Does the SteelSeries MSI Laptop Lightbar work on Linux?

Supported. 2 extra features available on Linux (Battery level, RGB / lighting) via OpenRGB, Linux kernel.

Which distros work?

Distro	Kernel	Verdict
Arch Linux CachyOS, EndeavourOS	7.2 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 1 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet)
Fedora 44 Bazzite, Nobara	7.2 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 1 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet)
Fedora 43	7.2 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 1 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet)
openSUSE Tumbleweed	7.2 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 1 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet)
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu flavours	7.0 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 1 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet)
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Linux Mint 22, elementary OS 8	6.8 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 0 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet); rgb / lighting: install OpenRGB from upstream
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Linux Mint 21	5.15 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 0 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet); rgb / lighting: install OpenRGB from upstream
Debian 13	6.12 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 0 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet); rgb / lighting: install OpenRGB from upstream
Debian 12	6.1 (driver in 7.3)	⚠️ 0 of 2 features from repos; battery level: needs Linux 7.3 (not released yet); rgb / lighting: install OpenRGB from upstream

Kernel versions are each release's default (and optional newer) kernel as of 2026-10-05. Distros sometimes backport drivers, so an older kernel can still work. Basic input and audio work through generic drivers regardless; this table is about the extra features.

Linux features

Feature	Provided by
Battery level	Linux kernel 7.3 (upcoming)
RGB / lighting	Linux kernel 7.3 (upcoming), OpenRGB

What to install

Tool	Install
OpenRGB	Arch: `sudo pacman -S openrgb` Fedora: `sudo dnf install openrgb` Debian: `sudo apt install openrgb` Ubuntu: `sudo apt install openrgb` Flatpak: `flatpak install flathub org.openrgb.OpenRGB`
Linux kernel	Built in, nothing to install.

Is this my device?

Run lsusb and look for this ID: 1038:1161. Or paste your whole lsusb output into the lookup on the home page.

Kernel driver: hid-steelseries — Linux 7.3 (upcoming)

"Supported" means the device appears in that project's device list. We don't test hardware ourselves; see how this works. Something wrong here? Report it.

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