How to dual boot Linux and macOS on a Mac

In this video, I will be taking you through the steps on how to Dual Boot Linux and macOS on a Mac. Linux can be a great alternative to macOS and Windows if you have an older computer that runs quite slow, or even if you are just looking for something different!
Important Links and Downloads:
rEFInd: sourceforge.ne...
Ubuntu Linux: ubuntu.com/dow...
Zorin OS: zorinos.com
Balena Etcher: www.balena.io/...
Music: www.bensound.com
Instagram: / unpackedtechnologies

[@jacobhua]

3:11 Starts partitioning main HD 6:17 Retrieves REfind from sourceForge 6:40 Reboots mac holding Option key 7:25 Select Recovery 8:00 Utilities > Terminal 8:10 In the Terminal, type in "csrutil disable" and press Enter 8:27 Restarts mac 9:00 drag refind-install file into terminal window, hit enter 9:30 he makes a usb flash drive for a linux distro 13:31 Reboots in rEFInd boot loader, and selects Linux usb 15:32 Installation Type > Something else 15:48 Finds/Assigns the partition(s) for linux 18:10 finishes with assigning partitions 19:40 reinstall REFInd sometimes linux overrides rEFInd. drag refind-install file into terminal window, hit enter 20:30 Reboot to recovery partition hold Option Recovery > Select Recovery Partition 21:38 In the Terminal, type in "csrutil enable" and press Enterk Next, Restart, and enjoy using Linux 😁💯

[@elisabethviews]

Thanks

[@christianpicaud1085]

Just installed Linux Mint on a 2014 MacBook Pro, works flawlessly, including drivers. Your guide rocks. Many thanks mate!!

[@obeyoutube]

I'm gonna do the same - install Linux Mint on my MacBook Pro 2014. 1. I didn't get why we need to install the Refine boot manager. Could you shed some light on this? 2. Did you create a SWAP partition? I would appreciate your help in this matter.

[@christianpicaud1085]

@@obeyoutube Hey Vyacheslav, Linux Mint is a great choice really, especially the latest versions: it just keeps on improving. One of the best distros out there. Regarding rEFInd Boot Manager (or rEFIt), it's necessary to install it since Mac computers released after 2014 have by default a restricted bootloader that prevents loading anything that isn't Mac OS X or a Bootcamp Windows install. Here's a tip: rEFInd gets overwritten after major Linux updates... So you'd need to press alt and select Macintosh HD/SSD to boot again on Mac OS. And yes, I did create a SWAP partition. Plenty of disk space, so the additional reserved disk space isn't a bad idea, in my opinion.

[@jimandsallyboos1840]

I appreciate your thoroughness in explaining and demonstrating these steps. I installed Linux Mint on my 2009 Mac and it is working flawlessly. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[@Opinion363]

This is by far the most complete easy to follow tutorial I have seen. Thanks so much. It worked perfectly.

[@mikep9461]

Picked up a pristine mid-2011 iMac for just £ 500. I now have a stunning i5, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD 2023 Mint Linux PC with a magnificent display. Many, MANY thanks

[@fancywaifu9821]

Personally in my opinion, you don’t need a swap partition unless you have less then like 4GB of ram or it’s slow but Good video! It really helped me out!

[@Ameen.Sohail]

are you sure? can someone confirm

[@donbot5000]

Swap space is optional but it's a good idea to have a small one for compatibly reasons

[@another-niko-pfp-holder]

@@Ameen.Sohail not an expert on this but from what i know ubuntu and mint create a swapfile (assuming other debian-based systems also do it)

[@apostolip]

First I love the video! Thank you for such an informative and step-by-step guide!!! Was definitely a lot of help. I did run into some issues though that are worth mentioning in case anyone else has run into the same, I attempted to dual boot Ubuntu on a 2017 MacBook Air and I was never able to get the rEFInd boot loader to work even after making sure I followed the videos step-by-step. I ended up needing to first disable the MacOS security feature that prevents it from booting from an external drive, then manually selecting the drive. Not sure why it never worked but just thought I might mention it! Either way, love the video and thank you !

[@RockySaxena]

How did you get rEFInd to boot? It is not booting into it. How may I fix this?

