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Second Wind
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A second wind
for your old Mac.

Apple stopped updating it. We didn't. Second Wind turns your 2013-2017 Intel Mac into a fast, safe, familiar computer again. Free forever, with all the code in plain sight.

Download for Mac See it work

Free · No account needed

The same Mac, minutes apart. Drag the handle
The same machine after Second Wind: dock, ⌘ menu, Mac-style theme Stock Ubuntu 24.04 desktop, before Second Wind
Before After Second Wind

Real, unedited screenshots from our automated end-to-end tests: Ubuntu 24.04 exactly as it comes (left), and what Second Wind turns it into (right).

🐧 Ubuntu inside (not macOS, and honest about it) 🆓 Free forever for your Mac 👁️ All the code in plain sight, auditable 🚫 Sends none of your data 💻 MacBook Air · MacBook Pro · iMac (2013-2017, Intel) 🔒 Every download checksum-verified

Everything your fingers expect. On hardware you already own.

Under the hood it's Ubuntu Linux, with security updates until 2029. On the surface, it feels like home.

⌘

Your keyboard, the Mac way

⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘Tab, ⌘Space, ⌘⇧3/4/5 for screenshots and screen video. Every shortcut stays exactly where your fingers expect it, in every app. Part of Mac Experience: 30 days free, then an optional US$10, once.

🔍

Instant search

Tap ⌘ Space and type. Apps, files, calculator: instant, just like you're used to. Also part of Mac Experience.

🖥️

A familiar face

The dock, the top bar with a ⌘ menu, light & airy typography, a dynamic wallpaper. It looks and moves like a Mac.

📷

Hardware that just works

FaceTime HD camera, Wi-Fi, sound, fan control, sleep and hibernation, all set up automatically for your exact model.

🛍️

An app store included

22 hand-picked apps (browser, WhatsApp, Zoom, office, photos), one click each, always from official sources.

🔒

Safe and honest

All the code in plain sight and auditable, every download verified, no ads. Second Wind sends none of your data.

See it work.

Straight from our automated test system. We only added the keystroke labels.

⌘ Space: find and open anything

⌘A · ⌘C · ⌘V · ⌘Z · ⌘X: the keys you know, in every app

⌘ Tab: switch apps like on a Mac

⌘ Space does math, too

An app store included: 22 apps, one click each

⌘T · ⌘1: YouTube and the web in the latest Chrome (film: Big Buck Bunny © Blender Foundation, CC-BY)

That Mac in the drawer still has stories to give.

Somewhere at home there's a Mac that cost real money, worked beautifully, and one day simply stopped getting updates. It isn't broken. It's abandoned.

Turn it on one more time. In 30 minutes it can be your kid's first computer, your mom's window to the grandkids, or the tool of someone who could never afford one.

Every year, millions of perfectly good Macs end up as electronic waste, while millions of kids do their homework on a phone, or not at all. We exist to cross those two lines.

Give one a second life

Three steps. Zero terminal.

You never type a command. The installer asks four simple questions and does the rest by itself.

1

Create the USB stick

Use our USB creator on any computer. It downloads the official Ubuntu image and prepares everything.

2

Plug it into your Mac

Turn the Mac on holding the Option (⌥) key and pick the yellow USB drive. That's the hardest part. If you see a message starting with "error: file" before the menu, press Enter: it's normal on some Macs and the install continues.

3

Answer four questions

Language, keyboard, Wi-Fi, your name. Then go make coffee. Your Mac comes back reborn.

⚠️ Good to know: Second Wind replaces macOS completely. It's designed for Macs that Apple left behind. Back up your files first; the installer warns you clearly before touching the disk.

Will it run on my Mac?

Built for the Intel Macs Apple stopped updating. Find your model: the year is in Apple menu → About This Mac.

Your MacYearsStatus
MacBook Air 11″ / 13″2013-2017✓ Ready today
MacBook Pro Retina 13″ / 15″2013-2015✓ Ready today
iMac 21.5″ / 27″2013-2015✓ Ready today
MacBook Pro 13″ / 15″ (Touch Bar era)2016-2017◐ In progress
Any Mac with Apple T2 chip2018 +✗ Not yet (v2)
Apple Silicon (M1 and later)2020 +✗ Not planned (still supported by Apple)

Check your exact model, by the number on its bottom case: Will my Mac work?

Questions people actually ask

Is this macOS?

No, and we want to be very clear about that. Second Wind does not install macOS. It installs Ubuntu (a free, legal operating system) dressed and tuned to look and feel like your old Mac: the keyboard shortcuts, the search, the dock, the style. It contains no Apple software. If what you need is real macOS with iMessage, FaceTime and Apple apps, this isn't it. Check OpenCore Legacy Patcher instead. If what you need is a fast, safe, familiar computer for the web, video calls and everyday work: welcome.

Do I need to create an account?

No, and you never will. Second Wind has no accounts by design: you download, you install, done. If you buy the optional Mac Experience, your license key arrives by email: paste it into the Second Wind app and that's it. Less friction for you, less data for anyone to worry about.

Is it really free?

Yes, and we're precise about it. Second Wind is free forever: the Mac look, drivers that just work (Wi-Fi, camera, sound), the app store and updates, with all the code published in plain sight, auditable by anyone. No terminal, ever. One optional extra exists: the “Mac Experience” (⌘ shortcuts everywhere and ⌘Space search) is free for the first 30 days, then a one-time US$10 (once per Mac, yours forever). If you don't buy it, your Mac keeps working and looking exactly the same; only the ⌘ shortcuts and ⌘Space go back to Linux's. No subscriptions, no accounts. Want to help more? You can pay what you want for Second Wind.

Will I lose macOS and my files?

Yes. Second Wind replaces macOS entirely with Ubuntu Linux. It's meant for Macs that no longer receive Apple updates. Back up your files first (the installer reminds you before touching anything).

Is this legal? Is it a hack?

It's not a hack. Second Wind installs Ubuntu, a mainstream free operating system, plus components downloaded from their official sources. Nothing from Apple is copied or redistributed. It's your hardware, and you're allowed to run what you want on it.

Why not just keep using old macOS?

Without security updates, browsers and banking sites gradually stop working, and staying online gets risky. Ubuntu 24.04 receives security updates until 2029, and modern apps (Chrome, WhatsApp, Zoom) run on it today.

I'm not technical. Honestly, can I do this?

That's exactly who we built it for. If you can plug in a USB stick and hold down one key, you can do this. You never see a terminal, and every step explains itself in plain language, in English or Spanish.

Something isn't working. How do I get help?

Open the Second Wind app (in the dock) → ⋯ → Your Mac. It checks Wi-Fi, sound, camera, keyboard, Bluetooth and battery, and shows a short report about your Mac. Click Copy report for support and paste it into an email to hello@secondwindformac.com. You see everything it contains first, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you send it yourself.

Can I go back to macOS later?

Yes. macOS can be reinstalled from Apple's own recovery (Internet Recovery, ⌘⌥R at power-on) or from a macOS USB stick, on any of these models. Your files must come from your backup.

Give your Mac its second wind.

Don't send a perfectly good machine to a drawer, or a landfill.

Download for Mac Support the project ♥