In this post I am going to show you some Linux distros for beginners who came from Windows.

Table of Contents

Zorin OS Core/Lite

Zorin OS has three versions: Pro (Paid/Donate option), Core (the main free system) and Lite (for low end computers).

The main difference between Core and Lite versions are the default desktop environment: Core has GNOME and Lite has XFCE. Following images are from ZorinOS 16 Lite.

ZorinOS desktop

It has beautiful themes (light and dark), with a Windows-like desktop layout. You can customize the themes to make your own. XFCE never looked so good.

ZorinOS dark theme

It’s based on Ubuntu LTS, but you can install the latest packages with its Snap/Flatpak compatible “Software” app.

ZorinOS Software app

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux distributions. It’s based on Ubuntu and according to its website: “Most of our users come from Windows and they never look back.”

Linux Mint desktop

It comes with three flavors (based on the default desktop environment): Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. Screenshots are from Linux Mint 20.2 Cinnamon Edition. Like Zorin OS, Linux Mint has customizable light and dark themes with a simple but elegant design.

Linux Mint themes

It’s Software app is compatible with Flatpak.

Linux Mint Software app

Kubuntu

Kubuntu is one of the official Ubuntu flavours (Ubuntu systems with different desktop environments and default apps). It comes with KDE, so it has an elegant Windows-like design.

Kubuntu desktop

You can customize the light and dark themes in every single aspect.

Kubuntu themes

It’s Software app is a bit different from others, but it’s easy to use and Snap-compatible.

Kubuntu Software app

If you have any suggestion, feel free to contact me via social media or email.