Does Apple stop Linux from booting on its newly refreshed Mac Mini PC or MacBookAir laptops?
That’s the claim currently circling the web‘s collective drain. The posit is that the new T2 ‘secure enclave’ chip Apple has baked in to its new models prevents Linux from booting.
But is this actually true?
Kinda. The answer is both “yes, technically” and “no, not completely”.
If your Mac still refuses to boot off your USB stick you may find it easier to boot and install off an Ubuntu DVD instead. See our How to burn a DVD on macOS for further details. Alternatively, if you feel confident using the macOS command line, see the community documentation on How to install Ubuntu on MacBook using USB Stick for a more. Note: This page is written using a rather elderly 32-bit Mac Mini as a reference, and using Ubuntu 12.04 as a reference. Developments in the last year have rendered certain of the procedures on this page sub-optimal. I've tried to point these out, but I haven't fully researched better replacements, and I lack the modern hardware on which to test some of the better methods on more recent 64-bit. Format a USB Drive. The first part of the process is to format a USB drive such that it is bootable on.
The T2 Chip & Linux
Apple’s new Mac Mini and MacBook Air systems both feature the custom engineered T2 ‘secure enclave’.
The T2 chip, which ships on the new Mac Mini and MacBook Air computers, is designed to help to toughen device security, handle encryption, manage touch ID, and ensure the microphone can’t “always listen” when the lid is closed.
As configured out of the box, the T2 does prevent Linux from booting. In fact, it’ll stop anything that isn’t macOS, as Apple’s own documentation points out:
NOTE: There is currently no trust provided for the Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011, which would allow verification of code signed by Microsoft partners. This UEFI CA is commonly used to verify the authenticity of bootloaders for other operating systems such as Linux variants.
But that’s not where the answer ends.
Ubuntu Mac Mini 2014
Firstly, Apple could choose to add support for the Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 certificate. This certificate is the same one that allows Linux users to dual boot distros like Ubuntu with Windows 10 and keep secure boot enabled.
![Macbook Macbook](/uploads/1/1/9/3/119385313/821129006.jpg)
Alas, it hasn’t.
Secondly, the whole “Secure boot” policy itself can be disabled.
You Can Boot Linux on the new MacBook Air
Apple has created a new “Startup Security Utility” for Mac computers that ship with the Apple T2 Security Chip.
This utility can be accessed by booting into macOS Recovery and grants access to a wide range of security policy settings.
Apple state: “[…On] computers with the T2 chip. The user is in control of the device’s settings, and may choose to disable or downgrade the secure boot functionality.”
Because “the user is in control” of their device’s settings, it includes the secure boot policy that prevents Linux distros from loading.
Anyone can boot Linux on the new Mac Mini and MacBook Air models — they just need to disable secure boot first.
Some people will find that tradeoff worth the hassle of booting into recovery. Others won’t. Either way the option means there’s no need to panic if you’re a Linux user with a Cupertino hardware fetish.
Plus, as always, there are plenty of Linux-friendly laptops and desktop PCs out there which aren’t made by Apple…
With a bootable Ubuntu USB stick, you can:
Ubuntu For Mac Mini Software
- Install or upgrade Ubuntu, even on a Mac
- Test out the Ubuntu desktop experience without touching your PC configuration
- Boot into Ubuntu on a borrowed machine or from an internet cafe
- Use tools installed by default on the USB stick to repair or fix a broken configuration
Creating a bootable USB stick is very simple, especially if you’re going to use the USB stick with a generic Windows or Linux PC. We’re going to cover the process in the next few steps.
Apple hardware considerations
Ubuntu For Mac Mini Usb
![Ubuntu Ubuntu](/uploads/1/1/9/3/119385313/945982379.jpg)
Ubuntu Mac Mini 2011
There are a few additional considerations when booting the USB stick on Apple hardware. This is because Apple’s ‘Startup Manager’, summoned by holding the Option/alt (⌥) key when booting, won’t detect the USB stick without a specific partition table and layout. We’ll cover this in a later step.