Over Half A Million Windows Users Are Switching To Linux - Here's Why - BGR:
Over Half A Million Windows Users Are Switching To Linux - Here's Why
Windows 10 is on its last legs: The predecessor to Windows 11 has already reached its official end of support in October 2025, and will continue to limp along with free Extended Security Updates (ESU) until October 13th, 2026 (paid ESU lasts until 2028). In other words, Microsoft is looking to responsibly end support for Windows 10 as soon as it can, despite the fact that Windows 10 was supposed to be "the last version of Windows" ever made.
Clearly, this has not held true. Microsoft has also made it difficult to move old hardware to Windows 11, thanks to its rigid TPM 2.0 security chip requirement, which many older desktops and laptops lack. This has left quite a few Windows 10 users without an upgrade path to Microsoft's latest OS on their hardware, and Linux is picking up the slack, with distros like Zorin showing the numbers to prove it.
Microsoft's loss is Linux's gain
Among the many Linux distributions, from Fedora to Ubuntu, Zorin (based on Ubuntu) very much aims to be a replacement for Windows, and has been for many, many years. From its Windows 11-like taskbar to its very familiar-looking start menu, Zorin is built to make the transition from Windows to Linux as painless as possible.
In a world where many Windows 10 users are looking to jump ship to an OS that respects their privacy, not to mention their hardware (no matter its age), Zorin is likely one of the first distros a Linux-curious Windows user will look at. Given that Zorin has already crossed a million downloads, with 78% of those on Windows machines, one can assume that a good portion of those are users who have permanently switched from Microsoft to Linux. It would appear that the year of the mainstream Linux desktop may be upon us, and poetically, it's Microsoft's doing.
Some users argue that Microsoft limited Windows 11 by requiring TPM 2.0 to make more hardware sales, rather than for user safety. Sure, the security benefits of TPM, like Secure Boot, are good for preventing malicious software from loading at startup. However, when the choice is to either replace your perfectly functioning hardware so you can run Windows 11, or switch to a Linux distro; for many, the choice was seemingly pretty easy. This is especially true when no OS is truly secure to begin with.
Thank Valve for improving gaming on Linux machines
Thanks to Valve's push with the Steam Deck, a handheld gaming device that runs on Linux rather than Windows, Linux has become that much more viable. Not only has GPU driver support come a long way, thanks to Valve's push into Linux gaming (just look at AMD as a perfect example), but even AAA games like "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Baldur's Gate 3" have been developed with the Steam Deck and Linux in mind. Gaming on Linux is now that much more comparable to gaming on Windows, rounding out the OS as a full-time alternative. No longer can one claim there is a lack of games on Linux to hold them back from switching.
This is all thanks to WINE, a Windows emulator Valve forked into Proton, which is the meat of how Windows games run so well on Linux. Of course, WINE has its own usefulness, especially in distros like Zorin that aim to close the gap between Linux and Windows. So, for the same reason games work so well on Linux these days, it's also why you can run many of your favorite Windows apps directly in Linux. Zorin even takes this to the extreme with a user-friendly app called "Windows App Support" that can easily install .exe or .msi files as if they are native applications.
Web apps have closed the gap
Linux distros like Zorin have grown exponentially in popularity by targeting Windows users, and web apps have easily filled the gaps where native and WINE apps fall short. Linux is famous for not offering native applications like Photoshop, which comes down to Adobe refusing to make a Linux version, likely thanks to its low user count. The same goes for apps like Microsoft Office. The good news is that a lot of these job-dependent applications now offer web apps, which is why distros like Zorin include the ability to install progressive web apps out of the box, rather than relying on Chrome's built-in functionality.
This way, you can run Zorin, which looks a lot like Windows, and add apps like Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Grammarly, and any other online services as a web app. That's the beauty of Linux (thanks to a feature from ChromeOS, which is built on top of Linux), rather than a corporation and its software controlling you. You instead control the OS, from what apps it uses, to what games it can play, all while mimicking a familiar user interface.
At the end of the day, it's easy to see why so many Windows users are checking out Linux distros like Zorin. When the choice is between spending a bunch of money to replace perfectly functional hardware, or simply moving to a new OS, many will opt for the latter. Now that Linux has finally caught up to the big boys in terms of drivers, games, and apps, there is little reason not to make the switch.
