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Linux cant replace Windows, but it can have the look and feel of Windows.
The familiarity can help ease your transition from Windows.
In no particular order, here is a selection of distros that replicate that familiar experience.
Thats why Linux will never be a Windows clone.
If you see someone out there making exact replications of Windows, you’re safest staying away.
Zorin OS: Windows of the Linux World
First up isZorin OS.
Designed from the ground up as a Windows and macOS alternative, Zorin is an excellent beginner-friendly distro.
it’s possible for you to switch between half a dozen layouts with just one click.
Its beautiful and stable.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek
Even if youve never worked with Linux before, Zorin OS should provide a comfortable experience.
You get a whole suite of graphics, productivity, and office apps out of the box too.
It has a neat tool for connecting with your phone to sync files and notifications.
ZorinOS
Its just a fast, polished, and well-supported OS.
Most of our users come from Windows and they never look back, The Mint landing page reads.
Cinnamonis the default desktop environment for Linux Mint (it also ships with MATE and XFCE).
Manjaro
Its based on Ubuntu, so you never have to worry about stability.
You get a whole suite of typical productivity and utility apps out of the box, too.
Linux Lite: Lightweight and Fast
Linux Litecalls itself a gateway operating system.
The developers have designed it with the express purpose of helping Windows converts ease into the Linux experience.
Its layout features a Windows-inspired taskbar, a start menu, and an action center.
It’s all pretty straightforward and easy to use.
It reminds me of early Windows 7 or Vista, and its pretty intuitive overall.
By default, Linux Lite uses the XFCE desktop environment.
XFCE is super lightweight on resources because it strips down bloat and fancy animations.
That means from the very first boot-up, Linux Lite is ready for work.
The whole OS is built on an Ubuntu LFS base.
So its solid and gets the job done.
Itll run great on machines with lower end or older hardware.
Linux Lite has over 33 million downloads, and it offers plenty of technical support.
you might browse the neat, helpful manual and forums to cover all your troubleshooting needs.
Configuring GPU drivers on Linux usually takes some fiddling, but Pop!_OS streamlines that process.
It has full support for AMD and NVIDIA drivers right out of the box.
you’re free to download versions of Pop!_OS with preinstalled NVIDIA or AMD drivers.
The Pop!_OS gaming performance is comparable to what you get on Windows.
Some games evenrun better on Pop!_OS.
Beyond gaming, Pop!_OS is also a full-fledged and capable operating system.
The default desktop layout isnt a 1:1 Windows experience, but Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu.
I found it fairly minimalistic and keyboard-oriented.
Thats because Debian is very user-friendly.
Debian and Ubuntu installers arent too different from the typical Windows installer.
They are also designed to be more stable.Manjaro Linuxis not based on either of those.
Its built on Arch Linux.
If you want to use Arch but in a user-friendly manner,Manjaro Linux is for you.
Arch is a rolling release distro, meaning its always updated with the latest features.
The latest features also tend to be the most buggy, so updates can easily break your system.
Its also alotharder toinstall and configure Arch, especially for beginners.
But Manjaro OS resolves both those issues.
Manjaro OS comes pre-configured with an easy, beginner-friendly installer.
So despite the rolling release updates, everything runs smoothly.
The Manjaro installer lets you pick from a list of desktop environments.
Once you’re done installing, check outsome of the best apps Linux has to offer.