[@FerdiAziz]

Awesome! This is what ive been looking for ages, huge thanks

[@samuelitooooo]

Looking to do this on a 2009 MacBook Pro, except on two separate hard drives. Apparently there's a way to replace the optical drive (where CDs go in) with another hard drive. This gives me comfort since in theory I can go ahead and clean install Linux without touching my MacOS drive at all.

[@KrishnaRamalingam]

Could anyone help? I don't get the penguin on start up. I did everything else as mentioned here. I am trying to install Kali Linux and am running it on a Mid 2014 Macbook Pro

[@stevearkwright]

Q1: Did you do the OS X partitioning and the Kali partition selections properly? Q2: Did you allocate enough storage on the Kali main partition? It requires a minimum amount of space to install properly.

[@KrishnaRamalingam]

@@stevearkwright Thank you very much for taking the time out to reply Q1 & Q2 - yes I later formatted & did a fresh install (without a dual boot). So yes, I have not solved the problem, but avoided it :)

[@stevearkwright]

@@KrishnaRamalingam: That’s cheating! Still, assuming you have a backup of your OS X drive you can always restore it. Especially if you find Kali Linux over-complicated (I do). Or install something else. Fun, isn’t it?

[@KrishnaRamalingam]

@@stevearkwright Yes, Apple creates a separate user inaccessible partition where you can restore the OS Btw if you call that cheating, I did double cheating :) I installed Pop! OS The reason I moved to Linux is to get away from BigTech dominance and control. So from that PoV, Pop! OS worked post some niggling issue on WiFI driver

[@allexmbuya3058]

Great tutorial & straight shot. Looking for more feed in future. Dude, you’re the rocky!! Thumbs UP!!

[@Banus-]

cool! Had some installation tips I didn't know about! Lost my data quite a bit so I think the refind bootloader should help make it not do that when it boots

[@jeanfrancoistheoret]

Worked perfecly on a 2013 Macbook Pro and Ubuntu 22.04! Thank you very much!!

[@H21082001H]

Many thanks for this video! It was definitely what I was looking for and the installation worked out.

[@mintybudgie]

amazing. i plan on dual booting zorin os on my mid 2009 macbook pro and this tutorial really helps

[@bricej7701]

Very useful, my 2007 imac 24 is back on the web, thank you

[@sutrotka3828]

If you weren’t able to find a recovery hard drive after holding option and then When entering the command “csrutil disable” and you get the error message command not found, it’s because you’re using internet recovery not a dedicated partition on your hard drive. The recovery hard drive is outdated and doesn’t include the ability to execute that command even if you have the latest software. Re installing the macos from the App Store will do the trick. This is what happened to me and i found this advice online so I don’t know 100% what I’m talking about but it worked lol

[@kevinleveridge2366]

I've clicked the 🐧 how long does it normally take to boot up I clicked try and install screen went black have waited computer has given a little tune but still black screen

[@leonsky999]

Thank you for a brilliant tutorial!! Revitalized my 2009 MacBook Pro. My only issue is the trackpad doesn't work correctly. Can someone offer help?

[@johnwilson2814]

Can you make a video for dual booting pop os on mac?

[@OerythiaDeQuatrefages]

Sorry but due to the small window terminal and (no pun intended) not so clear audio on this recording and a blurry screen filming, I'm not sure which letters and command you type in the terminal to disable System Integrity Protection. Could you write it down?

[@eeeee49976]

successfully install rEFInd boot loader, but restart automatically goes into recoevery mode

[@miselr7119]

hello, someone can telle me if zorin os pro (or ubuntu) can be installed on my macbook pro 13 2019 ?

[@axeldewater9491]

should be possible

[@stevearkwright]

Zorin OS Pro is the paid-for version but, yes, any flavour of Linux should work -- just pay attention to the keyboard layout when you install (or post-install). I've successfully installed 32-bit Linux Mint onto a fully maxed-out 2006 MacBook (RAM, SSD), so you should have no problem at all on a 2019 13" MBP!

[@noahrodarte8867]

Whenever I try to call remind-install, I keep getting "Unknown CPU type ' '; aborting!" how do I solve this? Could the issue be that I have an M1 chip CPU?

