Linux Surface
Linux running on the Microsoft Surface devices . Follow the instructions below to install the latest kernel and config files.
Supported Devices
Surface Book
Surface Book 2
Surface Go
Surface Laptop
Surface Laptop 2
Surface Pro 3
Surface Pro 4
Surface Pro 2017
Surface Pro 6
Surface Studio
What's Working
Keyboard (and backlight)
Touchpad
2D/3D Acceleration
Touchscreen
Pen
WiFi
Bluetooth
Speakers
Power Button
Volume Buttons
SD Card Reader
Cameras (partial support, disabled for now)
Hibernate
Sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor)
Battery Readings
Docking/Undocking Tablet and Keyboard
Surface Docks
DisplayPort
USB-C (including for HDMI Out)
Dedicated Nvidia GPU (Surface Book 2)
What's NOT Working
Dedicated Nvidia GPU (if you have a performance base on a Surface Book 1, otherwise onboard works fine)
Cameras (not fully supported yet)
Connected Standby is not supported yet
Disclaimer
For the most part, things are tested on a Surface Book. While most things are reportedly fully working on other devices, your mileage may vary. Please look at the issues list for possible exceptions.
Download Pre-built Kernel and Headers
The setup.sh script in the below Instructions will handle downloading these for you. Otherwise, you may still download them directly (not recommended as you will want to run the setup.sh script).
Downloads for ubuntu based distros (other distros will need to compile from source using the included patches):
You will need to download the image, headers and libc-dev deb files for the version you want to install.
Instructions
(Prep) Install Dependencies:
sudo apt install git curl wget sed
Clone the linux-surface repo:
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jakeday/linux-surface.git ~/linux-surface
Change directory to linux-surface repo:
cd ~/linux-surface
Run setup script:
sudo sh setup.sh
Reboot on installed kernel.
The setup script will handle installing the latest kernel for you. You can also choose to download any version you want and install yourself:
Install the headers, kernel and libc-dev (make sure you cd to your download location first):
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-[VERSION].deb linux-image-[VERSION].deb linux-libc-dev-[VERSION].deb
Compiling the Kernel from Source
For Debian-Based Systems
If you don't want to use the pre-built kernel and headers, you can compile the kernel yourself following these steps:
(Prep) Install the required packages for compiling the kernel:
sudo apt install build-essential binutils-dev libncurses5-dev libssl-dev ccache bison flex libelf-dev
Clone the mainline stable kernel repo:
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git ~/linux-stable
Go into the linux-stable directory:
cd ~/linux-stable
Checkout the version of the kernel you wish to target (replacing with your target version):
git checkout v5.y.z
Apply the kernel patches from the linux-surface repo (this one, and assuming you cloned it to ~/linux-surface):
for i in ~/linux-surface/patches/[VERSION]/*.patch; do patch -p1 < $i; done
Use config for kernel series (may need to manually change for your distro):
cp ~/linux-surface/configs/[VERSION]/config .config
Compile the kernel and headers (for ubuntu, refer to the build guide for your distro):
make -j `getconf _NPROCESSORS_ONLN` deb-pkg LOCALVERSION=-linux-surface
Install the headers, kernel and libc-dev:
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-[VERSION].deb linux-image-[VERSION].deb linux-libc-dev-[VERSION].deb
For Arch-Based Systems
Have a look at this repository.
Signing the kernel for Secure Boot
Please consult the SIGNING.md.
NOTES
If you are getting stuck at boot when loading the ramdisk, you need to install the Processor Microcode Firmware for Intel CPUs (usually found under Additional Drivers in Software and Updates).
Do not install TLP! It can cause slowdowns, laggy performance, and occasional hangs! You have been warned.
If you chose to use hibernate over suspend, please follow the instructions here.
Support
If you have an issue with the kernel, please feel free to create on issue here to track it. If you have questions or need support, please use our Gitter Community!
Donations Appreciated!
Bitcoin: 1AH7ByeJBjMoAwsgi9oeNvVLmZHvGoQg68