Microsoft has made the switch to Windows 11, but if you're sick of embedded advertisements, constant updates, data collection, and rising hardware requirements, we don't blame you. There is a very real possibility your Windows 10 machine can't even upgrade to the next iteration of Windows, so what are you supposed to do?
If you've ever considered making the jump to a different operating system, now is the perfect time. But if you don't want to pay more for a Mac, it's important to remember that there are options outside of the Windows-macOS binary—and you don't even have to settle for the browser-based ChromeOS.
Instead, with a little patience and some command line acumen, you can turn to the world of Linux. Despite what you may think, it's easier to make the jump than you may think. Here's how to install a Linux distro, and then download and manage apps to get started.
Choose Your Distribution
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)Unlike Windows and macOS, there isn't just one version of Linux. Instead, Linux is packaged into many different distributions, or "distros," each with their own interface and set of features. Choosing a distro to install is a fun part of the hobby. One may use a Mac-like interface with a dock and "app store," while others may be more minimalistic and require installing apps from the command line.
For your first installation, you'll likely want something popular and beginner-friendly, so it's easy to get help when you need it. Zorin OS mimics Windows in layout and functionality, but it won't have as big a community to tap as you learn your way around. Ubuntu, on the other hand, is arguably the most popular distro, but it isn't very Windows-like at all these days.
This is why I recommend starting with Linux Mint for the first Linux installation. Linux Mint is a perfect in-between option: It's designed for beginners, offers a familiar desktop environment, and is based on Ubuntu, so you can ask for help from the enormous Ubuntu/Mint community. I'll be using Mint for the purpose of this guide. It's not my personal distro of choice, but it's great for new Windows migrants, and it's easier to explore other distros once you nail down the basics.
Create Your Installation Drive
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)Head to Mint's download page and you'll see multiple versions of the same OS. Cinnamon is sleek and modern, and the desktop environment I recommend for former Windows users. MATE looks a bit less modern-looking but is faster, while XFCE is ideal for old or low-powered PCs, thanks to its light resource usage.
Click Download for your preferred version of Linux Mint. You can view the installation guide or release notes from the link at the top of the page. If you're a BitTorrent user, I recommend grabbing the torrent file, which will download much faster. Otherwise, scroll down to the Download mirrors section and select a file to download.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft / Rufus)The installer will come as an ISO file. To install it, you'll need to burn the file to a DVD or USB flash drive. We are going to do the latter using a tool called Rufus. Install Rufus, open it up, and insert a flash drive that is 2.5GB or larger. (If you have a fast USB 3.0 or 3.1 drive, all the better.) It should appear in the Device drop-down at the top of Rufus' main window.
Next, click the Select button next to Disk or ISO image, and choose the freshly downloaded Linux Mint ISO. Press the Start button, and if prompted to download new versions of Syslinux, click Yes. Note that this will erase the flash drive, so make sure there is nothing important on there before continuing. When finished, you'll see a success message and the flash drive will be named LINUX MINT. Now it's time to back up your data.
Install Linux on Your PC
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)Reboot your computer. As it boots back up, there should be a message telling you to press a certain key to access the Boot Menu (usually something like F12) or Setup (often Delete). Press one of those keys, and look for the option to boot from the inserted USB drive. If you enter the full setup menu, it should be in a Boot settings menu.
When done, exit the menu to reboot again. You'll then be greeted by GRUB, Linux Mint's boot menu, where you can choose to boot into Linux Mint. If there are any errors, you'll need to search around for a fix. I had to enable the nomodeset option for my graphics card, for example. Others may have to tweak or disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.
This installer is what we call a Live CD, where you can actually poke around and use the Linux Mint desktop before installing it. This gives you a chance to test the distro without it actually touching your system drive. Once satisfied, double-click the Install Linux Mint icon and go through the installation wizard. Be sure to check the box next to Install third-party software, since it contains useful drivers and codecs you almost certainly want.
From here, wipe the drive entirely, erasing all traces of Windows and using Linux as the only operating system. (Make double sure you backed up the data before doing this.) Alternatively, you can partition the drive and dual boot Linux alongside Windows. This allows you to reboot into one or the other at any time and provides a safety net during the transition before removing Windows entirely.
Choose the relevant option from the Installation Type menu, and click Install Now. The process may take a little while, but when it's done, there should be a success message. Click the Restart Now button to boot into Linux Mint once again—only this time, it's installed on your PC.
Get Accustomed to Linux
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)When you first open to Linux Mint, a Welcome window will help set up the new operating system. The menu's First Steps section will show you how to choose different desktop layouts, install any desired multimedia codecs, and grab necessary hardware drivers. You'll find that basic navigation inside Linux Mint is pretty familiar: Click the button in the lower-left corner to see applications, manage windows from the bottom taskbar, and so on.
Take some time to browse around Mint's interface and settings, though it should mostly look similar to Windows. The Mint (and Ubuntu) forums are always there to help if you get stuck. Just be sure to search around, since there is a good chance someone has already had the same question. It won't be long before you run into a few things that work differently in Linux, such as the app installation and management process.
How to Install and Update Apps
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)How you install and manage apps will be very different from what you're accustomed. In Linux, it's less common to download apps from the web. Instead, each distro has its own repository—kind of like a free app store, with a directory of popular apps. You can install an app from the repositories one of two ways: From a graphical software manager (which looks like an app store) or from the command line.
To open Linux Mint's Software Manager, click the menu button in the lower-left corner and head to Administration > Software Manager (or just type "software manager," like you would in Windows). From here, browse for apps to download or search using the bar at the top. You will come across Linux versions of Windows software, such as Steam and Spotify, or open-source alternatives to common apps, like Banshee in place of iTunes and Gimp instead of Photoshop.
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)If you know what you're looking for, it's generally faster to install apps from the command line. And while it may seem intimidating at first, Linux relies on the command line for various tasks, so it might behoove you to get comfortable with it. To install an app—let's say the open-source media player VLC—open a Terminal window and run:
Sudo apt update
sudo apt install vlc
Let's break that down: sudo tells the system to run the command as root (or, as it might be called in Windows, as an administrator), apt is the name of Linux Mint's package manager, and update ensures the list of available apps is up to date. You should run sudo apt update before installing any app.
The second command, which includes install vlc, tells the OS to install the program. To install other apps, replace "vlc" with the name of any app you want to install. If you aren't sure what the repository calls it, run:
sudo apt cache search [search term]
Now, if you want to uninstall an app, just run the following command:
sudo apt remove vlc
This will remove the app, but not the configuration files, so if you decide to reinstall it later, your settings will still be there. However, if you want to remove configuration files too, you can instead run:
sudo apt purge vlc
(Credit: PCMag / Linux Mint)You'll also want to periodically update those apps to have the latest versions. You can do this from the software manager or the command line. From the graphical tool, click the shield icon in the lower-right corner to open the Update Manager app. Click the Install Updates button to update all installed software.
Alternatively, you can do it manually by opening a Terminal and running the following commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Again, the update command checks for new versions of the installed software, and the upgrade command actually upgrades all the apps. You'll want to run these two together, just like you do for installing new apps.