5 things nobody tells you about switching to Linux from Windows

Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-To Geek / Gemini Published Aug 2, 2026, 9:12 AM EDT Dibakar Ghosh is a tech journalist at How-To Geek, where he focuses on Linux, Windows, and productivity tools. His goal is simple—help readers at every skill level get more done with the tech they use every day. He began his writing career in 2016 with WordPress tutorials, later moving into digital marketing, where he spent years reviewing complex tools for marketers. His work has also appeared on Authority Hacker, where he’s shared in-depth guides on digital workflows and online productivity. That experience now shapes his journalism, blending analytical depth with practical, real-world advice. When he’s not writing or testing software, Dibakar is usually watching movies or playing video games. He’s a huge Christopher Nolan fan and a strong proponent of the theater experience. In gaming, he has sunk hundreds of hours into Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, Returnal, Prototype, Darksiders, and Final Fantasy titles. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Frustrated with Windows and considering switching to Linux? Struggling to make up your mind because of the good and bad things you hear about making the switch? Well, I’ve used both OSes for over a decade, and here are my five crucial truths about making the switch that rarely get mentioned. As someone who has been using Linux for almost 10 years now, I'm not here to scare you or claim the switch is impossible. In fact, I’d argue everyone should try Linux—especially if you're into tech and customization. That said, the hype can sometimes mask roadblocks that create bad experiences for newcomers, sometimes so much that they give up and never try again. That's exactly why I'm writing this piece—to give you a detailed map of what to expect so you can get into the right mindset and not feel like the marketing lied to you. You can test distros before installing them And you don't even need to use a VM Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-To Geek One of the smartest moves before switching to Linux from Windows is to first test the waters and see for yourself if you like using it. You want to ensure you can do everything you need and actually like using the distro you picked before taking the plunge. Now, the most common way to test a distro is to virtualize it using a tool like VirtualBox. Unfortunately, desktop Linux—especially most modern distros—can be extremely laggy when running inside VirtualBox and doesn't give you an accurate representation of the real-world performance if you were to install it on bare metal. This is why I personally prefer (and recommend) testing distros in their live environments—a fully functional Linux system that runs directly from the bootable USB drive you’re using to install it. In fact, the live environment is actually designed for you to test the distro before permanently installing it on your computer’s hard drive. Here, the distro uses your system's actual RAM, CPU, and other hardware to give you almost native performance. You can test all the pre-installed software, browse the internet, jump into settings, tweak the UI—anything you want! You can back out and never install the distro if it's not for you. The only caveat is that some apps might load a bit slowly since the live environment runs off your pen drive. While not all distros support a live environment, most popular distros do—especially the ones designed for newcomers. Now, if you’re planning to try out multiple distros, flashing the same USB stick with multiple Linux ISOs can be tiring! Thankfully, we have tools like Ventoy for this purpose. It lets you create a multi-boot USB drive where you can store as many Linux ISOs as you like (as long as the drive has enough storage space) and boot into any one of them. See our detailed guide on how to install and use Ventoy. SanDisk Cruzer 8GB Flash Drive Storage Capacity 8GB Compatible Devices PCs and laptops Boot or install Linux on any PC with this super inexpensive USB 2.0 flash drive. Linux isn't free from viruses or malware You still need to follow best practices Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-To Geek One of the reasons some people come to Linux is because they think it’s free from viruses and malware. Unfortunately, that's a myth! While Linux might be practically more secure depending on specific usage patterns, it’s not technically more secure than Windows or macOS. Most cybersecurity experts will tell you that Linux is differently secure—meaning it might resist some risks common to Windows but is not immune to risks! For example, on Windows, the typical software installation process involves downloading apps or files directly from the internet and then installing them. If you accidentally download something malicious, it gets installed on your system and can wreak havoc. However, on Linux, you’ll generally install vetted software from the distro’s official repository. As long as you’re installing software from the official repos, you’re safe. However, if you wander outside and try to install software from third-party repos or grab random installation files off the internet, then you’re facing similar risks as you would when using Windows. That said, Linux does add an extra security layer through the sudo system. When installing software, you need to enter your password, which makes you aware that you're making a system-level change requiring authorization. Most random apps can't just sneak in and modify critical system files without your explicit permission. However, as you can see, this additional security layer doesn’t make Linux invulnerable to viruses and malware, and you still need to maintain good digital hygiene. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeThe origins of LinuxTrivia challengeFrom a Finnish dorm room to the world's servers — how well do you know the story behind Linux?HistoryPioneersOpen SourceUnixMilestonesBegin Who created the Linux kernel?ARichard StallmanBDennis RitchieCLinus TorvaldsDAndrew TanenbaumCorrect! Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel in 1991 while studying at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He initially developed it as a personal project and famously announced it on a Usenet newsgroup.Not quite. The Linux kernel was created by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, in 1991. Richard Stallman founded the GNU Project, Dennis Ritchie co-created Unix and C, and Andrew Tanenbaum created the educational OS Minix.Continue In what year did Linus Torvalds first announce the Linux kernel to the public?A1989B1991C1993D1995Correct! On August 25, 1991, Torvalds posted his now-famous message to the comp.os.minix Usenet newsgroup, describing Linux as 'just a hobby' and saying it 'won't be big and professional like GNU.' History proved him delightfully wrong.Not quite. Torvalds made his famous announcement in 1991, posting to the comp.os.minix Usenet group. He described the project modestly as a hobby, little knowing it would eventually power billions of devices worldwide.Continue Which operating system directly inspired Linus Torvalds to create Linux?ABSD UnixBMS-DOSCMinixDSolarisCorrect! Torvalds was using Minix, a small Unix-like OS created by Andrew Tanenbaum for educational purposes, and wanted to build something more capable and freely usable. His frustration with Minix's limitations drove him to write his own kernel.Not quite. The direct inspiration was Minix, an educational Unix-like system created by Andrew Tanenbaum. Torvalds used Minix on his PC but found it too limited for his needs, which motivated him to develop his own kernel from scratch.Continue Under which license was the Linux kernel released, making it freely available to modify and distribute?AMIT LicenseBApache LicenseCBSD LicenseDGNU General Public License (GPL)Correct! In 1992, Torvalds re-licensed the Linux kernel under the GNU General Public License (GPL), a move that proved transformative. The GPL ensures that anyone who distributes Linux or a modified version must also make the source code available.Not quite. The Linux kernel is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which Torvalds adopted in 1992. This license was crucial to Linux's growth, as it guaranteed that the kernel and its derivatives would always remain open and freely modifiable.Continue What was the version number of the very first publicly released Linux kernel?A0.0.1B0.01C1.0D0.10Correct! The first publicly released version of the Linux kernel was 0.01, uploaded by Torvalds in September 1991. It was a rough early build not really intended for wide use, but it marked the true beginning of the Linux project.Not quite. The first public release was version 0.01, uploaded in September 1991. It was a bare-bones kernel that could barely run any software, but it invited collaboration from developers around the world who helped shape what Linux would become.Continue Which organization, founded by Richard Stallman, provided many of the essential tools and utilities that combined with the Linux kernel to form a complete operating system?AThe Open GroupBThe Free Software Foundation and the GNU ProjectCThe Apache Software FoundationDBell LabsCorrect! Richard Stallman's GNU Project had been developing free software tools since 1983, including compilers, editors, and shells. When the Linux kernel arrived, it filled the missing piece, and the combination became what many call GNU/Linux.Not quite. The GNU Project, launched by Richard Stallman and backed by the Free Software Foundation, had built a nearly complete free OS by the time Linux appeared. The kernel was the missing link, and together they formed a fully functional free operating system.Continue Which was the first major Linux distribution aimed at making Linux accessible to everyday users?AFedoraBDebianCSlackwareDUbuntuCorrect! Slackware, created by Patrick Volkerding, was released in 1993 and is considered one of the earliest and most influential Linux distributions. It helped bring Linux out of purely academic and developer circles and toward a broader audience.Not quite. Slackware, released in 1993 by Patrick Volkerding, was one of the first Linux distributions designed to make Linux more accessible. Debian also launched that same year, while Ubuntu didn't arrive until 2004, and Fedora followed in 2003.Continue What university was Linus Torvalds attending when he began developing the Linux kernel?AMITBUppsala UniversityCUniversity of HelsinkiDAalto UniversityCorrect! Torvalds was a computer science student at the University of Helsinki in Finland when he began work on the Linux kernel in 1991. He was running Minix on his new 386 PC and wanted a more powerful, free alternative.Not quite. Torvalds was studying at the University of Helsinki in Finland when he started the Linux project. He had recently bought an Intel 386-based PC and was experimenting with Minix before deciding to write his own operating system