Zorin OS: The Linux That Feels Like Windows (But Better!)

Windows 10 will soon reach end of life and you won't get any more security updates or OS fixes. You have several options, and one of them is to move to Linux. There is an almost perfect Linux distro designed with Windows users in mind, it is called Zorin OS. Here is my overview and installation guide.
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#garyexplains

[romanbondaruk]

Hi Gary...I have eyed Linux warily over the years and yes my W10 days are drawing to an end, and having watched your demo I took the plunge...OMG I cannot believe how good Zorin is. I installed Thunar as a file manager and now the whole thing is as sweet as a nut. Thank you so much for the shove!

[jcugnoni]

I installed Zorin on an old laptob for my mother, who is close to 75 and not much into computers. She uses it with more confidence than Windows and find it easier and faster to use. It is a great OS.

[khabba]

What an excellent video. Thank you for putting so much effort into explaining and showing the installation process and features. I'm going to make the move from windows 11 to Zorin Os.

[johanneskomarek]

I stumbled across Zorin OS about two years ago, it was meant to be a one last test on an old laptop that was painfully slow with Windows 10 befor giving it to the recycling center. What can I say - it feels like a new machine. A small SSD instead of the old HDD, and that little laptop flies! 2nd generation i5, 4 GB RAM, and now a small SSD (128 or 256 GB). Since then, Zorin OS helped me to recover countless older machines and gave them a new, prolonged life.

[mitchdavis]

The box said "Requires Windows 10 or better", so I installed Zorin OS.

[FrazzledCat]

While I like the video, it's quite good, (most) people who are considering a move away from Windows will not be interested in Python or coding. They're interested in their apps & documents working. Rather than showing Python and telling about documents, I feel that it would have been more useful to potential Windows users who are moving to Linux to have shown them their documents and apps actually working, and what the UI looks like while using Zorin. This is said from the perspective of my mother, who has switched to Mint because we couldn't find any other decent tutorials with Windows users in mind. You and I, we get lost in the sauce of our nerdy ways. They however just want their stuff to work and to not worry about it.

[olieantonetti]

FreeBSD/Fedora user here, I like that Zorin OS gives you the look and feel of what is out there and without the hassle of feeling like the OS uses you versus you using the OS.

[therealfodder]

Great video and recommendation!

I've been a long term Linux user (since 94!) but rarely use a desktop environment. I recently inherited a 5th gen i5 laptop - I thought I'd put it to some use with a Linux desktop. I was a little disappointed with the state of the popular desktop environments to be honest - they all seem to have that "my first GUI" aesthetic going on. Zorin actually feels like it's been 'designed'! Superficial I know - but it just makes it more pleasant to use. Add in Debianisms under the hood - I think this is a keeper.

[TamaraTowers-jw]

Tried numerous Linux distros in the past with limited success, this has been a revelation, istalled on very old Windows PC and 2011 Macbook, both working superbly. Thank you very much for your video.

[MaryTanasy]

I have Zorin OS 17.3 Pro on my Asus G752VL gaming lap top with Intel i7-6700HQ CPU @ 2.60GH. which I purchased back in 2016 and the 1st thing that I did was to erase Windows and then installed Zorin which made the system run super fast and kept with Linux ever since. I also installed new SAMSUNG 870 EVO 4TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD and have another one for backups. I'm a very happy user of the Zorin OS.

[calvinflager]

I've been interested in Linux for a long time but didn't want all the hassles of learning about the different distros and then figure out how to use one. Definitely interested in trying Zorin OS once I decide on the hardware. Thanks

[legojenn]

I use Mint and love it. When my SSD failed, I temporarily put Zorin on my laptop to experiment. It just feels like Mint with a GNOME desktop rather than Mint's Cinnamon. It makes sense because under the bonnet, they are essentially the same. Had I Zorin it before Mint, I would likely be happy with Zorin. It's a good choice for beginners or experts.

[christopherfothergil]

Been using Zorin on all my computers personal and business and find the operating system far better than windows. Everyone who uses the computers running Zorin find it runs faster, simpler, less crashes, less buggy. All in all a brilliant operating system. We use Libre office software without any problems.

[StarcoreLabs]

Under the hood, all Debian / Ubuntu-based distros work similarly, using the APT package manager. The major differences are the kernel version, desktop environment, and default included software.

[bhutchin]

I'm currently running Garuda, an Arch-based distro. Zorin OS was one of the distros I tried to run in a virtual machine. I forget if it froze up or I simply didn't like it, but I'm happy with Garuda. Rock-solid system with access to the Arch user repository, and I'm not much of a gamer. If Zorin OS works great for you, that's what matters.

[marufbepary]

Zorin OS was the distro that made me finally switch to Linux. It wasn't the most exciting or have the most up to date stuff but it was simple and reliable. I am now on Fedora and for a long time I used extensions to replicate the functionalities of Zorin OS. It is quite a bit different now but still the same foundations.

[Bertilfly]

I went from an increasingly slow Windows 7 setup on my main PC to Linux Mint two years ago after dual-booting for a few months to test it out. I had done the same with Zorin but Mint felt like a more seamless transition. I may install Zorin on my laptop and see if I feel better about it now. In any case, Linux revived my 12 year-old PC and it was great for gaming and other activities, without all the sludge that MS had forced upon it before. It really was snappier and felt new. I had only maximized the RAM, added an internal SSD in an empty slot and installed a new AMD video card over the ensuing years. It's still fine and cranks max FPS on my ARPG library!

[ptypaco]

excellent review you covered all the points i need it to know, starting to download

[RecklessTurtle]

Any OS other than Windows is a welcome addition. Personally, I run Nobaro because of gaming support but I liked the Zorin. Maybe I give it a try in the future. Liked what they are doing!

[jackwilloughby]

Thanks! Stopped your vid at the 10:33 mark, down loaded Zorin and Balena Etcher. Had to run Balena as administrator to make the flash drive, but everything else was smooth sailing. Cheers, Jack