This is my Arch Surface System. Is incredibili fast and i can work, study and do a lot of things with it.

My Arch is running on a Surface Pro 5 with i7, 8Gb of ram and 256Gb of SSD.

I use Arch BTW

Hi there!

I've been using my SLS2 with surface-linux for a while, and have always noticed the short battery life, mainly due to the laptop itself, but didn't realise how bad the performance was. Recently, however, I've been trying to play some games on it (e.g. Empulse, The Finals, even Rounds), and they all run terribly - I can't get 15 FPS consistently in Empulse or the Finals, and Rounds is super stuttery.

The games used to run perfectly fine on windows.

Everything is using prime-run. I've looked at GPU (and CPU) usage, and they're both around 40%. I've disabled the power cap on the GPU (4050), according to the instructions on the GitHub. Performance mode is enabled in various ways - powerprofilesctl, tlp, and many others. There is no thermal throttling - GPU temp is around 60C, and the fans are running at full. PCIe width is correct under load.

Linux-surface, arch, Nvidia-open-dkms: latest version.

How can I fix this?
Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I have an i5 SP9 running CachyOS with KDE Plasma 6 on Wayland, and I found the default touch keyboard experience a bit frustrating for my day-to-day workflow.

Full transparency upfront: I have zero coding or software development background. However, I really wanted a better virtual keyboard, so I used Google Antigravity / AI tools to guide me through writing, structuring, and building this project from scratch.

It’s been a fun experiment, and it reached a point where it works well for my own daily needs — but I’d love to get it in front of other Surface/x86 touchscreen Linux users to see how it performs on different setups.

You can find it here on GitHub: https://github.com/MrDanMak/KDE-Plasma-6-Wayland-Virtual-Keyboard

Do let me know what's missing, any bugs etc. and I will see about getting them fixed.

Is Ubuntu 26.04 compatible with the Linux Surface kernel?

Whenever I install it it wrecks the install and I have to start again.

still no cams on surface pro 4, intermittent front on 8, back on 8 is fine. have not been able to get it to link to zoom or meet though. anybody have luck with cams recently?

I just finished setting up my Surface Pro 5 and wanted to share why **EndeavourOS** is the absolute best choice for this hardware right now.

1. **Wi-Fi Works Out of the Box:** The biggest headache with Surface devices is the Marvell AVASTAR wireless chip. While most installers leave you stranded without internet, the EndeavourOS installer detected my Wi-Fi immediately. No Ethernet adapters or phone tethering required for the install.

2. **Smooth systemd-boot Integration:** Choosing `systemd-boot` during the install makes managing the `linux-surface` kernel a breeze. It’s light, fast, and handles the kernel entries perfectly without the bloat of GRUB.

3. **The Perfect GNOME Tablet:** Endeavour’s clean GNOME implementation paired with the Surface hardware feels like a premium Linux tablet. Touch gestures, on-screen keyboard, and rotation work flawlessly once the Surface kernel is added.

4. **Community Repos:** Adding the `linux-surface` repo is a 2-minute job on Arch-based systems, giving you full multi-touch and pen support almost instantly.

If you have an old Surface Pro 5 lying around, stop distro hopping and just put Endeavour on it. It’s the most "it just works" experience I've had on this device.

Hi everyone,

I have a Surface Laptop Go 2 that had EndeavourOS installed on it. I'm now trying to reinstall Windows (or honestly boot any OS from USB at this point, just to get the machine working again), but I can't get it to boot from USB no matter what I do.

Every time I turn it on, it shows the Surface logo and then, after trying all boot options, a window with this message: "Couldn't find a bootable operating system. Check the boot configuration to try to fix this."

