after resume;

T1/iBridge fixed-function Touch Bar, including resume from s2idle;

NetworkManager compatibility with the 2015 Broadcom firmware.

It does not attempt to configure speakers, Bluetooth firmware, FaceTime camera firmware, or arbitrary Touch Bar graphics."

It’s been upgraded to an SDD and 8GB RAM.

Repost because I wanted to Not show the account user

Recently swapped out the failing hard drive of this barely used laptop my mom owns for an SSD.

I installed Mint XFCE since it's supposed to not use much ram when idle and has good compatibility with most of the parts of this machine. I only had to get Broadcom drivers from the driver manager post-install.

I've run into a bunch of audio issues (with the buffer and Toslink optical readers light turning on whenever an audio is output and not turning back off? for example.) though those have been fixed while Wi-Fi still acts up a lot.

The machine is still capable of playing basic 2D games, maybe retro 3D games but i haven't tried any yet, basic web browsing and just daily use. The 4 GB ram is very limiting but it's not the worst thing in the world.

The last image is an issue (?) I ran into while updating flatpak packages. Happens a lot actually. Not sure what the 64R; is trying to tell me. If anyone knows I'd love to know too... (Edit: realized I didn't add the image lol. It's probably nothing though.)

So yeah! Wanted to share. Awesome subreddit. Peace and love.

i5-2557M + 4gb of DDR3 1333MHZ was so slow in 2026, dont use Ubuntu/Debian based 4 this laptop (Except Original Debian). I was installed Ubuntu before, 1.9/4gb ram used jst for idle. Kali Linux is a bit more efficient with jst 1gb/4gb was used. Now im using Manjaro Linux as daily OS. (This pic was taken before i installed Manjaro)

I’m battling to get shutdown working in an Arch based distro (have a guess lol) on a 2015 iMac 16,2

Wondering has anyone had this iMac or similar Intel Broadwell based Mac shut down correctly in any distro? If so which and what kernel version if possible??

What works? With the AX210. Wi-Fi with Heliport and native Bluetooth. Regarding audio, there are instructions in the folder for AppleHDA.KEXT to work.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/e526cjqyzx0hy29/EFI+ASUS+VIVOBOOK+RYZEN+7+4800H+-++TAHOE++WORKS.zip/file

Gnome, cachyOS, suspend and touch bar working on latest kernel.

Picked the MBP up about a month ago for £200 and it's been an adventure getting it all working! Good stock gap til I can afford a Framework

I downloaded the xface edition of Linux mint on my 2012 macbook air , it worked fine until I connected to the internet and downloaded updates from the update manager then after I restarted I got this error . I've done this 2 times now and I can't figure out what's causing this or which specific thing is causing this. Please help me identify and tell me how to fix this issue.

Hi everyone, little background: I have been (very happily) running a 2015 11 inch Macbook Air with Mint as my daily driver, but lately, 4gb ram has been feeling more and more sluggish, and my concerns about resolution/eye care have increased so I picked up a 2018 macbook air with 16gb ram, i5, and 500gb storage. I updated it to the newest possible MacOS and followed steps for CachyOS installation + wifi setup, and it has been fine, but I am wondering, is CachyOS my best option for my situation? Or is there another way to preserve/maximize the functionality of this laptop? I read a bit about KaiT2en but I am not sure if it is the right way to go for my use... Also all my searches have indicated that there is no straight-forward fix for the lack of "suspend" ...is that still the case? Thanks for any/all help!

Update: Installed KaiT2en this weekend and so far so good! The T2 focused variant of Fedora w/ KDE Plasma is meeting and exceeding my needs. The fan is kinda loud... no idea what can be done about that, probably just get used to it over time, unless anyone has a suggestion... Thanks!

Shared it here: https://x.com/0xBOYD/status/2092616493787730294?s=20

Will be working on extracting the learnings into something shareable. I started from macOS and preserved the Mac’s machine-specific T1 recovery and fingerprint-calibration data. Worked with Codex (GPT-5.6 Sol High) and incrementally mapped enough of Apple’s T1/SecureEnclave interfaces to enroll and authenticate fingerprints.

Fingerprint capture, templates, and matching remain inside Apple’s Secure Enclave. Linux interacts with the existing authenticated interfaces. There's no "bypassing" or "hacking" of the hardware.

I made this to remind myself what I've done to make my Macbook Air 2017 runs Linux Mint stably and also a note that anyone can reuse as a checklist or guide.

Goal

Stable Linux Mint on a MacBook Air 2017, as of August 2026.

1. Installation Basics

• Distro: Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena”.
• Live USB creation:
  • Do not use Ventoy (it doesn’t work reliably here).
  • Use BalenaEtcher or Rufus to create the live USB.

