How to Install Asahi Linux on an Apple Silicon Mac

Asahi Linux can now be used as an everyday desktop operating system, supporting basic features such as WiFi, Bluetooth, USB and audio.

It also has early support for graphics acceleration, with OpenGL initially implemented for GPUs on Apple's M-series chips. The article below will show you how to install Asahi Linux on your Mac Apple silicon.

Features not yet supported by Asahi Linux

Asahi Linux is still a work in progress and some essential features are not yet available. So you can wait for future releases before installing it, especially if you need the following features:

1. Thunderbolt
2. DisplayPort Alt Mode
3. HDMI on MacBook
4. Internal speaker
5. Webcams
7. Touch Bar

You can find a more specific list of devices on the Asahi Linux GitHub page.

Install Asahi Linux on Mac

To install Asahi Linux on your Mac, your Mac must be running macOS 12.3 or later and have at least 53GB of free disk space. Follow the steps below to start the installation process.

Warning : Before you proceed with installing Asahi Linux on your Mac, it is important to back up all important files on your Mac. Any mistakes made in the following steps could result in permanent data loss, so be cautious.

Download Asahi Linux

To download the installer and begin the installation process, follow these steps:

1. Open Terminal on your Mac and type the following command:

curl https://alx.sh | sh

2. Enter your administrator password when prompted by the installer. This will download and automatically run the Asahi Linux installation script.

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Resize drive partition for Asahi Linux

The installer will now show you all available partitions on your Mac and allow you to create new ones for Asahi Linux.

1. The installer will ask if you want to create a new partition for Asahi Linux. You can do so by pressing R and then Return (or Enter ) on your keyboard.
2. When prompted, you can resize your macOS partition if needed. You have the option to specify size in percentage or storage capacity. For example, you can enter 200GB to reduce the size of macOS to 200 gigabytes, or 60% to allocate 60% of your drive space to macOS.
3. The installer will now show how much space you will free up for Asahi Linux. Press Y then Enter to resize your partition. Your Mac may freeze for a few seconds after this step.
4. Press the Return key when the resizing process is complete.

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Install Asahi Linux

Now that you have created a new partition for Asahi Linux, you can install it to dual-boot between macOS and Linux. To do so, follow these steps:

1. When you see the Choose what to do prompt again, simply press F then Return to proceed with the installation of Asahi Linux in the available free space.

2. When you reach the prompt that says Choose an OS to install , select the option that suits your preferences. In most cases, you should choose 1 to install Asahi Linux along with all the pre-installed applications.

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3. When asked, determine the capacity allocation for the new operating system. You can specify size or percentage. Additionally, you can enter min for the minimum value and max for the maximum value.

4. Next, name your operating system, press Return , and the script will automatically install and configure everything. If asked, provide your macOS user password to gain admin access.

5. Once configuration is complete, you will receive a prompt to press Return and read important instructions to boot Asahi Linux successfully. After reading the instructions carefully, press Return again to power off your Mac.

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Boot into your Mac's boot options

After your Mac powers off, you need to access the boot options and select the appropriate partition to boot from. So, follow these instructions:

1. Press and hold the power button until you see the words "Entering Startup Options" below the Apple logo.

2. This will show all the partitions you can boot from. Select the Asahi Linux option and select Continue .

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3. Your Mac will now prompt you for a password. When you authenticate, a Terminal window opens.

4. In the Terminal window, press the Return key to continue the installation process.

5. Re-enter your username and password after the installer prompts you to do so.

6. Press Y to confirm changes and press Return to boot into Asahi Linux.

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Complete installation of Asahi Linux on Mac

Your Mac will eventually boot into Asahi Linux, where you can complete setup and configure all important settings by following these steps:

1. After successfully launching Asahi Linux, you will encounter a configuration page where you can customize settings such as language, region, time zone, and keyboard layout.
2. Choose your username and password for Asahi Linux and click Next .
3. Finally, click Set up at the bottom right to complete the installation and boot to the login screen.

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Install GPU driver for Asahi Linux on Mac

The developers behind the Asahi Linux project also created GPU drivers using Apple's driver reverse engineering technique. This allows for full hardware acceleration and significantly better performance and battery life. You can install the GPU driver by following these steps:

1. Open Terminal on your Linux installation.

2. Enter the following commands to install the latest GPU driver and change your display server to Wayland.

 sudo pacman -Syu sudo pacman -S linux-asahi-edge mesa-asahi-edge sudo update-grub sudo pacman -S plasma-wayland-session 

3. Restart your Linux installation.

Samuel Daniel

Update 29 September 2023