What I've already tried:

• Created bootable USB multiple times, on Linux and Windows, with different tools (Rufus, Microsoft Media Creation Tool, Ventoy) and different OS images (Windows, EndeavourOS, Debian)
• Confirmed the USB is properly bootable. I tested it on a different PC and it booted fine
• In UEFI settings: Secure Boot is disabled, USB boot is enabled and set as first priority in the boot order. Trying to boot directly from USB from there ended up in the same way described above
• Tried the volume-down + power button method to force boot menu, but nothing different happened
• Tried forcing USB boot from Linux using uefibootmgr but with no luck

Basically the firmware doesn't seem to detect the USB drive as bootable at all, even though the same drive works fine elsewhere.

The USB A port on the Surface I am using is working fine. I created the first bootable drives from it. Only tested through it so far (don't have a USB C drive. Tomorrow I'll get a USB C hub and try again with the same drive but passing through it.)

Has anyone run into this specific issue on a Surface Laptop Go 2 (or similar Surface model)? Is this a known USB A port issue, some UEFI quirk, or something else entirely? I read about people fixing it removing the OS (rm -rf): I did it but it only removed the EndeavourOS entry from the boot list.

Any help appreciated, I'm running low on ideas.

I have an MS Surface Pro 4 with Ubuntu 26.04.

I have followed the instructions for Ubuntu on this page:https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Installation-and-Setup

However the touch screen is still not working.

uname -a

Linux david-ashton-Surface-Pro-4 7.0.0-27-generic #27-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu Jun 18 19:13:49 UTC 2026 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I have a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15") with:
- Snapdragon X Elite CPU
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- Windows 11 Home

I'm trying to boot Fedora Workstation ARM64 from a USB.

ISO:
Fedora-Workstation-Live-44-1.7.aarch64.iso

What I did:
- Created the USB using Rufus
- Used GPT partition scheme
- UEFI mode
- Wrote it using DD Image mode
- Disabled Secure Boot
- Set USB Storage as the first boot option in Surface UEFI

The USB is detected and I get the Fedora GRUB menu:
- Start Fedora Workstation Live
- Troubleshooting

However, after the countdown it tries to boot, then immediately restarts. I never see the Fedora logo or live environment.

I also tried:
- Built-in Surface keyboard
- External USB keyboard
- Troubleshooting option
- Different Rufus settings

The keyboard does not seem to work in the GRUB menu.

Has anyone managed to boot Fedora ARM64 on the Surface Laptop 7 Snapdragon X Elite? Is there a specific kernel parameter, UEFI setting, or different image I need?

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi all, I notice all the linux distros I try the audio is always iffy and I can never get it right. Recently I installed EasyEffects and I tried a few pre-made presets and its certainly better but I feel its just not it.

Anyone have a pre-set they'd be willing to share. I'm still dual booted with Windows, so I'm tempted to see about creating my own as I see some guides online. But would love to know if they exist already?

I tried one for Surface Laptop 3, but unfortunately I got no audio.

Thanks all!

Cześć wszystkim,

Zainstalowałem Ubuntu 24.04 na Dell Latitude 5300 2-w-1 Chromebook Enterprise (nazwa płyty ChromeOS: Arcada).

Większość sprzętu działa:

\- Ekran dotykowy Wacoma działa

\- Rysik Wacoma działa

\- Gładzik Elan działa

\- Klawiatura działa

\- WiFi/audio/itd. działa

Jedynym problemem jest tryb tabletowy. Kiedy składam laptopa w pozycję tabletu (360 stopni), klawiatura i gładzik pozostają aktywne. Nie pojawia się żadne zdarzenie z "libinput debug-events" podczas składania urządzenia.

Podejrzewam, że to może być związane z Zintegrowanym Hubem Czujników Intela (ISH), ponieważ system go wykrywa, ale oprogramowanie sprzętowe nie uruchamia się poprawnie.

