Methodology

DoesItOmarchy tracks whether Omarchy works on every Intel Mac Apple sold from 2006 to 2020. Each Mac is identified by its model identifier (for example MacBookPro8,2, shown in System Information), and every official hardware configuration is listed as a complete computer. This methodology sets the rules for turning test results into a status, so a verdict means the same on every Mac, whoever tested it and with whichever tool, and anyone can check how it was reached.

TLDR;

Only tests countEvery capability starts Untested. Only a test someone runs and reports changes a status; research notes and the monthly forecast never do.
Known limitationsGPUs that reach only OpenGL ES 2.0 can't run Hyprland 0.50 or later. They carry a warning note, which never changes a status.
ConfigurationsEach Mac is split by the parts Linux cares about (GPU, Wi-Fi, audio, ports…), and each configuration gets its own verdict.
VerdictsA failed Boot criterion makes a configuration Failed; any other failure makes it Partial. The Omarchy mark means every criterion that applies has passed.
Newest report winsFor each criterion, the report from the newest Omarchy version counts. Reports from an older major version are marked stale.
CoverageCounts configurations that passed everything and those with any report. Macs from before 2009 and the Xserve are left out of the figures, but can still be tested.
Port groupsPorts on the same controller behave alike, so one passing port covers its whole group.
Test criteriaEach configuration shows only the criteria that apply to its hardware, generalised from Boyd's Vintage Mac Compatibility Test Criteria.
SourcesHardware facts come from Apple, EveryMac, OpenCore and linuxhw probes of real machines. Every model page lists its own.

Only tests count

Every capability starts as Untested. A status only changes when someone runs Omarchy on that configuration and reports the result. Research notes on model pages come from spec sheets and Linux hardware probes. They are labelled unverified and never change a status.

Forecasts

Will it Omarchy? is a separate monthly research forecast. For each configuration counted in coverage, it estimates how likely stock Omarchy is to boot, to run without a significant issue, and to drive every part, from hardware facts, Omarchy's installer code, Linux logs from real Macs and community reports. A forecast is a prediction, not a result: it never changes a status here, and a tested report always outranks it. Use it to set expectations and to pick what to test next.

Known limitations

Some hardware rules a feature out before anyone tests it. Hyprland, Omarchy's desktop, has needed OpenGL ES 3.0 since version 0.50, so it can't run on a GPU whose Linux driver reaches only OpenGL ES 2.0. Configurations with such a GPU carry a known-limitation note. Like research notes, it never changes a status. On those GPUs the GPU-acceleration criteria fail on stock Omarchy: a workaround that runs Hyprland in software (Mesa's llvmpipe) or a GLES 2.0 fork of Hyprland doesn't make them pass, and testers record it in the notes. Search gles:2.0 lists them.

Configurations

A release is split into configurations when the parts Omarchy Linux cares about differ: the GPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, audio codec, storage controller or security chip, or the ports and features that decide which tests apply. CPU speed, RAM and disk size are attributes of a configuration, not separate ones. Rebadges of the same chip share a configuration. Each configuration is named by what sets it apart from its siblings, such as its GPU, screen size or release.

Verdicts

Each configuration gets one verdict.

Verdict	Meaning
Omarchy mark	Every applicable capability has passed. A model identifier earns it when every one of its configurations has.
Supported	Every tested capability works, shown with how many were tested.
Partial	Something other than Boot failed, was given up on, only partly works, or has conflicting reports.
Failed	A Boot capability failed. A failure is something to fix, not a final answer: each one records why it failed and who is working on it.
Untested	No diagnostic report yet.
Unsupported	A Boot capability was given up on. Maintainers mark a capability Unsupported only as a last resort, after repeated attempts to fix a failure made no progress.
Not compatible	The Mac can never run Omarchy by design. Today that means the 2006 Macs with a 32-bit-only Core Duo CPU, since Omarchy and Arch Linux support x86_64 only.

Each test run is a diagnostic report. For each capability, the report from the newest Omarchy version wins. Reports from an older Omarchy major version are marked stale. Two reports for the same Omarchy version that disagree are shown as conflicting. All times are UTC.

Coverage

Figure	What it counts
Compatibility coverage	Configurations where every applicable capability has passed.
Test result coverage	Configurations with at least one accepted diagnostic report.
Not counted	Configurations that are not compatible by design, and those outside the coverage scope: Macs released before 2009 and the Xserve. Out-of-scope Macs are still listed and can still be tested.

Ports and port groups

Some criteria are tested on each port, such as USB data or external display. Testers don't need to try every port: ports on the same controller and driver behave alike on Linux, so they form a port group. Usually that's all the ports of one type. A few Macs split them, such as the MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) [MacBookPro13,3], whose left and right Thunderbolt 3 pairs sit on two controllers. USB-C charging is the exception: charging is handled below the operating system, so all of a Mac's USB-C ports are one group for it.

Port statuses
Status	On a card	Meaning
Passed	left-1	It passed every criterion tested on it.
Covered by port group	left-2	Not tested itself, but a port in its group passed, so it counts as passed.
Partly tested	Port map only	Some criteria passed or are covered, none failed, and others are still untested.
Partly works	left-1	It passed some criteria and failed others, or a result says it only partly works.
Failed	left-1	It failed, and no port in its group passed.
Possible hardware fault	left-2 possible hardware fault	It failed while a port in its group passed. That points to a damaged port, not to Omarchy: the group still counts as passed, and the report is flagged for review.
Untested	left-1	No result yet.

The port map colours each port by every criterion tested on it. A card shows one criterion per row, with its ports boxed by port group; each box takes its group's colour.

