In principle, yes: Apple Silicon supports separate boot policies for macOS and Linux. In practice, Asahi Linux’s M4 device-support table marks its installer unavailable for the M4 models it lists, so a supported, ordinary M4 installation path is not documented as available. The difference matters: a platform’s ability to dual-boot does not mean Linux can currently be installed on every Apple Silicon generation.
What the M4 support status means
Asahi Linux’s M4 Series Feature Support table lists M4 devices, including the 2024 Mac mini, and marks the installer as unavailable. That is the model-specific status to check before changing partitions or security settings.
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The table does not give an installation date or promise a release schedule. It also does not establish that every M4 peripheral or hardware feature works in Linux. Accordingly, Apple Silicon-wide installation guidance should not be treated as validated M4 instructions.
Why dual-booting is possible in principle
Asahi’s Introduction to Apple Silicon explains that Apple Silicon can use a separate boot security policy for each installed operating system. In that design, macOS can remain at Full Security while Linux uses its own policy; installing Linux does not inherently require one global security setting to be changed for both systems.
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Apple’s Boot process for a Mac with Apple silicon describes the security-controlled chain of trust: “The chip executes code from the Boot ROM in the first step in the chain of trust.” Apple also says macOS secure boot verifies the operating-system code, configured security policies, and even supported kernel extensions. These mechanisms explain the platform’s security model, but do not override the M4 installer status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What an Asahi installation generally involves
Asahi’s platform security documentation describes a general approach that creates a separate APFS container and configures security as Permissive for the Linux boot object. This is background on Asahi’s Apple Silicon design, not an installation procedure available for M4 models whose installer is listed as unavailable.
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- LOOKS SMALL. LIVES LARGE — At just five by five inches, Mac mini is designed to fit perfectly next to a monitor and is easy to place just about anywhere.
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What to do before attempting an installation
- Find your exact Mac model and check its entry in Asahi’s device-support table; support status is model-specific.
- Do not follow instructions for another M-series Mac as though they were confirmed for M4.
- Wait for explicit model-specific installer availability and instructions before repartitioning storage or changing startup security settings.
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