But this step can be skipped if you intend to use the USB stick with only generic PC hardware. To ensure maximum compatibility with Apple hardware, we’re going to first blank and reformat the USB stick using Apple’s ‘Disk Utility’.
This is because Apple’s ‘Startup Manager’, summoned by holding the Option/alt (⌥) key when booting, won’t detect the USB stick without a specific partition table and layout. There are a few additional considerations when booting the USB stick on Apple hardware. Choose a lightweight Linux distribution for the best results and make up for some of the lost performance with major macOS updates. We’re going to cover the process in the next few steps. Stokkete / Installing Linux on your old Mac is an easy way to breathe new life into it. With a bootable Ubuntu USB stick, you can:
