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This Is The Linux Distro You Should Use After Windows 10 Support Ends

Leo Migdal
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this is the linux distro you should use after windows 10 support ends

Well, here we are. We all knew it was coming. We had clear warnings. And now, it's finally here. Microsoft's beloved operating system, Windows 10, has reached its end-of-life date. It's weird writing that in a sombre way, because I still remember the early days of Windows 10, where Microsoft fought to get stubborn people off of Windows 8.1 and the legendary Windows 7,...

Now, Microsoft is doing the same thing, except it is trying to nudge the millions of loyal users still on Windows 10 to upgrade to Windows 11. And yes, Windows 10's market share is still quite high. But between the two Microsoft-sanctioned options of using Windows 10's extended support plan for another year of security updates and upgrading to Windows 11 is a third option: migrating to another operating system. Some XDA writers moved to macOS, while I went for Linux. Given how you can turn a fairly old Windows 10 PC into a Linux machine for free, I wanted to share what I believe is the best Linux distribution for Windows escapees. I feel like Linux Mint is often recommended for Windows users, so I tried to think of another distribution that might be a better fit.

However, it's tough to think of something else that's more suitable for people leaving Windows, especially given how it was my first distro when moving away from Windows 10. As such, I'd prefer to draw on my own personal experience of how Linux Mint was for me instead of plucking out any old distro. People recommend Linux Mint a lot because it uses Cinnamon, a desktop environment that's really easy for Windows fans to understand. All your basics are there: a Start menu look-alike, a taskbar with all the essentials arranged like Windows, and even a wallpaper that resembles Microsoft's style. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. October 14 marked the end of support for Windows 10.

At the time, that was one of the most widely used operating systems on the planet. Typically, an OS upgrade is fairly straightforward, but this time around, Microsoft had other plans. The hardware requirements for Windows 11 were too much for a majority of those Windows 10 machines, which meant users would be forced to purchase a new PC. Also: My 10 favorite Linux distributions of all time, ranked Amid the outcry from Windows users, Linux continued evolving and expanding. Many of us in the Linux/open-source community sang the praises of Linux, calling it the best option for those abandoned by Microsoft.

With Windows 10 support officially ending on October 14, 2025, many PC users are facing an important choice: upgrade to Windows 11—if their machine allows it—or look elsewhere. And for those with aging but still perfectly functional computers, Linux might just be the alternative you’ve been overlooking. As someone who’s refurbished a few “obsolete” laptops over the years, I can say this confidently: Linux has come a long way, and it’s more user-friendly than ever. Microsoft’s message is clear: if your hardware doesn’t meet the requirements for Windows 11—including TPM 2.0, 4GB RAM, and a compatible processor—your options are limited. You can pay for extended support or, as Microsoft suggests, buy a new PC. In an era of sustainability and digital sobriety, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

According to Canalys, nearly 240 million devices could be deemed incompatible, pushing countless users toward unnecessary upgrades. Thankfully, you don’t need to send your computer to the recycling bin just yet. Linux offers a wide array of distributions that work on virtually any machine, no matter how old. Plus, it’s open-source, secure, and free. There’s a myth floating around that Linux is only for developers or hobbyists glued to their terminals. That might’ve been true 15 years ago, but today, Linux distributions come with polished user interfaces, easy installation wizards, and even built-in app stores.

With Windows 10 support at an end, and Window 11 still a bit of an AI-riddle mess, there has never been so much interest in trying out Linux as there is today. If you're looking for a Linux distro that will be easy to adjust to when coming from Windows, look no further than Kubuntu. One of the biggest stumbling blocks when you switch between operating systems is the user interace. How do you open and close apps? Where do you find apps? What is navigating the settings menu like?

The taskbar and "Start menu" very closely resemble the sort of thing you would find in Windows. I think Kubuntu's Start menu is particularly reminiscent of Windows 10's Start Menu, which featured a number of pinned programs on the right side and a list of your applications on the left. You can pin new apps to it by right-clicking them and selecting "Add to favorites." The Settings app is also extremely intuitive, and I'd compare favorably it to the Settings menu you'd find on macOS. Unlike Windows, you have only one place you need to go to find things. You don't need to remember which setting is buried in the Control Panel and which setting has been halfheartedly ported into the newer Settings app.

As one final bonus, finding and installing apps on Kubuntu (like most Linux distros) is easier than on Windows. You just use the Discover app to handle adding, updating, and removing applications, and system updates. I'd recommend starting with the KDE apps if you need an app for something—they're usually excellent. As of October 14, 2025, Microsoft has ended support for Windows 10, one of the most used OS in the world. Millions of households, offices, schools, and businesses have used Windows 10 for nearly a decade. But without support, Windows 10 is a security risk for millions of users who still use it.

Now that support is ended, there will be no more security updates for critical vulnerabilities, no fixes for browser bugs, and no technical support from Microsoft, and about 200 million computers are running on... You have three options: spend a lot of money on new hardware, buy the extended security update, or migrate to a free OS. Using Windows 10 is a risk because there will be no more updates, and each new vulnerability is another entry point for the cybercriminals, and cybercriminals usually target systems and devices that are not... Software vendors will continue to drop new versions of drivers or applications that are not backward compatible, and users will face suboptimal performance and more bugs. Free and open-source operating systems have matured enough to become safe, stable, and modern replacements. They are community-driven, receive regular updates, and can run on older hardware without slowing down.

Many users who switch find that their computers perform faster and remain secure for years without licensing costs. Unlike Windows 11, these systems do not lock you into strict hardware rules or collect unnecessary user data. They give you control over your computer and your privacy. For years, Windows users frustrated with constant changes, aggressive updates, and growing system bloat have flirted with switching to Linux. But 2025 marks a noticeable shift: a new generation of Linux distributions built specifically for ex-Windows users is gaining real traction. One of the standout examples is Bazzite, a gaming-optimized Fedora-based distro that has quickly become a go-to choice for people abandoning Windows in favor of a cleaner, more customizable experience.

Microsoft’s ecosystem has been slowly pushing some users toward the exit. Hardware requirements for Windows 11 left millions of perfectly functional PCs behind. Ads on the Start menu and in system notifications have frustrated many. And for gamers, launcher problems, forced reboots and background processes that siphon resources have driven a search for alternatives. Linux distributions have benefited from that frustration, especially those that focus on simplicity, performance and gaming readiness. Historically, switching to Linux meant sacrificing game compatibility.

But with Valve’s Proton layer and Vulkan-based translation technologies, thousands of Windows games now run flawlessly, sometimes better than on Windows. Distros targeting former Windows users are leaning into this new reality: Zorin OS is a good choice for lower-end PCs in its 'Lite' flavor When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. A critically-acclaimed flavor of Linux is apparently doing very well indeed in terms of attracting defectors from Microsoft's desktop ecosystem following the end of support for Windows 10.

Tom's Hardware spotted that the developer of Zorin OS has again been boasting about the number of downloads it has accrued, following version 18 of the Linux distro drumming up 100,000 downloads in just... However, that's now hit a million, as we're told in a blog post: "We're thrilled to announce that Zorin OS 18 has amassed 1 million downloads in just over a month since its release,... The Zorin OS developer recently disclosed that the Linux distro gained approximately 780,000 users from Windows, a little over a month since Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows 10. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Enjoy our content?

Make sure to set Windows Central as a preferred source in Google Search, and find out why you should so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews, features, and more. Many people are seemingly still conflicted about Microsoft's unpopular decision to pull the plug on Windows 10, which happened last month on October 14. Multiple reports suggest that the operating system's death has left approximately 400 million PCs unsupported. Of course, users have a couple of alternatives at hand, including upgrading to Windows 11 (but your device must meet Microsoft's stringent hardware requirements for the operating system), signing up for the Extended Software... Windows-like Linux distribution claims over a million downloads in the past month for its latest build. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Here’s how it works. The developers of the Linux-based Zorin OS say their latest release, Zorin OS 18, has already been downloaded more than one million times, and according to telemetry, over 78% of those downloads came from... It's not a perfect proxy for real migrations, but it's a striking data point during a moment when Microsoft's user base is unusually restless. As Windows 10's end-of-support deadline disappears further into the rear-view mirror, many users are still weighing their options, and Zorin OS appears to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. We tested an older version of Zorin OS and it came out in first place for The Best Windows 10 Alternative Distro. Zorin has always positioned itself as one of the most approachable Linux distributions for people who don't want to relearn their entire workflow; version 18 seemingly takes that philosophy further than ever.

The developers describe it as "faster and more responsive," but the headline feature is the interface overhaul: a very familiar new layout that we'd describe as a hybrid of Windows 11 design with MacOS... The system also introduces Windows-style window tiling, fully integrated and accessible without add-ons—something even many other Linux desktops still treat as an optional experiment. It's not just aesthetics, though. Zorin OS 18 expands beyond the usual Windows-to-Linux migration checklist by leaning heavily into web-app integration. The new Progressive Web App installer allows users to "install" services like Office 365, Teams, Google Docs, or even Photoshop Web as if they were native applications, with icons in the app grid and... Combined with built-in OneDrive file-system integration, the distribution goes further than most to accommodate Windows users.

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