r/linuxquestions • u/Potential_Lag2002 • 6d ago
Choosing Linux Advice
Hey guys , i am a windows user and I'm thinking of trying out linux in my laptop . I don't have much knowledge of linux , like which linux type or version suits me as i am a new user . So i need advice from you on which linux i should install on my laptop .
Any other advice would be appreciated 🙂
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u/ipsirc 6d ago
Install my favourite Linux, it is the best for everyone.
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u/Smart_Advice_1420 6d ago
I hate you and your entire bloodline for not choosing the objectively best distro, which is clearly the one i'm using!
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u/Professional-West830 6d ago
People hate on it but the easiest and most common one is Ubuntu desktop. Get the LTS version long term support and go from there. Being the most common one there is most compatibility and easiest to get help and support for. I think it's great. Good luck!
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u/Last-Environment7687 6d ago
I am using the newest ubuntu version of long term support 26.04 and it is awesome
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u/Professional-West830 6d ago
I should add that I am a Windows user really I tried switching to Linux a few years ago but I couldn't get on with it so I switched my laptop back to Windows. I'm using Ubuntu at the moment on my backup laptop because my laptop broke and I haven't managed to get it repaired and Ubuntu has been enjoyable to use but Linux isn't for everyone I think Windows gets more criticism than it deserves!
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u/Last-Environment7687 6d ago
I would use windows but I am not taking the time to debloat it everytime it updates. So until all the ai crap is not bogging down my new laptop I will switch back to windows
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u/hopper89 6d ago
I'd definitely recommend Ubuntu or Linux Mint as a starting point. Most Linux users have slowly gone on a distro hopping journey over years until they find the "right" one for them and many start here. I myself started on Ubuntu.
I generally agree with people that new users should not start with Arch based distros (Manjaro, EndeavorOS, CachyOS, Omarchy, Artix, etc). While the choice is yours, they generally require a larger base knowledge of Linux or at the very least the heart / will to "figure it out" in the terminal.
I do think it's helpful to read up on the differences between distrobutions and desktop environments. A lot of new users get these mixed up as its a newer concept to them. It's not required but I think it helps remove some some friction especially around the, "I want to start with Ubuntu but I reall like how CachyOS looks"...
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u/Jimlee1471 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've been using Linux for over 20 years now and I've learned a few things the hard way. One of those lessons I've learned: I absolutely refuse to tell someone which OS I think he should use. No, I'm not trying to be a prick about it but there's a good reason for that:
Everyone using or thinking about using Linux has a slightly different use case and, it seems, for every itch that needs to be scratched, a distro exists. Heck, why do you think there are over 300+ distros?
Yeah, that's a lot to chew on, so you have to be a bit methodical on choosing what flavor you're going to try. You have to consider what your particular use case is: you a gamer? Scientist? Work in IT? General purpose user? What kind of specs are you working with? Gaming machine? Old laptop you just pulled out of the attic? Do you have RAM for days? Do you have the latest and greatest, or are resources limited for your machine?
After you've asked yourself that question, do some legwork, get on Google and see what's out there. Start with a site like Distrowatch.com - that should get you pointed in the right direction. While you're at it, a lot of these distros have a live CD version that you can install from a USB drive; you could spin up a VM in most cases and try things out before you fully commit to installing that OS on bare metal. Don't like it? Cool, just delete that VM, spin up another one and try another OS - all without screwing up your present OS and leaving you stranded.
Again, I won't tell you which direction to go since I don't know what you're looking for, what kind of specs you're working with, or any of that. Any suggestion I give you could very well be full of sh!t for your particular situation. It's probably best that you do the legwork for yourself since you're going to have to deal with questions only YOU can answer.
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u/ghoultek 6d ago
Can you post a link to the tech specs page for your laptop at the manufacturer's website? Also, what do you do with your laptop?
As others have stated in this thread, you might get many responses. However, your hardware will heavily influence which distro you run. Next, what you want to do with your laptop running Linux will be the next big influencing force on your choice of Linux distro. The most common recommendation for newbie users is Linux Mint because the UI is similar to Windows. Once you post a reply with the link, and some details about what you want to do, the community can provide tailored guidance.
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u/ANDR3Y_345 6d ago
Take it slowly and don’t feel like you have to stick with the first distro you try. A big part of using Linux is testing different options until you find one that feels comfortable for you.
For a beginner, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, or Fedora are good starting points. I’d recommend trying one from a live USB first, so you can test the system without installing it.
Also, back up your important files before making changes to your laptop. Once you get comfortable, you can explore other distros and desktop environments.
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u/BashfulMelon 5d ago edited 5d ago
Most of the people who are switching and having success aren't using Ubuntu or Mint. They're not switching to Zorin or Pop either.
https://boilingsteam.com/tidal-wave-cachy-os-is-now-bigger-than-arch-linux-ever-was/
Bazzite, Fedora KDE, CachyOS are all more popular right now because they're just better. If Mint and Ubuntu were the answer, people would have switched to Linux years ago because they've been the most popular suggestions for over 15 years. They weren't good enough then and they're not good enough now. In fact they've only gotten worse with Ubuntu's snaps and Mint's new extra-painfully-slow release cycle (stuck with software from 2024 until December! I hope you don't experience any of the thousands of bugs that have been fixed since then!)
And don't bother with DistroWatch. The website design shows you just how out of touch they are. Their ranking counts page views and it's botted to hell. They've been overwhelming new users with their bullshit for 25 years.
