Dual Boot macOS and Fedora: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you interested in exploring the world of dual-booting? You're in luck! There's no limit to the number of operating systems you can install, giving you the freedom to choose which one to use whenever you want.

One way to achieve this is by installing a second hard drive into your computer and setting up an operating system on it. This will allow you to switch between operating systems using your BIOS or boot menu. For example, if you have a Fedora installation on the second hard drive, your GRUB menu will display options for Fedora and OS X.

When you first start your computer, the BIOS loads the boot loader from the hard drive and boots the installed operating system. You can make a choice here to result in the system booting the chosen operating system. To do this, simply reboot while holding down the Option key. This will bring up the boot manager, which will display options for both Mac and Fedora.

If you're installing Fedora, the installer should boot normally and complete the installation without errors. During the installation process, you'll need to select the 'Reclaim space' button to accept any changes and return to the main menu. Next, locate and select the hfs+ 'Untitled' volume created earlier in macOS Disk Utility, and click the Delete button (not Delete all).

After that, click Done when the Installation Options appear, and choose 'Reclaim Space.' Then, select 'Automatic configure partitioning' and advance to the Destination Installation spoke. Finally, reboot while holding down the ⌥ Opt (or right Alt) key, and choose the 'Fedora Media' option in the boot manager.

If you're looking for development versions of Fedora, you can download them from GitHub or official versions from the Fedora website. To create Fedora installation media using macOS, use the Fedora Media Writer tool to leave the Name 'Untitled' and Format 'Mac OS Extended' unchanged.

Once your drive is prepared, you'll need to add a partition using Disk Utility. Start by clicking on the + button to add a new partition. Then, click on the Partition button in the toolbar to create a new partition. Based on the version of macOS you're running, you may need to click on 'view' and then select 'show all devices' before the Partition button becomes active.

Next, click on the drive icon rather than the Mac volume to make the Partition button in the toolbar active. Finally, use Disk Utility to re-partition your drive as needed.

It's worth noting that this guide assumes you're starting with an 'out of the box' Mac with a single volume and does not apply to Macs already using Boot Camp to support dual-booting with Windows. Additionally, only Intel x86_64 Macs are capable of running Fedora at this time, as Fedora does not support Apple Silicon M-based Mac computers.

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