From port groups to a criterion's verdict
Port groups	Criterion	Rule
left-1left-2right-1right-2	Supported	One passing port covers its whole group. A pass in every group is what counts toward the Omarchy mark, not a pass on every port.
left-1left-2right-1right-2	Supported 1 of 2 port groups	Untested groups don't count against a verdict, but the card shows how many groups have passed.
left-1left-2right-1right-2	Partial	Some groups passed and others failed or only partly work. The card shows the result from a group that didn't pass, so you can see why.
left-1left-2right-1right-2	Failed	Every tested group failed.
left-1left-2 possible hardware fault	Supported	A port that fails while its group-mate passes is a possible hardware fault. The group stays passed.
A result that names no port	—	Counts for the criterion only when the Mac has a single group for it, as most do. Tools that don't track ports report this way.

Test criteria

Each configuration shows only the criteria that apply to its hardware. They are generalised from Boyd's Vintage Mac Compatibility Test Criteria. The criteria matrix shows which configurations each one applies to.

Category	Criterion	What passing means	Applies to
Boot failure blocks install	Stock installer boots via 64-bit EFI	The unmodified Omarchy installer ISO boots natively from the Mac's startup manager.	configurations with 64-bit EFI firmware
	Installer boots via 32-bit EFI workaround	The installer boots on 32-bit EFI firmware using a boot shim (e.g. rEFInd with a 32-bit GRUB). Record the method used in the notes.	configurations with 32-bit EFI firmware
	Internal storage detected and installation completes	—	every configuration
	Installed system starts, restarts and shuts down cleanly	—	every configuration
Graphics	Integrated GPU acceleration	Hyprland renders on this GPU with hardware acceleration, at OpenGL ES 3.0 or later, not with the llvmpipe software renderer. Check the renderer with hyprctl systeminfo or eglinfo. A GPU that reaches only OpenGL ES 2.0 fails on stock Omarchy; record any workaround in the notes.	configurations with an integrated GPU
	Discrete GPU acceleration	Hyprland renders on this GPU with hardware acceleration, at OpenGL ES 3.0 or later, not with the llvmpipe software renderer. Check the renderer with hyprctl systeminfo or eglinfo. A GPU that reaches only OpenGL ES 2.0 fails on stock Omarchy; record any workaround in the notes.	configurations with a discrete GPU
	Integrated/discrete display switching	—	configurations with switchable graphics (two GPUs)
	Inactive GPU powers down correctly	—	configurations with switchable graphics (two GPUs)
	External display output	Each built-in video output drives an external display. Note in the notes which ports were tested.	configurations with a video output
Display	Internal display at native resolution	—	configurations with built-in display
Display	Display brightness control	—	configurations with built-in display
Input	Built-in keyboard and function keys	—	configurations with built-in keyboard
	Trackpad and multi-touch	—	configurations with built-in trackpad
	Keyboard backlight	—	configurations with keyboard backlight
	Ambient light sensor	—	configurations with ambient light sensor
	Force Touch click and pressure sensing	—	configurations with force Touch trackpad
	Touch Bar	—	configurations with touch Bar
	Touch ID	—	configurations with touch ID
	IR receiver (Apple Remote)	—	configurations with iR receiver (Apple Remote)
Power	Sleep and wake	—	every configuration
	Battery status and charge reporting	—	configurations with battery
	AC power and battery charging	—	configurations with battery
	Lid close sleep and lid open wake	—	configurations with lid (sleep on close)
Audio	Built-in speakers	—	configurations with built-in speaker(s)
	Built-in microphone	—	configurations with built-in microphone
	Headphone / analog audio output	—	configurations with a Headphone / line out (analog) port
	Headset microphone via headphone jack	—	configurations with headset microphone via headphone jack
	Line-in / analog audio input	—	configurations with a Line in (analog) port
	Optical digital audio output	—	configurations with a Optical digital audio out port
	Optical digital audio input	—	configurations with a Optical digital audio in port
	Audio over HDMI / DisplayPort	—	configurations with a HDMI port or audio over Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt
Camera	Built-in webcam	—	configurations with a camera
Networking	Wi-Fi	—	configurations with a wi-Fi
	Bluetooth	—	configurations with a bluetooth
	Ethernet	—	configurations with a Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s) port or a Gigabit Ethernet port or a 10Gb Ethernet port
Ports	USB-A ports	—	configurations with a USB 2.0 (Type-A) port or a USB 3 (Type-A) port
	USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB data)	—	configurations with a USB-C (non-Thunderbolt) port or a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
	Charging over USB-C	—	configurations with charging over USB-C
	Thunderbolt devices (storage, docks, hotplug)	—	configurations with a Thunderbolt 1 port or a Thunderbolt 2 port or a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
	FireWire	—	configurations with a FireWire 400 port or a FireWire 800 port
	SD card reader	—	configurations with a SD card slot port
	ExpressCard/34 slot	—	configurations with a ExpressCard/34 port
Storage	Internal optical drive reads discs	—	configurations with internal optical drive
Thermal	Temperature sensors report under load	—	every configuration
Thermal	Fans respond to load	—	configurations with cooling fan
Bridge	Touch Bar and webcam operate concurrently	—	configurations with an Apple T2 chip and touch Bar

Sources

Hardware facts come from Apple's identification and Tech Specs pages, EveryMac, the OpenCore model database, and real-machine Linux hardware probes from linuxhw. Chips and hardware IDs seen on real machines count as evidence. Where sources disagree, the model page's research notes say so. Every model page lists its sources. See attribution for credits.