Skip to main content

🔧 ARM Support (Experimental)

Experimental Feature

ARM boot/hardware is currently considered experimental. Not all ARM boards/hardware are supported currently.

Requirements
  • MOS only supports EFI boot on ARM boards
  • Please check if your ARM board supports EFI boot and how to install it
  • A permanent EFI install is recommended for MOS boot (out of scope of this tutorial)
  • Minimum 4GB RAM required, 8GB RAM strongly recommended

📥 Step 1: Download MOS for ARM​

  1. Go to the MOS Releases page
  2. Download the ARM64 ZIP archive (mos_*-beta_arm64.zip)

MOS ARM64 Release

  1. Extract the contents of the archive directly into the root of your boot device (USB stick or SD card formatted as FAT32 with label MOS)

🌳 Step 2: Download Device Tree File​

The device tree file (.dtb) is required for your specific ARM board/chip.

  1. Look at the changelog from the MOS release and go to the Kernel repository
  2. Download the device tree file archive (6.*-device_tree_files_arm64.zip)

Kernel Device Tree Files

  1. Extract the archive and search for your specific chip/board
  2. Find and extract the .dtb file for your device

Extracted DTB Files

  1. Copy the device tree file (e.g., rk3588-orangepi-5-plus.dtb) to the root of your boot device

Boot Device Root with DTB

⚙️ Step 3: Configure GRUB​

Edit the grub/grub.cfg file on your boot device:

  1. Open grub/grub.cfg in a text editor
  2. Find the commented devicetree line:

GRUB Config Commented

  1. Uncomment the line and change the filename to match your device tree:
devicetree /rk3588-orangepi-5-plus.dtb

GRUB Config Active

note

Some ARM boards may allow loading the device tree directly in the bootloader. Check your board's documentation for specifics.

🖥️ Step 4: Boot from ARM Device​

  1. Plug the boot device into your ARM board
  2. Power on and enter the EFI menu (usually by pressing F2, F10, F12, or Del during boot)
  3. Change the boot order to ensure booting from your USB/SD device
  4. Save and exit the EFI menu

MOS should now boot on your ARM device!

📦 Custom Kernel Module Configuration (Optional)​

Some ARM boards require specific kernel module parameters to function correctly (e.g., disabling certain features, enabling hardware-specific options).

MOS supports persistent modprobe.d configurations via:

/boot/optional/modprobe.d/<your-config>.conf

Example:

/boot/optional/modprobe.d/ahci-mask.conf
tip

For detailed instructions, see the Kernel Module Configuration documentation.

💾 Post-Installation (Optional)​

After successful boot, you can install MOS to disk:

EFI Boot from Disk

Ensure your EFI supports booting from disk (generally supported on most ARM boards with permanent EFI).

Keep Your Boot Device

It is recommended not to erase your external USB/SD boot device even after installing to disk. This provides a safety boot disk for recovery.

✅ Tested and Verified ARM Devices​

The following ARM devices have been tested and are confirmed working:

DeviceRAMStatus
Orange Pi 5 Plus16GB✅ Fully Working
Raspberry Pi 4b8GB✅ Fully Working

🆘 Need Help?​

If you have any questions or issues with ARM boot:

  • Join our Discord and let us know if you had success booting MOS on ARM
  • Report your board model and any error messages
  • Share your device tree filename to help expand our supported devices list

Parts of this documentation were created with the assistance of AI tools. All AI-generated content has undergone review, but it may still contain inaccuracies, omissions, or outdated information.