Before you install Parrot Linux, it helps to know which hardware and environments work well, which need extra steps and which are not supported. This page sums that up and shows how to test your own machine from a live USB drive before you change anything on the disk.
Quick answer
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| 64-bit PCs and laptops (x86-64 / amd64) | Supported: the main target of every edition |
| ARM64 (Raspberry Pi 4, 400 and 5) | Supported with dedicated images; see Raspberry Pi images |
| 32-bit x86 PCs | Not supported by current releases |
| VirtualBox, VMware, QEMU/KVM, UTM | Supported; ready-made virtual machine images are published |
| Docker | Supported; see Docker images |
| Qubes OS | Works as an HVM or template; see Parrot on Qubes OS |
| Phones and tablets (Android, iPhone, iPad) | Not supported |
| Chromebooks | Hit or miss, depending on the model and its firmware |
Minimum and recommended CPU, memory and disk are on the system requirements page.
Computers reported to work
Parrot is built on Debian 13, so hardware that runs a current Debian release usually runs Parrot too. The original documentation listed these systems as working; the list is community-reported and not exhaustive:
- Most Lenovo laptops (the IdeaPad 510 needed the
thinkpad_acpimodule loaded) - Most Dell XPS models
- System76 and Purism laptops
- MacBook Pro (2013)
Components that need attention
Graphics
Intel and AMD graphics work with the open-source drivers out of the box. Nvidia cards start with the open-source nouveau driver; for better performance or CUDA install the proprietary driver: see Nvidia driver and GPU drivers.
Wi-Fi
Most internal cards work for normal networking. Monitor mode and packet injection for wireless auditing need a supported chipset, usually a USB adapter; see supported Wi-Fi chipsets. Some cards need non-free firmware, which current releases include in the non-free-firmware component.
Secure Boot
The official installation guides tell you to disable Secure Boot (and CSM) in the UEFI settings before installing. Do this first if the installer does not start.
Storage
SATA and NVMe drives are supported. Intel Optane memory used as a cache for a hard disk works only with Windows drivers; disable it in the firmware or install Parrot on a plain drive. New installations use Btrfs by default.
Test your hardware before installing
Boot Parrot from a USB drive in live mode. Nothing is written to your disk, and you can check the parts that matter most:
- Does the screen show the right resolution, and do the brightness keys work?
- Does Wi-Fi find your network, and does Bluetooth find your devices?
- Does sound play through the speakers and the headphone jack?
- Do the touchpad, webcam and suspend work?
Then open a terminal and list the hardware and the drivers in use:
lspci -k # internal devices and the kernel driver for each
lsusb # USB devices
sudo dmesg | grep -iE "firmware|error" # missing firmware and driver errors
A device with no “Kernel driver in use” line in the lspci -k output has no working driver yet.
Features on by default, and off by default
- On: AppArmor and Firejail: Sandbox Applications sandboxing, a hardened Firefox ESR.
- Off: automatic mounting of drives, so that forensic work does not change evidence, and network services, which you start only when you need them.
FAQ
Can I install Parrot Linux on a Mac?
Intel Macs can run it, although Wi-Fi and the keyboard backlight may need extra drivers. On Apple Silicon Macs use a virtual machine with UTM instead.
Does Parrot run on a Raspberry Pi 3?
Only the minimal Core edition, because the other editions need at least 2 GB of RAM.
My hardware is not listed. Will it work?
Probably, if a current Debian release supports it. The live-mode test above is the quickest way to find out.