kernel.See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score/ 8Thanks for playing!Try Again You need to get into the habit of reading and researching Educate yourself! If and when something goes wrong on Windows, you usually have a lot of options. You can reference YouTube tutorials to help you troubleshoot the issue, you can call your tech-savvy friend who is a Windows power user to bail you out, or worst-case scenario—you can call a local technician to come fix it. However, with Linux, you're mostly on your own! You’re extremely unlikely to find a local technician who knows Linux well enough to fix your issue without suggesting a system reinstall—at least I don’t have one in my area! Likewise, most friend groups don’t have a Linux whiz—we’re a much rarer breed compared to Windows power users. Finally, while there are some good Linux YouTube channels, video-based troubleshooting guides are more niche and harder to find. What Linux does have going for it is excellent documentation—I’d argue it's miles better than even Windows and macOS. You can head to ArchWiki and find detailed instructions about most tools and error messages. Of course, you also have your distro-specific forums and community discussions where you can browse previous issues to see if something matches what you’re facing, or create a new post asking for help. That said, the people who reply on forums are usually unpaid volunteers and not dedicated support staff. While they are willing to help, they might not be able to hand-hold and will expect you to carry your own weight. As such, if you decide to use Linux, and you don't have an expert buddy, you need to embrace this DIY research-and-implement lifestyle. If something breaks, there’s probably a written tutorial out there on how to solve it. You need to be proactive about researching the solution and implementing it yourself. Likewise, if you want to make some changes or customize your system, the same wisdom applies. That's just the Linux lifestyle—and if you ask me, I find it pretty empowering. You will suffer from analysis paralysis Sometimes it's best to just make a move and think later Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-to Geek One of the best things about Linux is that it doesn’t force anything on you—it gives you complete freedom to choose everything about your desktop experience. While this freedom is exactly what I and many other Linux users love, the sheer amount of choice can quickly become overwhelming for newcomers. You literally have to make decisions even before you start using Linux in the form of picking your first distro—and there are literally dozens of tempting options to choose from. Let's say you go with Linux Mint, one of the most popular distributions for Windows migrants. Now you need to choose between three desktop environments: Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce. Next comes finding alternatives to your Windows software. For example, LibreOffice is a popular for Microsoft Office, but there are equally great options—I personally prefer OnlyOffice over LibreOffice. Then you need to decide where you want to install the app. You might find it available in your distro’s official repo and also as a Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage. So, which platform do you pick? As you get deeper in customizing your experience, you're faced with even more technical choices: X11 or Wayland? Systemd or alternative init systems? That’s why my advice to newcomers is to just pick the popular option. Use it, discover what you like and dislike about it, then research alternatives that fix any dealbreaking issues that come up. I personally hopped between dozens of distributions before I found my forever distro. Linux isn't a Windows substitute Even if some distros try to be Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-To Geek Many people switching to Linux from Windows expect to get a comparable computing experience where all their known keyboard shortcuts work the same, and the majority of their workflow remains intact. Now, while Linux is extremely flexible, and yes, there are distros that try to mimic the Windows workflow, you need to understand that it’s never going to be a 100% one-to-one translation. Linux is its own beast—It's not designed as a Windows substitute! It has unique tools, workflows, and philosophies that are fundamentally different from Windows. Take Ubuntu, which uses the GNOME desktop environment. It’s built around a workflow that prioritizes virtual desktops. You're supposed to open one, maybe two app windows per workspace, then switch between workspaces to maintain productivity and multitasking fluidity. This is completely different from the default Windows approach of cramming everything onto one desktop—albeit Windows 10 and 11 have implemented a basic virtual desktop experience. As such, if you force Linux to behave like Windows, it can, but you’ll be fighting against the grain. It will feel like faux Windows! However, embrace Linux for what it is—the workflows it recommends, the tools it offers—and you just might love it! It's the same principle as switching to macOS. You wouldn’t force a Windows workflow onto macOS and expect great results. The same applies to Linux. Embrace the challenge of Linux These facts aren't meant to discourage you but rather empower you to make the switch. Now that you know what you're getting into, you can approach Linux with realistic expectations. Embrace the learning curve, expect the unexpected, and you might just discover your new favorite operating system.