Items7The creator’s order
  1. 1Linux MintLinux MintCinnamon 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…0
  2. 2Zorin OSZorin OSBuilt 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…0
  3. 3KubuntuKubuntuFor 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…0
  4. 4UbuntuUbuntuThe 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…0
  5. 5Fedora LinuxFedora LinuxFedora 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…0
  6. 6Bazzite (operating system)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…0
  7. 7Pop! OSPop! OSWorth 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…0