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I love the flexibility of Linux and the interface of macOS.
It does take some time and expertise though.
1PearOS
PearOSis a faithful recreation of the macOS experience.
Its built on Arch Linux and uses KDE Plasma as the desktop environment.
Except for the proprietary Apple apps, everything on PearOS verges on being a pixel-for-pixel clone of macOS.
Check out the pear icon in the top left corner.
If you weren’t paying attention, you could easily mistake PearOS for macOS.
Windows have the familiar three-button design, a frosted glass look, and animations out the wazoo.
The dock rips the icons and animations straight from macOS.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek
The file explorer is actually calledFinder.
Plus, it clones the Mac menu bar, which functions just like it does on macOS.
it’s possible for you to set the visuals to light or dark mode.
Theres noSpotlightsearch equivalent though (youll have to install a third-party app for that).
PearOS development follows macOS releases.
There are PearOS clones for Catalina, Monterey, Mojave, and Big Sur.
The latest release, called Nicec0re, puts the dev’s own little spin on the macOS formula.
It retains the look and feel of macOS but feels a little fresh with new icons and apps.
So I recommend test-driving it before you consider replacing your current OS.
Nevertheless, PearOS is the closest you could get to the authentic macOS look right out of the box.
2Elementary OS
Next up isElementary OSwith its dedicated Pantheon desktop environment.
The interface is clean and simple.
Theres a centralized prefs app.
And you get a bunch of polished preinstalled apps.
The default Epiphany online window looks and feels a lot like Safari.
I particularly love the gesture support on this OS.
Elementary OS plays nice with trackpad gestures out of the box.
If youre migrating from a Macbook, youll feel right at home with Elementary OS gestures.
I’ve daily driven this OS and I never ran into any issues.
Compared toother desktop environments, Pantheon in Elementary OS offers pretty limited customization.
Elementary OS is not a complete replacement for macOS though.
It doesnt have Spotlight search or many of the features available in Finder.
Its based on Debian with a polished, modern desktop environment.
Deepin nails the frosted glass look of macOS (in both light and dark modes).
The icons, themes, and fancy animations resemble macOS too.
You get a familiar launchpad, control center, and notification center.
The overall design language has a distinct macOS-like feel to it.
Theres even a Spotlight clone called Grand Search where you could quickly look up files.
The default file explorer looks almost identical to Finder.
The company behind Deepin has clearly paid attention to detail to create a cohesive visual design.
Theres another Linux distro calledExTiXthat uses the DDE by default.
Deepin offers very little in the way of customization.
There are a few themes and recoloring tweaks, but thats about it.
Everyones Deepin installation will look almost the same.
Also, its not a lightweight distro, so I wouldnt try it on an old computer.
4Cutefish OS
Cutefish OSis yet another macOS lookalike.
It doesnt clone Apples entire design and user experience, but it is heavily inspired by macOS.
From the look of icons to the feel of animations, it has a distinct Apple flavor to it.
The developers have tried to infuse that flavor into every preloaded app.
Menu options for whatever app you have in focus are stacked there.
Then you have a neat macOS-like dock.
you’ve got the option to also open apps from thelaunchpad.
Finally, theres a handy action and notification center in the top right corner.
Cutefish OS is based on Debian, but there are Ubuntu and Manjaro variants available too.
it’s possible for you to also just replace your default DE with the Cutefish DE.
At the time of writing, though, Cutefish is still in beta.
The distro is awesome to look at, but its just that: pure eye candy.
You might run into both hardware and software issues when running CutefishOS.
Its still in active development, so itll be some time before its ready for daily use.
5Ubuntu Budgie
Ubuntu Budgiereplaces the defaultGNOME desktop environmentwith Budgie.
The Budgie desktop aims to be simpler and user-friendly for people switching over from macOS.
It has a built-in Cupertino theme that gives it a macOS-inspired makeover.
You get the familiar dock, global menu, and windows buttons.
Even by default, Ubuntu Budgie has some of that macOS DNA.
you could also use the configurable Hot Corners to perform quick actions.
Ubuntu Budgie is stable and well-supported, being based onUbuntuit just works.
Its also pretty lightweight without sacrificing features.
Any of these distros can make it easy for beginners to transition from macOS to Linux.
You might have to customize some shortcuts and panels to get it just right though.
If you’re ready to give it a try, though, check out our guide toinstalling Linux.
