I have a MacBook Air with an M5 chip, 16 GB of RAM, and macOS Tahoe. I'd like to experiment with Linux in a Parallels Desktop virtual machine, but I haven't used Linux for a long time and I'm not very comfortable with the command line yet.
My first attempt was Linux Mint Cinnamon, but Parallels reported that the ISO needed to support ARM because Apple Silicon Macs use ARM processors. I also considered Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian, though I'm somewhat hesitant about Ubuntu based on things I've read online. I'm not looking to replace macOS on this laptop—I mainly want an easy graphical Linux installation for experimenting. I may eventually use Linux as the main operating system on a separate second-hand computer.
What ARM-compatible Linux distribution would you recommend for a beginner, and what is the easiest way to install it in Parallels without relying heavily on terminal commands?
3 Answers
Ubuntu is probably the simplest choice here. It has official ARM64 images, works well in virtual machines, and can be installed through a normal graphical installer. The Ubuntu project is separate from Ubuntu Asahi, which is intended for installing Linux directly on compatible Apple hardware rather than running it in a virtual machine.
Fedora and Debian also provide ARM64 versions that should run in Parallels. Fedora KDE Plasma may feel more familiar if you like the traditional desktop layout found in Mint, with a taskbar and application menu. Download the ARM64 installer rather than the regular x86-64 ISO.
The reason Mint Cinnamon failed is that the usual Mint image targets Intel and AMD processors. A virtual machine normally passes instructions to the Mac’s ARM processor, so it needs an ARM64-compatible guest system. You could run an x86 version through QEMU emulation, but it would be more complicated and noticeably slower than using a native ARM distribution.
I downloaded the Fedora Workstation ARM image, so I may try the KDE Plasma version next. The website suggested checking the download with a terminal command, but that verification step didn’t work on my Mac.