[@stevearkwright]

Definitely. To the best of my knowledge (as of now), third parties haven't been able to wholly successfully install Linux or Windows onto a partition powered by an Apple Silicon M1 or M2 chip -- even though Apple are allowing it.

[@briandead]

Yeah, though there is now a Linux distro for apple silicon. Asahi linux!!!

[@stevearkwright]

@@briandead: It *exists* but, alas, it's still experimental and not quite 100% there yet - but it will be, given time. Currently, they're working on the M2 SoC as well as the M1.

[@kotogolik5055]

Best explanation! Thank you much 🎉

[@Lampe2020]

14:06 That's not "code", that's just status messages, there's no programmatical meaning to them. Programming code has a programmatical meaning, as it can, either directly or after translation, tell a computer what exactly to do. Not every white-on-black monospace text is code!

[@millicentswain8985]

Really good tutorial!

[@Ezanaizeazy]

really great job. thank you.

[@drewts]

Okay - so I booted my Mac selecting the Recovery HD & went to terminal. I typed in csrutil disable & the Mac responded: command not found... any ideas?

[@unpackedtechnologies]

After doing a little bit of research, it seems to be that there are various different things that you can try to fix the error. It might be worth updating the macOS version (if an update is available) and seeing whether that changes anything. Others have also said that resetting the PRAM of the Mac can help. If these don’t work, I would recommend doing a few searches to see what other people have done and see if some of those steps work for you. Hope this helps - sorry I can’t give a definitive answer.

[@drewts]

@@unpackedtechnologies Thanks so much - yours was a GREAT video… I figured it out. My OS was sooo old it didn’t even have SIP… lol! Any Mac OS of 10.10 or lower doesn’t have SIP…. It didn’t exist until 10.11… so the csrutil disable command didn’t exist for my Ooooold system to recognize…. My Mac was saying, ‘What you talking about Willis?!!’ Lol. I’m now running Linux and learning how to flee the Apple ecosystem. 👍👍👍👌👌👌 Very strange for me to walk away from them as I was a supporter of them since 1984… but they’re now a threat to my freedoms so they walked away from me first.

[@echo-hotel]

You understood that? I thought csuilit even ran it at 1/4 and 1/2 speed…

[@stevearkwright]

@@drewts: How is Apple Mac OS X in any way a threat to your freedumbs? It's one of the most secure, encrypted OS's on the planet (if not *the* most secure). One suspects you've read some nonsense on Parler or Gab or Breitbart (or seen some bigot on OAN/Fox "News"/Newsmax), say that the company are "lefty", "woke" or some other extremist, far-right, domestic terrorist-supporting, insurrectionist garbage. Collectively, you anti-American Trumpanzees are gullible mugs, always falling for the lies and the grift: not realising you're being conned. The 'mark' seldom does. That you're still running a Mac introduced prior to 2011 and System Integrity Protection (SIP) on OS X 10.11 "El Capitan", shows how wilfully out-of-time you are in 2022 (very likely running a Mac with maximum OS X 10.7 "Lion" system or earlier)(as "Mountain Lion" and "Yosemite" are still fairly updatable), shows what a poor-ass cheapskate you are, given that you've had years of opportunity to spend some money and upgrade. The Mac world will not miss a deserter who's a skinflint but, best of all, you will find that when you get into difficulty on Linux (all flavours), that the OS doesn't "Just work" like on Mac -- and it certainly won't hide you from the underlying Unix system whereas, on Apple, virtually everything is done via a gorgeous, friendly and helpful GUI: you'll soon have to get your hands dirty with the command line in the terminal. That'll be fun. Also, you might notice the AirPort wifi no longer works, your keyboard layout is all wrong, audio won't play and the Linux OS you choose is no faster than Lion (or similar) without installing maximum RAM and SSD's you can't afford. Still, you get what you pay for (and what you deserve). Enjoy.

[@adinadade8167]

@@unpackedtechnologies Does this process work for Qube OS?

[@JSway212]

Will Windows on Boot Camp still be on my system after this install? So I can have MacOS, Windows, and Linux all on the same system.

[@juliecordon3095]

Yes

[@PauloAbreu]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@ferrazluciano2009]

Hi mate can you send step by step , my mac is 2009 and when i press Alt on my keyborad does not appear the boot choice what to do ? thank you

[@litemint09]

How about holding option?

