Why I Switched from Arch Linux to a MacBook (Honest Experience)

Introduction #

For the past two years, I’ve been a daily Arch Linux user.

I didn’t just casually try Linux. I fully committed to it.

During that time, I spent countless hours building my ideal setup on Arch. I tweaked configs, experimented with tiling window managers like Hyprland, and slowly shaped a workflow that felt fast, minimal, and personal.

I even wrote about my Hyprland setup on Arch, which shows how invested I was in customization.

Arch became more than just an operating system. It was a learning journey, and I loved having full control over every detail of my desktop.

Arch wasn’t just an OS for me. It was a lifestyle.
I enjoyed the freedom, the customization, and the satisfaction of building my system exactly the way I wanted.

I went through everything most Arch users do:

• manual installations
• endless config tweaks
• tiling window managers
• fixing random breakages after updates
• spending weekends optimizing my workflow

And honestly, I loved it.

Arch taught me a lot about Linux, how computers work under the hood, and it gave me a setup that truly felt like mine.

So when I say that I switched from Arch Linux to a Mac, it wasn’t a random decision. It definitely wasn’t because I suddenly stopped liking Linux.

It was a change that happened slowly, for practical reasons.

In this post, I want to share the honest story of why I made the switch, what I miss about Arch, and what surprised me about macOS.

Why I Started Considering a Mac #

At some point, my priorities began to change.

Arch Linux was still great, and I still enjoyed the freedom it gave me. But over time, I started caring less about tweaking my system and more about having something that simply worked every day.

The first big thing was how much I started valuing power efficiency.

I started working more outside, in cafes, or anywhere that wasn’t my desk. And in those situations, constantly thinking about charging or optimizing laptop power just became tiring.

On my Linux laptop, I could tweak settings and install extra tools, but it never fully felt effortless. I wanted something that could last through the day without me worrying about it.

The second reason was the maintenance.

Even though Arch is incredibly rewarding, it comes with a cost. Updates can occasionally break things, configs need attention, and sometimes you end up spending an evening fixing something you didn’t plan to touch at all.

Most of the time it was fine, but I started feeling tired of always being responsible for keeping everything perfectly running.

And finally, I wanted something more stable and predictable.

I reached a point where I didn’t want my operating system to be a project anymore. I wanted a device that stays out of the way, lets me focus on work, and feels consistent no matter where I am.

That’s when switching to a MacBook started to make sense.

What macOS Gave Me That Linux Didn’t #

Switching to macOS didn’t feel like I was upgrading or downgrading.

It felt more like choosing a different kind of experience.

Linux, especially Arch, is all about freedom and control.
macOS, on the other hand, is about integration and consistency.

The first thing I immediately noticed was how effortless the laptop experience felt.

On my MacBook, I can go through an entire day without even thinking about charging. Sleep works perfectly, standby drain is minimal, and everything feels optimized out of the box. On Linux, I always felt like I had to fight for that same level of efficiency.

The second thing was stability.

With Arch, I accepted that occasional breakage was part of the deal. Most updates were smooth, but sometimes something small would stop working, and fixing it became another task on my list.

On macOS, updates feel less stressful. The system is predictable, and I don’t feel like I need to constantly maintain it just to keep my workflow running.

Another big difference is how polished the overall laptop experience is.

Things like trackpad gestures, high-DPI scaling, audio, Bluetooth, and external monitor support work so well that I barely have to think about them. On Linux, these things can work, but they often require extra setup, troubleshooting, or compromise.

macOS also gave me something I didn’t realize I wanted: less friction.

I still love customizing my environment, but I’ve started appreciating a system that lets me focus more on building, writing, and working instead of constantly adjusting the OS itself.

Around the same time, I was also doing more serious development work, mostly in Go.

When your day-to-day job is writing backend services, building tools, and shipping projects, you start valuing reliability more than endless customization. I wanted my laptop to support my work, not become another thing I had to maintain.

In short, macOS gave me a laptop that feels reliable, efficient, and effortless in ways that Linux never fully did for me.

What I Miss About Arch Linux #

Even though I’m enjoying macOS, I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss Arch Linux.

There are things about Linux that no other operating system can really replace.

The biggest one is control.

On Arch, everything is yours. You decide what gets installed, what runs in the background, how your desktop behaves, and how your workflow is shaped. It feels like building your own environment from scratch, and that level of ownership is hard to let go of.

I also miss the customization.

With setups like Hyprland, I could make my system look and feel exactly the way I wanted. Every keybinding, every animation, every part of the UI was something I had personally configured. macOS is polished, but it’s not nearly as flexible.

Another thing I miss is the Linux ecosystem itself.

The package management, the simplicity of installing developer tools, the open-source community, and the feeling that everything is transparent and hackable. Arch always felt like a system made by people who truly care about how software works.

And honestly, I miss the mindset.

Arch encourages learning.
It pushes you to understand your machine instead of just using it.

Even when it was frustrating, it was rewarding.

Switching to a Mac doesn’t erase those two years. Arch Linux shaped the way I think about computers, workflows, and minimalism.

And I’ll always respect it for that.

Would I Switch Back? #

So, would I ever switch back to Arch Linux?

Maybe.

I don’t think this is a permanent goodbye.

Arch will always have a special place for me, and I can easily see myself using it again in the future, especially on a secondary machine or in a setup where I have more time to tinker and experiment.

But right now, macOS fits my current needs better.

At this stage of my life, I value stability, battery life, and a system that stays out of my way. I still love Linux, and I still miss the control Arch gives me, but I don’t miss the constant maintenance that sometimes comes with it.

Switching to a Mac wasn’t about abandoning Arch.

It was about choosing the right tool for the season I’m in.

And honestly, I’m glad I experienced both.

In the end, switching from Arch Linux to a Mac wasn’t about which operating system is better.

Arch gave me freedom, knowledge, and a workflow I truly enjoyed building.
But macOS gives me something I need right now: stability, great battery life, and a laptop experience that feels effortless.

I’ll always appreciate what Arch taught me, and I don’t regret the years I spent using it.

This wasn’t a goodbye to Linux.
Just a new chapter.