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You can determine "if you're at risk and take action today:
If you think your Windows computer is safe from prying eyes, think again. A new report reveals that Microsoft has the encryption keys to your hard drive, and it can even give them out to law enforcement, including the FBI. Here's what you need to know and what you can do to stop it from happening to you.
In a stunning breach of personal privacy and security, Microsoft admitted in January that it provided the FBI with the BitLocker recovery keys to three different Windows PCs that were linked to suspected COVID unemployment assistance fraud in Guam. With these keys, the FBI was able to access the files on those devices as part of its investigation.
[...] The Redmond tech giant received its first request from a government official during the Obama administration in 2013. Although the engineer who spoke with the official reportedly declined to build a back door into Windows that would give the government unbridled access to user files, Microsoft still admits to turning over BitLocker recovery keys to law enforcement as recently as 2025. According to the report, Microsoft receives approximately 20 access requests from the FBI per year.
[...] You are not at risk if ...
- You use a Windows PC without a Microsoft account. (You haven't logged into the system with your Outlook email address.)
- You use a Windows PC with a Microsoft account but you chose a local recovery key backup option at activation.
- You disabled BitLocker encryption when you set up your PC.
You are at risk if ...
- You use a Windows PC with a Microsoft Outlook account and you chose to back up your BitLocker recovery key to your account.
- Your PC is a work machine that's managed by your employer.
For those at risk, Microsoft promises that it only gives out encryption keys to lawful requests from the government. That said, if Microsoft can access your encryption keys, what's stopping a hacker from getting them? The problem with storing security keys on cloud servers is that anyone can reach them with the right password, login information, or exploit.
Previously: Microsoft Gave FBI a Set of BitLocker Encryption Keys to Unlock Suspects' Laptops
Related: Over Half a Million Windows Users are Switching to Linux
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 16, @01:08PM
How many Windows users are there worldwide? You can calculate the percentage...
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-seemingly-lost-400-million-users-in-the-past-three-years-official-microsoft-statements-show-hints-of-a-shrinking-user-base [tomshardware.com]
"Microsoft says it still has 1.4 billion monthly active users (Updated)"
By Jowi Morales last updated July 1, 2025
(Score: 2) by epitaxial on Friday January 16, @04:14PM (1 child)
I can't dump software that requires windows so I'm going to use a Mac Mini desktop and use windows in a remote VM. Probably running in bhyve on FreeBSD.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Friday January 16, @05:02PM
I managed to persuade Windows 11 to run on Slackware -current under VirtualBox. Fortunately I haven't had to boot it in ages. It likes to be on an SSD.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Whoever on Friday January 16, @04:50PM (4 children)
My house has been Windows-free for many years now, with one exception -- the Windows VM I fire up annually to run Taxact. There will come a time that Taxact will run under WINE, but I haven't seen it yet.
Oh, and I have a Windows laptop from work that I use occasionally when it is more convenient to use than a Windows VM. My main work device is a Linux laptop.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ichthus on Friday January 16, @05:24PM
Same. I've been on Linux since kernel 2.0.27 (old RedHat 4.1), and moved to Linux-only some time before Windows 8 was released. I converted my wife about ten years ago. I'm on Fedora, and she's running Mint. I set up a Win 11 qemu-kvm VM that she occasionally uses to run the Silhouette software for her vinyl cutter, but that's it for Windows.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by KritonK on Saturday January 17, @06:43AM
I've been using Linux for years, too. What's more, I don't live in the US, so I don't have to use (and buy) a specific application to do my taxes. Everything can be done on line, if you want to do your taxes yourself. I choose to pay an accountant for peace of mind, but for simple cases, like mine, this isn't really necessary.
(Score: 2) by SDRefugee on Sunday January 18, @12:28AM (1 child)
I used to use Taxact the same way.. Windows VM to run that one program once a year. Then I discovered Freetax (http://freetaxusa.com) that doesn't require a windows .exe, rather runs via a webbrowser.
America should be proud of Edward Snowden, the hero, whether they know it or not..
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Monday January 19, @08:43PM
Taxact also offers browser-based tax filing, but I prefer to own the files myself. Also, I need support for rental properties, foreign accounts, etc..
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 16, @07:11PM (1 child)
"Zorin is likely one of the first distros a Linux-curious Windows user will look at."
