Open Finder, right-click your user folder under Favorites in the navigation pane and choose Get Info. the better the tool is.įirst, ascertain how much disk space you want to allocate to your data partition. Partitioning can be done within OS X itself using the Disk Utility tool – ironically, the older your version of OS X. Step one is to partition it in two by hiving off enough space to create both your shared data partition and – further down the line – the partitions for Elementary. This involves partitioning your hard drive. You can support the site directly via Paypal donations ☕. TNR earns Amazon affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases.We’ll then move your Mac user folder to the data partition. We’re also going to set up a shared data partition between the two OSes, so you have easy access to your data. We’re going to set up Elementary in a dual boot configuration alongside OS X. We’ve chosen a flavor of Linux that has been designed to appeal to Mac switchers. Once that’s done, start reading the next page to get started. One last thing, because we re always saying this, it pays to take a full backup of your Mac using Time Machine before you begin. Backing upĮverything you need to set up your Mac old or new, install Elementary and get started with it is covered in this feature. In our feature, not only do we show you how to access your Mac’s home folder from Elementary, we also reveal how you can create symbolic links from your Elementary user folders so they point to your Mac folders on a shared data partition. There are some caveats: it doesn’t like the Mac’s built-in FileVault encryption, so make sure that’s switched off before you begin, and you also need to disable journaling on the data partition – we step you through the quick process of doing so. Install elementary os on macbookĮlementary’s a particularly good choice for Mac switchers because it has built-in read/ write support for the Mac’s HFS+ file system. We’ve also chosen a flavor of Linux – Elementary OS – that has been designed to appeal to Mac switchers, boasting a beautifully styled desktop with familiar elements, including a dock at the bottom, menu bar and minimalist design. Our dual-boot approach ensures you won’t lose access to OS X, and we ll even step you through the process of setting up a shared data partition -and moving your Mac home folder to it – so both OS X and Linux can easily access key folders.

Putting a mac on linux