Ubuntu MATE MacBook Air Setup

mitch

This article covers recycling an old MacBook Air by installing Ubuntu MATE.

I assume that your plan is to completely wipe the disk and replace it with Ubuntu MATE. Setting up a dual-boot is a more complicated subject and beyond the scope of this article.

For this article I'm using a 10 year old MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010). It has the following specs:

  • Processor: 1.6 GH Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Memory: 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256MB
  • SSD: 128 GB

Step 1. Select a version

I came up with what version of Ubuntu to use through trial and error:

  • Ubuntu 16.04 by default did not work with the existing graphics card
    • If you really need 16.04, you will have to do some digging and learn about tools like GRUB etc. which are beyond the scope of this article
  • Ubuntu 18.04 worked just fine
  • Ubuntu 20.04 suffered from a slow desktop GUI response - but remember, this is 10+ year old hardware - I'm sure on a later MacBook it will probably work just fine (when I try it I will let you know)

For that reason I decided to install:
* Ubuntu MATE 18.04.4 LTS (Bionic Beaver)

Step 2. Download the ISO image

  • Browse to: https://ubuntu-mate.org/download/
  • Click 64-bit PCs/Macs if installing on a MacBook Air
  • Select 18.04.4 LTS or 20.04 LTS if you have a faster MacBook Air
  • I selected Direct Download

Step 3. Burn the ISO image to a USB stick or SD card

To burn an image to a USB stick or an SD card you can use Etcher.

The older MacBook Air that I have does not have an SD slot. I've tested installing from an SD card plugged into a USB adapter and it worked.

The 18.04 ISO image fits on a 2GB stick. The 20.04 image does not. If you want to try installing it on a faster machine, you will need at least a 4GB stick or SD card.

If you need 4GB USB sticks, you can find some on Amazon (affiliate link):

From this point on I will refer to the USB stick or SD card as simply the "media."

To run Etcher, plug the media into your machine:

  1. Select image - browse to the iso file you downloaded from the Ubuntu MATE site
  2. Select drive - it may find the media automatically
  3. Click Flash!

If you get an error you may need to erase and format the disk. In that case use the Mac Disk Utility (see instructions), then try again.

After you flash (burn) the image, Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) may have trouble seeing it. A simple fix is to pull the media out of your computer or laptop and then plug it back in. On a Mac it should appear on the desktop. On Windows it should appear in File Explorer with a name followed by a drive letter.

Step 4. Boot from USB

  • Plug either the USB stick or the SD card with USB adapter into the MacBook Air
  • Tap the power button to turn the MacBook Air on
  • Immediately hold down the alt / option button
    • You should keep the button down until the next screen comes up
  • You should see one or two gold objects with a USB symbol
  • Use Tab to select the one on the far right
    • If you see two, either gold one will work - assuming you have nothing else plugged in
    • The trackpad won't be working yet
  • Press Enter
  • Select Install Ubuntu MATE
    • If you wait it may slip into "try out" mode and just load Ubuntu MATE into RAM without you doing anything
    • If it does load into RAM you will have to start over

Step 5. Walk through the setup routine

This will look very familiar to Ubuntu users who have run an install before.

The trackpad should be working now.

  • Select your language (i.e. English) and click Continue
  • If your keyboard layout was not selected, click Detect Keyboard Layout
    • If you would prefer to use a different layout, manually select it
  • Click Continue
  • If you are on WiFi select Connect to this network
  • Then select your WiFi network and click Connect
  • On the dialog that pops up I used the default Wi-Fi Security
  • Enter the password for the WiFi network that you want to connect to
  • Click Connect
  • Click Continue
  • Besides the default, I also selected the Install third-party ... option
  • Click Continue

Step 6. Erase disk and install Ubuntu MATE

This article assumes that your plan is to completely wipe the disk and replace it with Ubuntu MATE. Setting up a dual-boot is a more complicated subject and beyond the scope of this article.

  • Select Erase disk and install Ubuntu MATE
  • Click Install Now
  • When you see the Write the changes to disks? dialog click Continue
  • For Where are you? select your location and click Continue

Enter user information

For Who are you enter the values:
* Your name - this is just your name
* Your computer's name - some organization have policies on naming conventions
* I just like something short and easy to type and / or remember
* Pick a username - this will be your username used by the system
* Set and confirm your password
* For security reasons I would leave Require my password to login checked
* Click Continue
* Click Restart Now
* Leave the media plugged in to the machine for now or you might get a confusing error

Step 7. Remove the media

If you restarted with the USB stick or SD card still plugged in you will see a message that says Please remove the installation medium. If that happens:
* Remove the USB device
* Hold the power button down until the device goes off
* Turn the device back on

Step 8. Login

  • At the login screen, enter your password
  • If at this point the desktop loads, you should be in good shape

Step 9. Trackpad / Touchpad Settings

If you are used to a Mac trackpad, do the following:
* Click on the Ubuntu MATE logo in the upper left corner
* Select Preferences > Mouse
* Click the Touchpad tab

Based on my preferences I like to be able to simulate a right-click with a two-finger click (to bring up a context menu, etc). To set that up:
* Set Two-finger click emulation to Right button

I also set Three-finger click emulation to Middle button - but not sure if I will keep that or if that's the best setting.

To allow scrolling within a scrollable window (and not just using the scrollbar):
* Check Enable natural scrolling

When finished:
* Click the Close button

Troubleshooting

Desktop is blank or flashing

I ran into this when I tried to install 16.04, but it was not a problem for 18.04. If the desktop won't load then you probably have a video driver problem. Fixing that is beyond the scope of this article.

Getting prompted to split or share the partition

If during the install process you are asked to share the partition then you will need to go into the advanced option in the dialog and manage the partitions.

Battery won't hold a charge

Replacing the battery on a MacBook Air is easier than you would think. By replacing the battery you can breathe new life into an old machine. To open the case I recommend this toolset:

It contains special screwdrivers that match the Mac screws (Pentalobe, Torx, etc).

Conclusion

In this article you learned how to:

  • Recycle an old MacBook Air
  • Install Ubuntu MATE on a laptop
  • Save money by not buying an expensive Ubuntu laptop

A dedicated Ubuntu laptop currently goes for about $1500 USD. Instead, you could buy an old refurbished MacBook Air starting at around $400 USD and replace macOS with Ubuntu or Ubuntu MATE. Of course the older it is, the slower it is so it's not a completely fair comparison. But you could also can get a brand new MacBook Air, replace macOS with Ubuntu MATE and still save money. For example:

Related Articles

References

  • Ubuntu MATE [1]
  • Ubuntu MATE Community [2]
  • Ubuntu MATE Guide [3]
  • Create a bootable USB stick on macOS [4]