Older Macs - linusbobcat/create-elementary-os-installer GitHub Wiki

Macs made before 2010s may have issues booting elementary OS/Linux USB drives using this app. Create elementary OS Installer will, as of v0.3 and higher, check whether the Mac is equal or newer than the following the Mac models. It will give a warning if it's older.

  • Macbook7,1 (Mid 2010)
  • MacBook Pro7,1 (Mid 2010)
  • MacBook Air3,1 (Late 2010)
  • Mac Mini5,1 (Mid 2011)
  • iMac13,1 (Late 2012)
  • Mac Pro5,1 (Mid 2010)

Options for Older Macs

There are three options for older Macs:

  • The Mac Linux USB Loader supports many older Macs that Create elementary OS Installer doesn't. It's also a great alternative to this project in general.

  • DVD based installers are incredibly reliable and should work on every Intel-based Mac with a DVD drive. External USB DVD drives should also work. To burn elementary OS to a DVD, right click on the ISO file you downloaded and select "Burn elementaryos-freya-xx.xx.iso to Disc"

  • A few older Macs might work when used in combination with rEFInd. Do note that this method is somewhat more advanced.

How to find out your Mac model

On OS X 10.10 and above, open the Apple menu and select About this Mac to compare it to the list.

On OS X Mavericks (10.9) and below, select More Info afterward selecting About this Mac. Check the Model Identifier to compare it to the list.

How did you generate this list?

The list was primarily generated by Bootcamp and its internal list of Macs that are able to boot Windows from UEFI and from USB.

I found some people whom succeeded at booting Linux from a USB drive on MacBook Pros from late 2008 and above, however I made the Bootcamp list supersede this.