What universe do you come from?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Friday January 16, @10:59PM
I would guess the universe where Zorin helped pay for the article, or was the first source this reporter called.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 16, @07:15PM
And what web browser is shipping on this platform?
It is just as bloated and full of snooping as the MSFT
platform you are running away screaming from.
(Score: 2, Touché) by acid andy on Friday January 16, @10:17PM
Are we about to head into the Eternal September of Linux?
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by SDRefugee on Saturday January 17, @01:56AM
Soon after I retired from a 20+ year career as a sysadmin/"Windows janitor" in 2010, I started thinking about starting a small business doing Windows-to-Linux migrations. What gave me the idea was the fact that some close friends, whose computer was on XP, and was crufted up with endless malware, since neither of them could see a webpage link that they didn't click on. After some hours of trying to sanitize the system, I came to the conclusion that a nuke-repave was the only path forward. Of course, they didn't have any recovery cds nor did their drive have a recovery partition. I gave them two choices, either a new machine, which would come with Windows 7 OR I had this nifty alternative called Linux. I suggested they let me set up a live-cd and have them try it out. Since everything they did was browser-based, I suspected they'd be fine. A few days later I checked back with them and found they were ok with it. This was XUbuntu 10.04LTS at the time. They oked me backing up their data and nuking Windows and installing Linux. To make a long story short, they really liked Linux and when they finally bought a new
system, they wanted me to immediately nuke Windows and install Linux for them. Since then, I've done quite a few others. The business never really took off, as there wasn't enough interest in my area for Linux for being a viable business, unless of course, I wanted to also do Windows support {{shudder}} Needless to say I didn't..
BUT... Fast forward to 2026, where I'm teetering on the edge of 76 years old, and I don't get around anyway like I used to, so my doing the same today is basically a non-starter, BUT DAMN *somebody* or *somebodies* can likely make some $$$ with all of the Win10 machines that won't do Win11...
America should be proud of Edward Snowden, the hero, whether they know it or not..
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 17, @03:01AM
If WINE stuff is super easy for normal folk to use it'll be hilarious if many people writing software for Desktop Linux start targeting WINE so that their software can work unchanged on more Linux distros AND for many more years...
appImage vs snap vs flatpak? Fuck it, just go with WINE! 🤣
https://blog.hiler.eu/win32-the-only-stable-abi/ [hiler.eu]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Saturday January 17, @11:00AM
PC games now seem to work well in linux. The next target is Libreoffice. I use it regularly on linux (mint), it crashes regularly as well. As a trivial example, load a powerpoint file with embedded avi - crash. Improved stability would be great.
(Score: 2) by bart on Saturday January 17, @05:44PM
I'm thinking Mint Linux is much more likely...
The word Zorin occurs ELEVEN times in this article...
(Score: 2) by Bentonite on Monday January 19, @08:27AM
gets wrong.
"ZorinOS" may be a GNU/Linux distro, but it's little different than running windows in practice, as it ships all the convenient proprietary software and is specifically designed for primarily running proprietary software.
WINE Is Not an Emulator, as it doesn't emulate windows - all it does is take windows API calls and translates them into POSIX function calls - while not emulating a bunch of other things windows provides (for most programs, that doesn't matter).
Proton is not a WINE fork either - Valve gave WINE's developer (Codeweavers) access to the entire steam library and is paying them to make improvements to WINE and also paid other developers to work on DXVK (translates terrible DX calls into Vulkan calls, which usually ends up much faster, often leading to a performance improvement despite the overhead) - the combination of WINE+DVXK+fsync and a few other programs not developed by Valve (although Valve pays for some of the development) is Proton.
A kernel project doesn't supply image editing software does it?
Krita, GIMP and Inkscape work fine as a free replacement to photoshop - although those with skill issues always complain.
This sentence doesn't even make any sense - what feature does ChromeOS give?
ChromeOS is in fact Gentoo GNU/Linux, except of course with the freedom removed, to ensure the google corporation's software controls you, as the Desktop Environment only allows the user to run Chrome (there's an option to enable "Linux mode", which unsurprisingly has nothing to do with Linux - instead it launches a terminal emulator that runs GNU Bash - but the user really needs to install a proper GNU/Linux distro to do anything, which is difficult due to the terrible-quality hardware).