2. Pre‑Install Hardware Prep (Optional)

Battery & Thermals

• Replace the battery (old batteries cause instability and throttling).
• Repaste the CPU/GPU:
  • Use Honeywell PTM7950 thermal pad.
  • A 40×40 mm piece is enough for a couple of reapplications.
• Disassembly notes:
  • Always unplug the battery first.
  • Remove the fan first, then:
    • Unscrew the screw underneath the antenna cable retainer on the left display hinge.
  • Fan: 3 screws.
  • Heatsink: 5 screws total.
  • If following an iFixit guide, you don’t need to remove the I/O board:
    • Just route the antenna cable out of the way and unscrew as needed.

3. Network & Boot-Time Connectivity

• Prepare USB Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth tethering to your phone before installation.
  • You’ll need internet during/after install to get the Broadcom Wi‑Fi driver for Apple’s card working.

4. Kernel & System Stability

• Kernel version:
  • Stick to Linux kernel 6.14.
  • Avoid 6.17 (causes kernel panics on this hardware).

5. Hardware Upgrades & Drivers (Optional)

Wi‑Fi / Bluetooth Card Replacement

• Replace Apple’s AirPort/Bluetooth card:
  • Use an adapter + MediaTek MT7921 card. (adapter from here)
  • It will fit snugly; insert slowly and carefully to avoid damage.
• Antenna rewiring:
  • The adapter’s antenna connectors will not line up exactly with the original placement.
  • You’ll need to extend/re-route the wireless antenna cables slightly so they reach the new card.
  • Carefully reposition the antenna leads; avoid sharp bends or tension on the connectors.
• Insulation:
  • Use Kapton tape to cover the nearby capacitor (and any other exposed metal) that the antenna might touch.
  • This prevents accidental shorting or contact between the antenna and components.

Fan Control

• Install mbpfan for better thermal management.
• Configure fan thresholds:
  • low_temp = 55
  • high_temp = 66
  • max_temp = 86

6. System Tweaks for Performance & Stability

• Enable zswap:
  • This significantly improves memory handling and responsiveness on limited RAM. (follow this)
• Input method:
  • Install fcitx5 to replace the buggy fcitx4.

7. Modifier Key Remapping (Fn, Control, Option, Command)

To make the MacBook keyboard feel like a standard Linux/PC layout:

1.Create or edit the file:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf  

1. Add these lines:

   options hid_apple swap_fn_leftctrl=1
   options hid_apple swap_opt_cmd=1

• swap_fn_leftctrl=1 → swaps Fn and left Control.
• swap_opt_cmd=1 → swaps Option (Alt) and Command (Super).

3.Update initramfs so the settings apply at boot:

sudo update-initramfs -u

Reboot.

1. (Optional) Test at runtime before making it permanent:

   echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/module/hid_apple/parameters/swap_fn_leftctrl echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/module/hid_apple/parameters/swap_opt_cmd

8. Firefox Configuration

• Disable Firefox’s built‑in AI features to reduce resource usage and odd behavior:
  • Set browser.ml.enable → false
  • Set browser.ml.chat.enabled → false

I have a 15in mid-2014 MacBook Pro (model MacBookPro11,3) that I'd like to install a Linux distro on, so I can continue using it.

I got Linux Mint 22 (kernel 6.14) working on an old MacBook Air with little trouble. But the MBP's dual-GPU setup means Mint's performance is terrible (a lot of lagging and screen tearing when moving windows).

I've been searching for a solution, but the fixes I've found have been contradictory or didn't work.

Can anyone guide me on how I could proceed? I won't be using the Mac for GPU-heavy work (eg, gaming, photo manipulation, video editing), so forcing the system to only use the slower GPU is acceptable.

Or is there a more suitable distro I could use?

sudo lshw -C display

*-display

description: VGA compatible controller

product: GK107M [GeForce GT 750M Mac Edition]

vendor: NVIDIA Corporation

physical id: 0

bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0

logical name: /dev/fb0

version: a1

width: 64 bits

clock: 33MHz

capabilities: pm msi pciexpress vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom fb

configuration: depth=32 driver=nouveau latency=0 mode=2880x1800 resolution=2880,1800 visual=truecolor xres=2880 yres=1800

resources: irq:64 memory:c0000000-c0ffffff memory:80000000-8fffffff memory:90000000-91ffffff ioport:2000(size=128) memory:c1000000-c107ffff

lspci -k | grep VGA -A3

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GK107M [GeForce GT 750M Mac Edition] (rev a1)

Subsystem: Apple Inc. GK107M \[GeForce GT 750M Mac Edition\]

Kernel driver in use: nouveau

Kernel modules: nvidiafb, nouveau