Product test
Test: Windows 11 on M1 Macs
by David Lee
Trying out Linux on a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip
Asahi Linux can be installed on a Mac without a virtual machine using Apple Silicon architecture. It works well on the whole, but you’ll have to make compromises when it comes to gaming.
Since 2020, Apple’s dropped Intel chips for its Macs in favour of its own chips, which – like the iPhone chips – are based on the Arm architecture. Apple Silicon chips have provided Macs with multiple benefits, but they also have one significant drawback: Windows only runs in virtualised form. This is particularly problematic for gaming. Many games aren’t available for Mac systems, and they don’t run optimally – or at all – in virtualised form.
What about Linux? The architectural shift changes a lot here, too. You can experiment with multiple Linux distributions in virtualised form, but running Linux directly on the hardware’s a different matter. The instructions for Intel Macs you see online won’t work on a Silicon Mac, but there’s an easy way to install Linux natively: Asahi Linux.
What’s Asahi Linux?
Asahi ringo’s the Japanese name for the McIntosh apple variety which gave the Apple Macintosh its name. The goal of Asahi Linux is to bring Linux to Mac with silicon architecture in the simplest way possible: natively with dual boot. The Mac operating system remains intact, but Linux is also installed – specifically Fedora, where you can choose between the KDE Plasma and Gnome desktop interfaces.
Apple is currently indifferent towards third-party systems. It isn’t trying to prevent second systems on Silicon Macs, but it isn’t doing anything to encourage them either. Since the chip design isn’t publicly documented, the contributors to the Asahi project have to resort to reverse engineering, which is very time-consuming.
Asahi’s a small project with limited resources. Installation currently only works on the first two generations of silicon chips, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Specifically, you can install it on M1 and M2, plus the respective Max and Ultra versions. I have a spare Mac Mini with an M1 processor and 16 GB of RAM. Perfect for testing.
Why Linux at all?
My colleague Kevin’s installed the Linux distribution Ubuntu on an older Intel Mac. It’s clear why: Apple’s ending support for Intel chips in 2028. With Linux, Kevin can continue to use the device safely after that.
This isn’t an issue with the Apple Silicon chip. My primary motivation’s curiosity: I want to know if and how well it works. It’s always good to have Linux as an option. As a completely open system, it provides a nice balance to the closed Mac system and could be interesting for specific nerd projects, such as if I wanted to use a Mac Mini as a server. But mainly, I hope to be able to play a lot more games on Linux than on the Mac system or in my virtualised Windows.
Installation: fixing what’s not broken
Installation’s possible even for average users. Beforehand, you’ll need to ensure you have enough free storage space for Linux and all the software you plan to use with it. And, as always, back up your data externally.
You start the Asahi installation by entering the following command and your admin password in the terminal:
curl https://alx.sh | sh
First, the existing Mac partition is shrunk to make room for a Linux partition. Initially, I don’t have enough storage space due to unspecified «system data». The Storage Overview in Mac Preferences labels everything it can’t identify as system data, so it’s not easy to work out exactly what I need to delete and how. Googling (or asking ChatGPT) and trying things out can waste a lot of time.
When I finally have enough space, shrinking the partition doesn’t work. It says the partition’s corrupted and I should repair it. However, Disk Utility tells me it’s fine.
After deleting my virtualised Windows 11, the partitioning process starts, but aborts after a while, displaying the same error message. I try Disk Utility in recovery mode again, holding down the power button while starting up. Again, all I get is a message saying everything’s fine. Apple diagnostics also finds nothing.
How do you fix something that isn’t broken?
Having already transferred the data from my Mac to a MacBook, I decide to completely reinstall the system. Once I’ve done that, it works straight away. I’m guided through the installation process in the terminal – it’s easy. Anyone who can speak English should be able to do it. I choose Gnome as the desktop. Now I have to restart while holding down the power button and select Linux as the startup disk.
Positive first impression
From now on, Linux always boots directly, unless I hold down the power button again – then I can choose between macOS and Linux. Fedora with Gnome seems neat and easy to understand. Initial tests are encouraging: audio, external webcam, internet, Bluetooth – everything works. There are no crashes or obvious bugs. I install the Brave browser, and that also works smoothly.
Unfortunately, I can’t access the Mac partition. Apple uses its proprietary APFS format, which isn’t supported by other operating systems. Conversely, I can’t access my Linux files from the Mac system either. I’d need to use an exFAT partition or external storage for cross-platform data sharing.
Gaming: mixed feelings
Many Linux distros offer good conditions for playing Windows games. Asahi’s blog post on gaming looks promising too. Among other things, Asahi Linux uses the Wine virtualisation layer to run Windows applications. Wine’s also used in Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit.
I install Steam and launch it. Now I can play Animal Well. While it’s not a graphically demanding game, it still won’t run in Parallels’ virtualised Windows because it uses DirectX 12. It runs perfectly under Linux Asahi. I can also use my game controller via both USB and Bluetooth.
Next, I try out Stray. The cat-based game was originally only available for Windows. It’s now also available for Mac, so I can make a direct comparison. However, the Windows version of Stray runs poorly on Asahi. The default resolution is 5120 x 2880 pixels, even though I only have a UHD monitor. This makes the game so slow that even changing the settings becomes torturous. After setting the resolution to Full HD, Stray is playable, but the graphics are significantly worse than natively on the Mac. The cat’s fur looks frayed, and it doesn’t run particularly smoothly. What’s really annoying, though, is that every time I launch the game, it’s completely distorted, forcing me to reset the settings and the resolution. What’s more, the game controller doesn’t work.
I don’t want to buy a AAA game specifically for this Linux experiment. However, I do install the Resident Evil 4 demo. It doesn’t even start.
Verdict and a look into the crystal ball
The Asahi project makes it easy to install Fedora Linux with KDE or Gnome. In my opinion, the system runs smoothly and functions well. The Mac system remains as a partition on the computer and can still be used. However, installation only worked for me after I reinstalled the Mac system. So, I wouldn’t install Asahi Linux on a Mac that I need for my daily work.
The project’s only partially suitable for gaming. By using Linux, Windows games can also be played on a Mac. Steam works, and some Windows games run well (Animal Well, for example). But not everything works. You should expect your chosen game to only run with significant limitations or not at all.
So, what does the future hold? Asahi Linux is being developed, but slowly. In terms of gaming capabilities, macOS could soon offer more than just a shortcut via Linux. Apple’s been trying for years to encourage game developers to port more games, and it seems to have had some success of late. Besides Stray, I’ve discovered a few games that weren’t originally available for Mac, but now are. The most notable of these is Cyberpunk 2077, which was released for Mac in July 2025. Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Assassin’s Creed Shadows are also available in the Apple Store, although they’re only available for Windows on Steam.
Even though the selection’s still very limited compared to Windows, things are improving. Nevertheless, Linux Asahi is still an interesting project. If you’ve already upgraded to a new silicon generation, there’s nothing wrong with trying out Asahi on your old Mac.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
13 comments
later