Breathing New Life into a Surface Go 3 with Ubuntu

The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is an interesting piece of hardware—compact, portable, and versatile as both a laptop and tablet. However, running Windows 11 on it can feel sluggish due to its modest specifications. This led me to an interesting experiment: installing Ubuntu Linux on the Surface Go 3. The result? A significantly more responsive device that’s perfect for everyday tasks, browsing, and light development work.

Ubuntu Desktop running smoothly on the Surface Go 3

Why Ubuntu on Surface Go 3?

With Windows 10 support ending in October 2025 and Windows 11 being somewhat demanding on older hardware, Linux presents an excellent alternative to keep perfectly functional devices out of landfills. The Surface Go 3, while not a powerhouse, has enough capability to run a lightweight Linux distribution smoothly.

Ubuntu was my distribution of choice for several reasons:

Wide hardware support and active community
Excellent documentation and troubleshooting resources
Regular security updates and LTS (Long Term Support) versions
Familiar interface for those transitioning from Windows

The Surface Go 3’s hardware—with its modest RAM and processor—actually benefits from Ubuntu’s lighter resource footprint compared to Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the installation, you’ll need:

A USB drive (at least 4GB)
The Surface Go 3 itself
Another computer to create the bootable USB (I used a Mac)
A USB-C to USB-A adapter (for connecting the USB drive to the Surface)
Patience and time to complete the process
Important: Backup any data on your Surface Go 3—this process will erase everything!

Step 1: Creating a Bootable USB Drive

The first step is creating a bootable USB drive with Ubuntu on it. I used Balena Etcher on my Mac, which makes the process straightforward:

Download the latest Ubuntu Desktop ISO from the official website
Download and install Balena Etcher
Insert your USB drive
Open Balena Etcher and select the Ubuntu ISO file
Select your USB drive as the target
Click “Flash!” and wait for the process to complete

Note: The flashing process will erase all data on the USB drive. Make sure you've backed up any important files from it first.

Alternative tools for creating bootable USB drives include Rufus (Windows) or the command-line dd utility on Linux. If you’re comfortable with the terminal, check out this guide on using dd.

Unlike traditional PCs, the Surface Go 3 has its own unique method for accessing the boot menu and UEFI settings. Here’s how to prepare your Surface for Ubuntu installation:

Disable Secure Boot

Power off your Surface Go 3 completely
Press and hold the Volume Up button
While still holding Volume Up, press and release the Power button
Continue holding Volume Up until the Surface UEFI screen appears

Once in the UEFI:

Navigate to “Security” tab
Find “Secure Boot” settings
Change from “Microsoft Only” to “None” or “Disabled”
Save changes and exit (or continue to the next step)

Configure Boot Order

While still in the UEFI menu:

Navigate to “Boot Configuration”
Move “USB Storage” to the top of the boot order
Save and exit

Tip: After successful Ubuntu installation, you may need to return to UEFI and change Secure Boot to "Microsoft & 3rd party CA" for optimal functionality.

For a visual guide on accessing the Surface UEFI, check out this helpful video tutorial.

Step 3: Installing Ubuntu from USB

With your bootable USB drive ready and the Surface configured to boot from USB, you’re ready to install Ubuntu:

Insert the USB drive into your Surface Go 3 (using the USB-C to USB-A adapter if needed)
Restart the Surface—it should automatically boot from the USB drive
Wait patiently—the Surface Go 3 isn’t the fastest device, so the initial boot from USB can take several minutes
Eventually, you’ll see the Ubuntu boot menu with options to “Try Ubuntu” or “Install Ubuntu”
Select “Try Ubuntu” to test everything first, or go straight to installation

The Surface Go 3 installing and booting Ubuntu from USB

Installation Process

Once Ubuntu loads, you’ll see an icon on the desktop labeled “Install Ubuntu.” Double-click it to begin:

Select your language and click “Continue”
Choose your keyboard layout
Select installation type:
- For a fresh install, choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”
- This will remove Windows completely and give Ubuntu full access to the disk
Select your timezone and create your user account
Click “Install Now” and confirm the changes
Wait for the installation to complete (this can take 20-30 minutes)
Restart when prompted and remove the USB drive

The Ubuntu installer is quite intuitive, and the touch screen works throughout the installation process, which is a pleasant surprise.

Step 4: Initial Ubuntu Setup

After rebooting into your fresh Ubuntu installation, there are a few essential tasks:

Install System Updates

The first thing Ubuntu will prompt you to do is install updates. Don’t skip this step—it includes important security patches and driver updates:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This command updates the package list and upgrades all installed packages to their latest versions. You’ll need to enter your password when prompted.