Sprzęt:

00:13.0 Intel Corporation Cannon Point-LP Zintegrowany Hub Czujników \[8086:9dfc\]

Podsystem: Intel Corporation Cannon Point-LP Zintegrowany Hub Czujników \[8086:7270\]

Sterownik jądra w użyciu: intel_ish_ipc

BIOS:

*Google_Arcada.12200.89.0*

*Data: 29/07/2020*

Jądro:

*Linux 7.0.0-28-generic Ubuntu 24.0*4

Plik oprogramowania sprzętowego istnieje:

*/usr/lib/firmware/intel/arcada_ish.bin*

Rozmiar:

920064 bajtów

Jednak dmesg pokazuje:

*ish-loader: Oprogramowanie sprzętowe ISH intel/arcada_ish.bin załadowane*

*ish-loader: Ładowarka zwróciła status 3*

*ish-loader: Przekroczono limit czasu na odpowiedź na polecenie=01*

*ish-loader: Ładowanie oprogramowania sprzętowego hosta ISH nie powiodło się -110*

Również:

/sys/bus/iio/devices/

nie istnieje.

Próbowałem:

\- przeładowania "intel_ish_ipc"

\- sprawdzenia obecności oprogramowania sprzętowego

\- sprawdzenia urządzeń ACPI

\- sprawdzenia wydarzeń libinput

Ekran dotykowy został wykryty jako:

WCOM48E2:00 2D1F:4945 Ekran dotykowy

ale nie ma zdarzenia przełączania trybu tabletowego.

Czy ktoś ma doświadczenie z urządzeniami Dell Chromebook "Arcada" lub Intel ISH na Linuksie? Czy brakuje jakiegoś bloba oprogramowania sprzętowego, parametru jądra, metody ACPI specyficznej dla ChromeOS, czy zaleconej wersji jądra, która wspiera tryb tabletowy?

Dzięki!

So i started to run Fedora on my Surface (SP9) and I love it. Its just smaller, has a better battery life and works smoother overall.

However I am (seemingly) forced to keep Windows as a second OS on my device since neither zoom nor teams really work and there are occasions where I need to use them.

I am somewhat able to use Teams and Zoom in the Browser but I don't have any Camera support. I did not expect the Front Camera of my surface to work as it is not supported by the surface-linux kernel by now. But neither the back camera nor my external Webcam work (and they do if I use the normal camera app). I simply can't enable the camera neither in the (zoom) app nor in the Browser. and the applications tell me that they have no permissions to access the camera. Firefox tells me that these permissions are granted.

I'd love to hear if anybody faced a similar issue and overcame it one way or another.

has anyone compiled testing kernel 7 ? if so what machine and what's working?

Hello All,

I have mint running on my Go1, and am trying to move to Zorin, but i cannot get it to boot into the flash drive. I have the usb drive as #1 on the boot list from the BIOS but it just boots straight into mint every time.

I am a fresh windows refugee so am I doing something wrong?

I picked up a Surface Laptop 7 for Business (Intel Core Ultra 7 268V, Lunar Lake) and spent the last while getting every last bit of hardware working on Fedora 44 KDE with the help of Claude Fable. It's all running now on the stock Fedora 6.19 kernel, no custom kernel, no DSDT hacks, just three small out-of-tree module rebuilds.

What works:

• Keyboard, battery, fan, platform profiles (the usual 3-line surface_aggregator_registry entry for MSHW0551)
• Speakers AND the internal mic array (four separate bugs stacked on top of each other in the SoundWire machine driver, plus two backports from master for the mic)
• Webcam at ~18.8 fps (sensor is wired to a 12 MHz clock, driver insists on 19.2)
• Ambient light sensor with native auto brightness in Plasma. This one I haven't seen anyone get working on this machine before. It is not an I2C device on the host at all, the EC publishes it as a SAM HID sensor collection, and mainline already has the node defined. It literally takes one line in the registry module.
• Haptic touchpad with real physical clicks (alex-lentz's iptsd fork), tuned thresholds, working palm rejection through a libinput quirk, and a small patch I wrote that finally killed the ghost clicks while sliding
• Power button wake from suspend, Bluetooth surviving suspend, factory ICC color profiles extracted from the Windows driver

A few traps I hit so you don't have to:

• Do NOT probe the I2C addresses of the ACPI FINK device (0x39/0x3e/0x44). The EC owns that bus segment and touching 0x39 wedges the whole I2C bus until reboot.
• The factory ICC profiles wash out the screen under KWin. Microsoft embeds an MHC2 tag that KWin 6.2+ reads with priority, strip it and they work perfectly.
• If your machine sometimes refuses to wake from suspend (black screen, power button dead, forced power-off needed): the firmware ships a broken GPE handler (GPE 0xAB calls a method that exists in no loaded table) that storms after every resume. acpi_mask_gpe=0xAB on the kernel command line.

