MacOS, Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux on Macbook Pro (Triple boot)

In this video we'll go over setting up a triple boot system on a MacBook pro!
We're going for macOS, Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux.

Step by step Guide:

1) We'll assume starting point of HD with macOS (in my case Catalina)
2) Partition HD using boot camp to allow space for Windows and Linux
3) Install Windows 10 using boot camp from macOS on new partition
4) Install the boot loader: rEFInd (so we can choose OS at boot time)
5) Shrink boot camp partition to allow space for Linux installation
6) Install Ubuntu Linux on our newly created partition and enjoy!

Links:

1) Windows 10 media creation tool:

2) Ubuntu Linux:

3) Rufus USB creation tool:

4) rEFInd boot loader:

Articles that helped me along the way:

[kotysh]

Before installing rEFInd boot manager, you need to disable the System Integrity Protection (SIP) mode, otherwise rEFInd won't install properly. SIP was added on all MacOS versions starting from El Capitan (10.11) and rEFInd will give you a fat warning if you try to install it without disabling the SIP first. To disable SIP, boot into recovery and in the terminal execute: csrutil disable

[PatrickvanderDeijl]

Finally got some good use for an old MBP2015 Retina: MacOS Monterey (native), Windows 10 Home and Linux Mint on one machine! Works fabulous.
Did exactly what the video prescribed, but it did not go right all the way: installing Linux Mint (and previous also when installing Lubuntu), the Linux partition did not show up in the rEFInd menu. When starting up, rEFInd showed the Mac and Windows startup, but not the Linux startup. Only if I started up with pressing the ALT key, I could choose the Linux partition.
So I repeated the part where you install rEFInd in the terminal (by pressing CMD + R) and voila, Linux appeared.
It now also shows
a. the entry "Boot EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi fom EFI" which starts up Linux Mint right away
b. an entry that says 'Boot Fallback boot loader from EFI', that boots into the Linux Grub. This results in not getting the rEFInd menu again. Reinstalling rEFInd fixed this, but there might be an other way to go to the rEFInd menu again?
And then I wonder why there are two W10 options and two MacOS options. Is there a particular reason for?

[micahdotjohnson]

Thanks for the video, bro! I was pulling my hair out and didn’t know what I was missing. I was installing bootcamp, then making a third partition in Disk Utility from my main drive partition. It would mess up my boot loader and I could not boot into windows. Making the Linux partition /inside/ the windows partition is genius. Thanks!

[Blue_]

After installing Linux Mint I had to redo the step at 11:23 and install rEFInd again from the OSX recovery

[offman]

I tried this method many times on my MacBook air and it ended up messing my bootloader every time. I tried installing Ubuntu alongside OS X and it works for a day and two then again it mess up with my bootloader and I ends up removing everything and reinstalling OS X from scratch. The only thing that worked perfectly for me is installing windows alongside OS X using bootcamp

[EatSleepSkrrt]

Old macbooks are still overlooked triple or dual boot is a pain to setup but if it works it works well, just finish windows 10 update from windows 7(if you have old mac is even harder, try and get your hand on the latest macbook pro with a Intel chip set

[dipavan]

Great video. Question: can I put as many installs as I want using this method? Could I create separate partitions for additional linux builds for instance? Also, would backing up such a disk work across all these installs?

[_melnikovii]

It's amazing! Thank you very much!

[aelix]

Great value add! Thanks for this. Through trial and error I had gotten to the point where I could almost do this, but the missing piece for me was the boot loader that you installed. One question I do have is, Catalina is the newest version I can put on My MacBook pro 9, 1 after that, if I want to upgrade further I'd have to use patch tools but that comes with open core bootloader. Do you know if there's a way to patch Mac OS up to Ventura without screwing up the bootloader?... Or is that something where you patch it and then replace the bootloader open core with your bootloader you recommended rEFInd?

[kerimbozkus]

Awesome tutorial. Thank you for this ! PS: recovery mode / utilities / start up security / on security option should be selected to be able to boot from USB (I tried on a macbook pro 2019)

[iamgerer]

That's cool, I thought of doing the same some days ago, and ended up watching ur vid. Thnx for the tut. ❤️

[jillasai]

After installing rEFind, it shows the options to which you got at 13:53, but on clicking windows it is not opening, tried on clicking mac then a white screen comes and stuck there is no way now I can get into mac or windows. Can anyone please help how to uninstall rEFind.

[Kevin-gmjv]

I.ve managed to do it but it seems like some packages are missing for the os to run. I would like to remove it now from my system with messing with my Mac and windows 10 partition

[mrusli]

Can you do that on current line up for macbook pro 16 inch. How about using alfa network connection to a thunderbolt 3 hub. Does it work???

[danchu]

Is it possible to have macos and linux in 2 seperate ssd in macbook while following this guide?

[meeks]

Would this work on the current gen macbooks as well? I've been looking into duel booting for about a week and this looks the most reasonable solution.

[riritubes]

Hi Sir, thank you for your work and the quality of the video.
I've perfectly reinstall a macOS Big Sur, and did every single step in your video with good result (many times), BUT, at the end, once ubuntu is installed, Mac is ok and Windows 10 (which was ok before) doesn't start anymore neither from the 2/3 entries of Refind or from the alt/power menu. From legacy button in Refind, I get a "BOOTMGR is missing" message.
Any idea ?

[alphawulf]

Thank you so much sir very very very helpful specially for me 😊🎉

[rayerdinc]

Great video, thank you. However, I got a SIP warning but worked it out. And now I only get the Ubuntu grub book option screen. How to get the Refind boot screen to default please? Plus power button + alt gives me the usual boot options but selecting Windows just goes in to Ubuntu grub and Ubuntu, what have I missed not seeing the Refind boot screen? Don't look forward to doing it all again in case do the same mistake.

[bobspacon]

I noticed Ubuntu still displays grub before booting. thats another bootloader along side rEFInd