Linux does not have a single unified "HWID" the way Windows does. There is no one MachineGuid equivalent — each distribution and each application reads identifiers a little differently.
What Linux software actually reads
The identifiers that come up most often are: the machine-id (generated when the system is installed), SMBIOS/DMI data exposed by the kernel, the MAC addresses of network interfaces, and disk serials. Most everyday Linux software — browsers, Steam, games via Proton — really only cares about the MAC and the machine-id; the deeper values are readable but rarely used as a hard anchor.
Changing them
Because Linux is open, most of these can be changed with built-in tools — regenerating the machine-id and setting a new MAC covers the large majority of cases, and that is genuinely a few commands rather than a dedicated app. Firmware-level values like the SMBIOS UUID are the exception: those sit below the operating system and are not changed this way, exactly as on Windows.
FAQ
Does Linux have a "Machine GUID" like Windows?
Yes — it's /etc/machine-id, generated by systemd at installation time. It plays the same role for software bound to a specific machine, and a fresh one is created on a clean install. The format differs (a 32-character hex string), but the idea is the same.
Will spoofing my MAC on Linux block game anti-cheats from tracking me?
Mostly the question is academic: nearly all kernel-mode anti-cheats — Vanguard, EAC, BattlEye, Javelin — do not run on Linux at all. Under Proton most of them refuse to start. Where Proton-supported EAC does run, MAC is one identifier among many, just like on Windows.
Does the Steam Deck use a different HWID scheme?
The Steam Deck runs SteamOS, which is Linux. It has the same /etc/machine-id concept and the same firmware identifiers (SMBIOS UUID, motherboard serial) as any other PC. What differs is that some kernel anti-cheats refuse to run on SteamOS regardless of identifier values — that is a compatibility wall, not a fingerprint issue.
Can Proton pass a fake HWID through to Windows games?
No. Proton translates Windows APIs to Linux equivalents at user level — it does not run kernel drivers. A Windows-style HWID changer (which needs kernel access) cannot operate inside Proton. Games that read HWID via WMI under Proton get the underlying Linux machine's identifiers, mapped through wine's bridge.
Why aren't HWID changers shipping for Linux?
Two reasons. First, the audience is small — most kernel anti-cheats refuse to run on Linux anyway, so there is little point spoofing identifiers the game will never see. Second, Linux exposes a different set of identifiers (machine-id, kernel boot ID, motherboard via DMI, network MACs), so a Windows-targeted tool would not directly apply.
The bottom line
HWID enforcement is far less aggressive on Linux than on Windows — there are fewer anti-cheats and they read less. For most Linux use, changing the MAC and the machine-id is all the "HWID change" you need.