[@kentjensen4504]

Examplary tutorial. Liked and subscribed.

[@jyxue]

this is great man

[@majorgear1021]

Can you do a video for a T2 intel mac ? Apparently you can now install it on T2 intel Mac Mini’s and mbp’s.

[@GizemKy]

How can I remove Linux dual boot from my Mac?

[@DaniPlaysTech]

Tell me

[@elz50]

use "macos recovery mode" when you start up hold command-r and then when you get to recovery mode delete your partition using disk utility

[@louloui619]

Great video! Only issues I'm having is keyboard and track pad disconnect once the Linux(Ubuntu in my case) installer is opened and i have no way to complete the installation, any way around this?

[@wingdong1367]

Did you manage to find a solution? cause i have the same problem

[@richmen2206]

Awesome tutorial, I managed to get my Linux ISO working, but I have a small problem. I must have broken something in the process and now when I try to boot macOS it just shows the 🚫 symbol and wont load. Is there a way to reinstall it without losing any data? What if I just use the recovery to install it over the old version? Thanks for the help :)

[@wapixelHD]

Very helpfull. Keep on making vids

[@michalski9141]

already done it with mint a while back, now i want to switch my partition to another distro but cant access the bootloader?

[@stevearkwright]

Hold down the 'Option' key on boot/restart.

[@ianyakovlev1380]

hey, when i install refind, and then shut down my mac, i don't get the recovery partition. any way to help?

[@stevearkwright]

Hold down the 'Option' key on boot/restart.

[@elisabethviews]

I don’t see a recovery partition either, booting in the recovery by pressing cmd + R while starting up

[@topazavraham817]

Hi, is this working on macOS High Sierra 10.13?

[@bertvantol9669]

GREAT video. THANKS !!

[@thedumbdino9224]

i have 24 gb of ram i dont want to make a swap that big is it nessecary to make it as large as your ram

[@amirulamir3059]

no need to do that actually .

[@afcode7393]

Do you have any video or data to help me how to install Zorin OS on Mac as the main or only operating system?

[@TheSilmarallion]

Basically write the iso tha a usb. Plug it into the mac, boot it up and press the Alt key select the EFI. it should boot into a live Zorin instance. do the install from there. It is really straight forward it will wipe the disk though so if you want Mac OSX back you might think of doing a backup.

[@inti7ruj]

Why use rEFInd as the boot loader? Doesn't Zorin come with its own boot loader? Thanks!

[@inti7ruj]

Yes, it uses GRUB, but in my case it didn't recognize macOS during installation and boots directly to Zorin (unless the Option key is held during start up). The Zorin boot recovery tool (when run live) doesn't recognize macOS either.

[@elisabethviews]

I am fine with that, I’ll try without rEFInd.. thanks

[@adinadade8167]

Will this process work on Qube OS?

[@santhoshnunna3325]

excellent

[@fabio.guerra]

Excelent. Thanks a lot!

[@kentjensen4504]

Will this work with a regular USB memory stick? I can’t shell out for a flash drive now.

[@stevearkwright]

Yes -- it's the same thing (just different name)(USB Key is another)!

[@kentjensen4504]

@@stevearkwright Thanks, Steve!

[@user-on3fc8wp6m]

it's a normal usb, it's called a bootable usb because you converted it to install something live

[@jfque5044]

you the man, man

[@SpelunkGamer]

could you do a video about how to do this on pop_os?

[@stevearkwright]

Exactly the same process. Just substitute Zorin with Pop!OS. That's it.

[@EasyGameEh]

let's get straight into it *rolls a 20 second long intro

[@stringsneo6095]

13:25 there is no penguin for me only 2 x

[@roy8749]

How do I remove Linux??

[@saltyfrenchfriesgaming9484]

dont. trust me, linux is WAY better

[@FrostyFrosto]

@@saltyfrenchfriesgaming9484 that wasn’t what he asked tho.

[@FrostyFrosto]

I believe you need to delete the Linux Partition.

[@fishbonea1-pcrepair864]

Eliminate the intro music to this video. It blasts then i can't hear you. ok?