Ubuntu USB Wont Boot on M2 Mac | Generated by AI
Question: Is it possible for me on a MacBook Air M2 to try that bootable ISO USB disk (Ubuntu live USB)?
Answer:
No, it is not possible to boot a standard Ubuntu ISO from a USB drive on your MacBook Air M2 (Apple Silicon / ARM-based).
Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, etc.) have strict secure boot policies and a different boot architecture compared to Intel Macs. Standard Ubuntu ISOs (x86_64/amd64 or even generic arm64) are not compatible with Apple’s boot process on M-series chips. You cannot simply hold the Option (⌥) key at startup to see the USB in Startup Manager, and even if you adjust startup security settings in Recovery Mode, external USB booting for non-signed, non-Apple-approved OSes like regular Ubuntu does not work.
Key Reasons
- Apple’s firmware on Apple Silicon does not allow arbitrary external booting of unsigned or incompatible bootloaders for security reasons.
- The standard Ubuntu live USB expects UEFI booting that Intel Macs support easily, but M2 firmware blocks or ignores it.
- Even an arm64 Ubuntu ISO won’t boot directly because it lacks the specific bootloader chain (like m1n1 + U-Boot) required for Apple Silicon.
Alternatives to Try Ubuntu on Your MacBook Air M2
- Use Virtualization (Easiest and Recommended for Testing)
Install Ubuntu ARM64 inside a virtual machine using free tools like:- UTM (best for Apple Silicon, supports near-native performance)
- Parallels Desktop (paid, but excellent)
- VirtualBox (free, works for ARM64 Ubuntu)
Download the official Ubuntu Desktop/Server ARM64 ISO from https://ubuntu.com/download and run it in the VM. This lets you fully “try” Ubuntu without touching hardware.
- Asahi Linux (Native Linux on Apple Silicon)
This is the only way to run real Linux natively (bare-metal) on your M2 Mac.- Asahi Linux provides Fedora Asahi Remix (very polished) and an Ubuntu Asahi variant.
- It installs to your internal drive (or in some cases external, but USB live booting is limited/not standard).
- Go to https://asahilinux.org/ → follow the installer (it runs from macOS).
- Supports most hardware on M2 (GPU acceleration, Wi-Fi, etc. are good in 2026).
- Note: It’s a full install, not just a live USB trial, but you can test in a non-destructive way first.
- If You Just Want a Live USB Experience
Standard Ubuntu live USB won’t work, but Asahi-based projects sometimes offer rescue/installer USB images that can boot via the Asahi bootloader (after installing Asahi first). This is advanced and not a direct “try Ubuntu ISO” path.
In short: Your Lenovo XiaoXin experience (booting Ubuntu USB) works because it’s x86/AMD64 hardware with standard UEFI. On M2 Mac, the hardware is ARM + locked-down Apple boot chain, so the same USB won’t boot. Virtualization or Asahi are your best options.
References:
- https://asahilinux.org/
- https://askubuntu.com/questions/1463365/ubuntu-22-04-usb-not-working-on-m2-macbook-air
- https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-macos (notes Apple Silicon limitations implicitly)
- https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-14-m2-how-to-boot-from-a-usb.2388724/