Check Hardware Functionality

At this point, test the basic hardware:

✅ Touch screen should work
✅ Physical keyboard (if attached)
✅ Wi-Fi connectivity
✅ Bluetooth
✅ USB ports
✅ Audio output
❌ Cameras may not work yet
❌ Some touch features might be limited

Step 5: Installing the Linux Surface Kernel

The standard Ubuntu kernel provides basic Surface support, but to unlock full functionality—especially for improved touch support, stylus input, and better power management—you’ll want to install the specialized Linux Surface kernel.

What is the Linux Surface Kernel?

The linux-surface project is a community effort to provide enhanced Linux support for Microsoft Surface devices. It includes:

Optimized drivers for Surface-specific hardware
Improved touch and stylus input
Better battery management
Thermal management improvements

Installation Steps

Follow the installation instructions from the official linux-surface installation guide for Debian/Ubuntu:

# Add the repository key
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/master/pkg/keys/surface.asc \
    | gpg --dearmor | sudo dd of=/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/linux-surface.gpg

# Add the repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://pkg.surfacelinux.com/debian release main" \
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linux-surface.list

# Update package lists
sudo apt update

# Install the Surface kernel and related packages
sudo apt install linux-image-surface linux-headers-surface iptsd libwacom-surface

# Reboot to use the new kernel
sudo reboot

After rebooting, you can verify you’re running the Surface kernel:

uname -r

You should see output containing “surface” in the kernel name, such as 6.x.x-surface.

For more detailed information and troubleshooting, refer to the complete installation guide.

Step 6: Optimizing Your Ubuntu Experience

To enhance your Ubuntu experience on the Surface Go 3, the linux-surface project provides additional configuration options and tweaks. These include:

Virtual keyboard improvements for better tablet mode functionality
Touch scrolling enhancements for smoother navigation
Power management optimizations to extend battery life
Thermal management configurations to prevent overheating
Application recommendations specific to Surface devices

For detailed optimization guides and configurations, visit the linux-surface contrib directory which contains scripts, tweaks, and configuration examples to improve your Linux experience on Surface devices.

You can customize these based on your specific preferences and use case.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter issues during or after installation, here are some common problems and general guidance:

Touch Screen Not Working During Installation

This is unusual as the touch screen should work from the first installation screen. Ensure you’re using a recent Ubuntu ISO (22.04 LTS or newer).

Wi-Fi Not Connecting

Check if your Wi-Fi adapter is detected and try restarting the Network Manager. If problems persist, search for your specific Wi-Fi chipset in the Ubuntu forums.

Stylus Pen Not Working

After installing the linux-surface kernel, the Surface Pen should work automatically. If not, ensure the wacom support packages are installed.

System Not Booting to Ubuntu

You may need to adjust boot order in UEFI or check that Secure Boot is properly configured. Boot into UEFI (Volume Up + Power) and verify settings.

For more detailed troubleshooting and device-specific issues, visit:

My Experience: Performance and Daily Use

After completing the installation and setup, the Surface Go 3 running Ubuntu feels significantly more responsive than it did with Windows 11. Applications launch faster, multitasking is smoother, and the overall system feels less sluggish.

What Works Well:

Web browsing: Firefox and Chrome run smoothly
Light development: VS Code works great for coding
Media consumption: YouTube, streaming services all work perfectly
Touch screen: Responsive and accurate
Battery life: Comparable to or better than Windows 11
System responsiveness: Noticeably faster than Windows 11
Multitasking: Handles multiple applications smoothly

For my use case—casual browsing, reading documentation, light coding, and media consumption—the Surface Go 3 running Ubuntu is now a perfectly capable device that I enjoy using.

Resources and References

Throughout this installation journey, I found these resources invaluable:

Official Documentation

Tools Used

Balena Etcher - USB creation tool
Rufus - Alternative USB creation tool (Windows)

Helpful Blog Posts

The Privacy Dad’s Guide to Ubuntu on Surface Go 3
Rockford Lhotka’s Experience Running Linux on Surface Go
How to Convert the Microsoft Surface Go 2 into the Perfect Linux Tablet - Comprehensive guide with UI customization and development environment setup
Turning This Tiny Laptop into a Linux Work Machine - ZDNET review highlighting Linux performance on compact devices

Video Tutorials

Final Thoughts

Installing Ubuntu on the Surface Go 3 breathes new life into what many might consider an underpowered Windows device. While there are some trade-offs—primarily around camera quality and some advanced stylus features—the improvements in system responsiveness and overall user experience more than make up for these limitations.

If you have a Surface Go 3 (or similar Surface device) gathering dust because Windows 11 feels too slow, I highly recommend giving Ubuntu a try. The installation process is straightforward, well-documented, and the result is a device that’s genuinely pleasant to use for everyday tasks.

The Linux community’s work on the linux-surface project demonstrates the power of open-source collaboration, and it’s exciting to see Microsoft hardware running so well on a completely different operating system. Plus, you’re keeping a perfectly functional device out of a landfill—a win for both your productivity and the environment.

Have you tried installing Linux on a Surface device? What was your experience? Feel free to reach out and share your story!