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Linux Mint
Cinnamon edition
The closest Linux gets to a familiar Windows desktop that never stopped improving. Cinnamon keeps the menu at bottom left, open windows on the taskbar and the clock and tray at bottom right, so muscle memory works from the first boot. Version 22.3, released in January 2026, is a long-term support release maintained until 2029, and its Update Manager and built-in system snapshots make it hard to break anything by accident. It is built on Ubuntu, so most Linux how-to guides apply to it. The next major version, Linux Mint 27, is planned for Christmas 2026 on the newer Ubuntu 26.04 base; until it ships, 22.3 is the one to install.
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Zorin OS
Built for exactly this move. The Zorin Appearance app switches the desktop to a Windows-style layout in a couple of clicks, Windows App Support runs many Windows programs, and launching a Windows installer prompts the software store to suggest a Linux alternative instead. Zorin OS 18 arrived the day Windows 10 support ended, October 14, 2025, and gets updates and security patches until at least June 2029. The free Core edition covers what most households need; Pro adds premium layouts, extra apps and support for $47.99. Treat the Windows app support as a bonus for smaller programs, not a way to carry a whole Windows toolkit across.
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Kubuntu
For people who like the Windows layout but want to bend it to their own taste. Kubuntu pairs Ubuntu's huge software base with the KDE Plasma desktop, whose taskbar, app launcher and system tray sit where a Windows user expects them, and almost every part of it can be moved or restyled. Kubuntu 26.04 LTS ships Plasma 6.6 and, like the other Ubuntu flavors, is maintained for three years, with the funded Bullet-Proof KDE effort committed to fixing its Plasma bugs over that span. That is shorter than Ubuntu Desktop's five years, so plan on an upgrade around 2029.
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Ubuntu
The best-documented choice, which matters most the first time something goes wrong: nearly any question a newcomer asks has already been answered for Ubuntu somewhere. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS came out on April 23, 2026 and is supported until April 2031, a five-year window with nothing to pay. The trade-off is the layout. Ubuntu's desktop puts a dock down the left side and an activities overview where the Start menu would be, so expect a few days of retraining, or pick one of the Ubuntu-based options on this list that keep a Windows-style taskbar.
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Fedora Linux
Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop edition
For switchers who want current software without tinkering. The current release, Fedora 45, ships KDE Plasma 6.8 with a Windows-style taskbar and launcher, plus newer touches such as a light and dark mode toggle in the system tray and per-screen virtual desktops for multi-monitor setups. The catch is the pace: each Fedora version is updated for about 13 months, so you move to a new one roughly every year. The upgrade itself is quick, but it is a yearly chore that the long-term support picks above spare you.
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Bazzite (operating system)
The answer for Windows gamers. Bazzite comes with Steam preinstalled, NVIDIA drivers or the latest AMD and Intel graphics drivers already in place, and HDR and variable refresh rate support, so there is no driver hunt before your library starts downloading. Choose the KDE desktop for a layout a Windows user will find familiar. Bazzite is image based: each update keeps the previous version of the system on your machine, and you can pick it at boot if something breaks. Steam's Proton compatibility layer runs many Windows games, but titles that rely on kernel-level anti-cheat, such as Valorant, still will not run.
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Pop! OS
Worth a look on a newer laptop with switchable graphics, or if keyboard shortcuts appeal. Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS, released in December 2025, introduced System76's own COSMIC desktop, written in Rust, with built-in window tiling and advanced workspaces. Hybrid graphics are handled automatically, with apps calling on the discrete GPU when they need it, and a Refresh Install option reinstalls the system while keeping your files, settings and Flatpak apps. COSMIC is a brand-new desktop with its own habits, so it makes a better second Linux than a first one for anyone who wants Windows routines to carry straight over.
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