Trouble Installing Ubuntu on Old MacBook Air

Hello, I recently purchased a new 2024 MacBook Air, and I’m absolutely loving it! However, I also have my old mid-2014 MacBook Air, which is still in great condition. Instead of letting it go to waste, I thought I would install Ubuntu on it to keep it current and give it a new lease on life.

I’m attempting to install Ubuntu MATE 24.04 on the 2014 MacBook Air, but I’ve hit a roadblock. While I successfully created a bootable USB (using Etcher) and can boot into the Ubuntu installer, the internal SSD is not detected during installation. The installer only shows the USB drive as an available option.

The internal SSD is physically fine—I’ve verified this—but it seems the issue might be related to Apple’s system configuration or firmware. I’ve read that others have successfully installed Linux (including Ubuntu) on older MacBooks, so I know it’s possible.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

• Booting into the Ubuntu installer via USB (EFI boot works fine).

• Checking disk visibility in tools like GParted within the live environment—still no sign of the internal SSD.

• Researching potential solutions, including modifying GRUB parameters (e.g., adding `intel_iommu=off`), but this hasn’t resolved the issue.

I’m reaching out here to see if anyone in the Apple Community has encountered this issue while trying to install Linux on a MacBook Air or similar model. Specifically:

1. Are there any macOS-specific settings or firmware adjustments I should make before attempting installation?

2. Could this be related to how Apple configures its SSDs or file systems (e.g., APFS)?

3. Has anyone successfully installed Linux on this model and can share tips or workarounds?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your help!

Thank you for your help.