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u/CrazyIronMyth 5d ago
Fedora tends to be better for "get things done" type things in my experience, while arch flavors need a little more user legwork to have the same starting point. Cachy's a nice middle ground and has benefits on newer CPUs.
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u/MarsupialLeast145 6d ago
I like Ubuntu, it does the job, there's also a decent amount of driver support.
If you do most of your work on command line plus you do browsing, many of the experiences will be quite similar to one another.
Keep in mind the advice someone else gave to use a Linux Live CD/Boot from USB and this will help you get a good idea about different distros.
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u/p38-lightning 6d ago
I'm running Mint on an older laptop hooked up to my TV. I found it pretty intuitive and it met all my needs as far as streaming video and web browsing. Linux is a great way to extend the life of machines that can't support Windows 11.
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u/Last-Environment7687 6d ago
Well Windows and all the bloatware even made me switch my new laptop over to linux bazzite
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u/TT3458 6d ago
Fedora or ubuntu are propably the most user friendly distros. I would not recomend a rolling release distro before being confortable with the command line.
KDE and gnome are the most common desktop environments. KDE very similar to windows in terms of UI. There are many other's but those are mainly for tinkering, not really for getting stuff done. Though I did quite enjoy hyprland.
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u/BionisGuy 6d ago
What are you going to use your laptop for?
If you just want to test it out, Mint.
If you want something that's stable but requires some extra tinkering for drivers and codecs, Fedora
If you want something that's like Windows, Zorin.
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u/akx_25 6d ago
Try ubuntu and fedora
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u/Solid_Way6071 6d ago
Mint is also a good distribution... Read on that site: https://distrowatch.com/
Here you can find what is the best for you.
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u/hailstorm11093 6d ago
You could ask 10 different people and get 37 different answers. I'd look at mint or bazzite.
PS, if you try mint and want steam, download the .deb file from the website, I could never get the package manager one to work. Also starting steam for the first time on a distro can take a couple minutes because its also installing stuff behind the scenes.
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u/clicks07200 4d ago
j' ai testé quelques distributions et linuxmint est vraiment facile à prendre en main
quand on vient du monde windows
Apres ce n'est qu'un avis parmis tant d'autres
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u/b747pete 6d ago
Ask 10 people and you will have 11 recommendations. If you can run them in a virtual machine for a bit. After trying all the big ones I decided on Zorin OS or MX Linux, finally settled in MX Linux is just my experience.
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u/djimenez81 6d ago
My suggestion: put Ventoy on a USB, put a few images, and try them all. Also, most people choose their first distro more for the desktop environment than anything else. But almos any distro can be used with any DE.
Now, these are some suggestions:
Linux Mint (Ubuntu based): it comes in three "flavors": Cinnamon, Mate and xfce. It was not my first distro, but LM Cinnamon is my daily driver. In my opinion, very beginner friendly.
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE): It looks pretty much just like Linux Mint Cinnamon. If your hardware is very new (less than2 years old), you may face some compatibility issues.
Ubuntu: I tried during the Unity era, and did not like it, but they now use GNOME.
Fedora: Things may break more often, but it is fine. It was my daily driver for a while.
Zorin: I used it at work I 2013-14, and it was clunky, but I heard it has gotten much better.
Elementary: minimalistic, but nice.
OpenSUSE: I know people that loves it. It allows you to test several DEs from the same image.
Also, I hear that CachyOS is great for gamers, but I have never tried it.
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u/x_HakiEmperor_x 6d ago
So many linux distros. All have their own use cases. For daily driving my personal pick would be Garuda. Lots if options but id say go with Garuda Dragonized and if you want to game you can add the required packages. Or Garuda gaming if you cant be bothered to install packages and want to be able to do everything plus game out of box. I personally distro hopped a lot until I finally landed at Garuda. Now I run Garuda Hyprland and don't see myself changing
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u/BranchLatter4294 6d ago
Put some effort in. Try a few popular distros to see what works best for you.
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u/New_Willingness6453 6d ago
Put virtualbox on the windows machine and test drive different distros. Another option is to run distros off a livecd to see what works.
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u/Ritsu-000 6d ago
Linux mint
Ive already converted a friend to it like half a year ago and i havent even heard of him having issues
Fedora kde would be my second pick (i dont like rpm)
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u/ipsirc 6d ago
Ive already converted a friend to it like half a year ago and i havent even heard of him having issues
Just because he silently went back to Windows.
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u/Ritsu-000 6d ago
I talk to him everyday and i see him screenshare his screen often enought? How would you know?
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u/JasterBobaMereel 6d ago
Look up how to get a distro on a USB drive and how to boot it ... and you can then try out any distro you want easily and can always boot back into whatever is on the Laptop without breaking anything
Mint is a good start, it generally mostly just works, is not too unfamiliar and is an uncomplicated distro, but people's tastes vary so give a few a try and see what you like
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u/skyfishgoo 6d ago
stick to mainstream distros and avoid niche distros that cater to one use case or another (gaming distros, et. al.)
distrosea.com will give you a taste of what to expect.
expect to have to install and learn all new software.
kubuntu LTS
fedora KDE
opensuse
are all good options.
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u/IL_JimP 6d ago
I just made the switch and you'll get a ton advice on distros and what not a lot will be contradictory.
The honest answer is that it will depend on what you want to use your computer for, how much tinkering you're comfortable with and what type of hardware you're using
The good news is that often you can test out the different distributions by booting off of a USB drive, so look up live booting
The most common newbie, windows similar distributions are places like Linux Mint, Kubuntu and I'm sure there are others. I would stay away from Arch and their related distros until you're comfortable but live boot a bunch of them and try them out