Please don't install Linux on this machine

If your Model Identifier is MacBookPro16,1 or MacBookPro16,4 — the 16-inch model from 2019 or 2020 — Linux runs but not well enough to recommend as a daily driver. Here's the honest picture so you can decide for yourself.

Effort

Two days you'll regret.

Cost

Possibly extras to work around audio, webcam, and thermals.

Risk

High — AMD GPU instability, suspend issues, partial audio.

Verdict

Don't, unless you have a backup machine and patience for tinkering.

What's broken or unreliable

• The discrete AMD GPU (Radeon Pro 5300M / 5500M / 5600M, depending on configuration) is the headline problem. The Linux amdgpu driver supports it in principle, but power management and performance-level switching are partial — readers report random crashes under load unless they pin GPU performance manually.
• Audio in and out is partial. Speakers work in some configurations, the headphone jack is hit-and-miss, the microphone array needs userspace patches. Expect to spend real time on this.
• The SMC — the chip that manages fans, battery charging, and thermals — isn't fully supported. Fans may not spin up correctly under load; the machine can throttle hard or get uncomfortably warm.
• Suspend / sleep is broken on T2 Macs generally and worse here because of the dGPU. Closing the lid may drain the battery overnight. Workaround: always shut down.
• Webcam, Touch ID — the same caveats as the smaller T2 Macs.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BCM4377) do work, once you extract the firmware from macOS — older versions of this guide said they didn't, but the t2linux project has supported them for a while. The blockers are the AMD GPU, audio, and thermals, not networking.

What that adds up to

A 16-inch MacBook Pro on Linux is a laptop with twitchy graphics, partial audio, unreliable cooling, and no working sleep. For an enthusiast with patience and a second machine, it's a fun project. For someone who just wants a computer that works, it's a frustrating waste of a weekend.

What we'd suggest instead

1. Stay on macOS for now. The 16-inch MBP is a powerful machine and macOS still works on it. The "I want to leave the Apple ecosystem" itch can wait until you replace this laptop.
2. Consider ChromeOS Flex if you mostly use a browser. Heads-up: Google doesn't certify any Touch Bar MacBook for ChromeOS Flex, but it often runs — try it from a USB stick first.
3. When you next replace this laptop, buy hardware designed for Linux — a Framework laptop, a Lenovo ThinkPad, a Dell XPS with the Ubuntu option. Linux on hardware that was built for it is a genuinely different, much happier experience.

If you're going to ignore us anyway

Fair — it's your machine. Before you start, check the t2linux hardware state page for the current status of your specific model. The picture may have improved since this guide was written. The AMD GPU is the single biggest variable; if you see it has moved to "Working", come back — we'll write the install steps.