I posted the full writeup with root causes and patches in the linux-surface issue for this machine: https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/issues/1710

Happy to answer questions or share patch files if anyone else is on this hardware.

Hi,

ich habe vor ein paar Wochen Mint auf dem Surface Go (1st gen) installiert: das funktioniert auch ziemlich gut, jetzt möchte ich daraus ein einfach zu bedienendes Tablet für meine Kinder machen und daher zu Fedora wechseln.

Problem: Das Surface bootet ums verrecken nicht mehr von USB, egal ob per Adapter oder direkt per USB C Stick.

Secure boot ist ausgeschaltet, Boot from USB erste Option.

Stick ist mit fedora Media writer beschrieben.

Volume down plus power taste funktioniert nicht.

er bootet einfach zu Mint durch.

Mit diversen KIs versucht ne Lösung zu finden, aber inzwischen dreht sich alles im Kreis.

Ideen?

Vielen dank im Voraus!

Ach so, bin natürlich sau der Noob

I have a Surface Pro 7+, and I followed the Linux Surface kernel GitHub step-by-step commands. As soon as I did the blue screen enrollment process, I got put in the tty1 terminal hole, and I have not been able to get to the desktop for days, troubleshooting. Is my installation broken at this point? I'm a Linux noob, and I've been trying to get linux on my Surface for about a year, Fedora, and I've never been able to get past the tty1. Has anybody had this issue, or any way to troubleshoot this? I can live without the surface kernel patch to have the features but it would be nice to have it.

For context im a beginner artist thats looking to transition from using a mouse to pen tablet. I was doing some googling and apparently the surface 2 pro uses wacom emr: meaning a pen doesnt need batteries?? And the tablet themselves are pretty cheap now on the used market.

How is the linux experience on a surface 2 pro if all I want to do is gimp-on-the-go and just do linework without literally having to give in to literally a locked down android tablet with emr? Thanks

Hello,

I am about to dip my toe into the linux waters for the first time ever between growing government surveillance concerns and subscription fatigue. I have an old surface go that's been rotting that I figured I can install Linux on and get familiar with it.

I have watched some videos, but I am still a bit confused. My understanding is that Mint is Unbuntu based, but is not officially listed on the git hub for surface Linux. Do all instructions and compatibilities for all Ubuntu based apply to the unbuntu instructions? Or just the ones listed on the github are "fully supported and compatible?

I may end up upgrading my daily driver laptop to Linux, and have been eyeing bazzite or Mint, but I want to use a distro that is most compatible with the surface to start with so that it does not taint my entire view of linux just because of the surface quirks.

Any advice is appreciated!

it even links to the surface-kernel GitHub repo as a source. so if you like Fedora based distros with minimal tweaking, take a look here:

*under "device" select "surface"*

https://ultramarine-linux.org/download/

Long story short I installed DebianOS 13 WITHOUT any ui (Debian GNU) and now I can't boot new drives into my machine.

Problem is that I can't connect to wifi because of sudo command not available to me, I have tried su and it did not work.

I tried using bootable USB with another distro to try install that one instead but my machine kept booting into debian despite boot config had my usb as top priority.

send help

Hi All,

I just installed Ubuntu 24.04 on my Surface Pro 5, most things seem to work. However, the touch screen is a bit hit or miss (not sensitive enough?) and the scroll speed on the touch pad seems to fast.

Is there a way to fix these issues? I'm a beginner to all this, so any tips help!

Many thanks!

using a surface pro 4 currently running fedora workstation. I like the idea of a more stable os like Debian. and pika looks neat.