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You can now run Linux on your M1-equipped Mac, kind of

Windows 10 next?

Macbook glowing keyboard
Image: Unsplash

Apple’s new M1 powered Macs have blisteringly fast speed, but only if you want to use macOS. Windows support might be a ways off, but if you want to tinker with Linux there’s now a port for Ubuntu to run on the new ARM-powered Macs.

Security firm Corellium knows a thing or two about virtualization on Apple devices, as they offer a virtualized version of iOS for security testing purposes. Now they’ve managed to port Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions, to run on the new M1 Macs. Even better, they’ve laid out exactly what you need to do if you want to have a go yourself.

https://twitter.com/cmwdotme/status/1351838924621099008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1351838924621099008%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2021%2F1%2F21%2F22242107%2Flinux-apple-m1-mac-port-corellium-ubuntu-details

Fair warning, it does need some prior knowledge of Linux and making custom kernels. The M1 Macs were a challenge to get running, as the non-standard parts made making Linux drivers difficult.

You won’t be able to install Linux to the M1 Mac though, their method runs off the USB drive. Networking won’t work unless you have a USB-C dongle for ethernet.

One day, you may be able to fully install Linux on your M1 Mac, as developer Hector Martin is working on a full port. He’s got a history of getting Linux running on a wide range of hardware, so if anyone can, it’ll be him.

While Linux support for the M1 Macs looks like it’s a go, the picture for Windows 10 is less clear.

The license for the ARM version of Windows requires the OS to be installed from the factory, so aftermarket installs aren’t currently possible.

Parallels, a popular virtualization tool for Mac, does have support for the M1 chips, as a technical preview.

Parallels - Run Windows on your Mac

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

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