One of my goals for 2026 was to experiment with Linux on my home desktop, to see if it was possible to move away from Windows 11. Back in February, I installed Linux as a secondary boot option and began that experiment. In August, I switched to Linux as my primary operating system, keeping Windows around just in case.
Why Switch To Linux?
My annoyance with Windows is not new; I have an article detailing the dark patterns they (ab)use on a fresh installation of the operating system, including in the default browser they desperately try to keep you using. Since I published that article four years ago, I had to add some edits to include a few more settings to disable as they packed more unnecessary default features and settings. But I put up with that annoyance over the years, because you used to be able to change some settings to get the system to a nice place and then not worry about them anymore.
The first link in the chain that led me to Linux was actually one that was forced by Microsoft – I have an older computer that used to run Windows 10, but Microsoft deemed it ineligible to upgrade to Windows 11. With the looming deadline of no more security updates for Windows 10 in October 2025, I had to either risk running an unpatched OS or switch to Linux, so I chose the latter. But that didn’t affect my main computer, and I continued to run Windows 11 there.
Unfortunately, the last two years on Windows 11 have been miserable as a user. Between Microsoft trying to use AI to add features as fast as possible and trying to cram AI into every pixel of the system, I have reached a point where I’m willing to push through the pain of switching to a brand new operating system rather than deal with the frustration every Windows update inflicts.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of my complaints, but here are some examples:
- A sharp increase in the number of critical bugs that affect Windows. Just this week I had to help my wife with her work computer, because the October security update refused to install. After multiple
DISMandsfccommands, where scans say nothing is wrong but restores dump errors about missing source files, I finally had to perform a full system restore, reinstalling Windows while keeping the files and some settings. - Every update brings a new Copilot somewhere in Windows – how many different products named “Copilot” can Microsoft have?
- Notepad, which has barely changed since Windows 95, was suddenly revamped to include Copilot (of course, because my bare-bones text editor needs AI), and introduced a security vulnerability that could allow attackers to trick users into running arbitrary code from a markdown file (formatted text).
- Because every part of the OS and bundled software has new AI features, whether you want them or not, the baseline RAM and CPU usage of a newly booted computer without any visible applications running has dramatically increased.
- The flurry of new features does not seem to care if the user actually wants them. I spent time removing all unused apps from my Start Menu and choosing options to make the menu clean and simple. Then an update decided that the Start Menu should list all installed programs, without any way to revert to the old behavior, making the Start Menu cluttered again (they eventually added an option to revert that, I guess I wasn’t the only one that hated it).
- All of the new bugs are causing the Microsoft developers to add in workarounds that come at the cost of the end user’s performance. For example, Windows had a new bug that caused the File Explorer (one of the most basic components of an OS) to take up to 30 seconds to open. The “fix” was to always run the File Explorer in the background, wasting CPU and RAM.
My Previous Linux Experience
I am lucky that I already have some Linux experience, since I have been using some form of the operating system for almost three decades. But most of that experience is with Linux as a server, which is very different from using Linux as your daily interface. But at a previous job, we were required to use desktop Linux for security reasons, so I at least have a few years of use even if it was quite a long time ago.
I have also been running desktop Linux on my backup computer for about a year. Whenever I buy a new computer (not very often), I keep my most recent computer as a storage backup. In 2024, when Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 and prevented many older computers from upgrading to Windows 11, I had to risk running the outdated Windows 10 or convert to a new operating system. So I used that as an excuse to try out Linux again.
Because that computer is quite a bit older (built at the end of 2014), there were a few small obstacles but overall the project was a success. I installed basic Arch Linux with KDE and that gave me a place to toy with Linux, without the risk of breaking my main computer.
The First Linux Experiment
If you want the option to run both Windows and Linux on the same device (dual-boot), it is easiest if each operating system is on its own hard drive. So in January, I bought a new 4TB internal hard drive and installed it into my main computer as the hard drive that will run Linux. I got lucky with my timing – trying to buy a new hard drive now will set you back twice as much!
After some in-depth reading of the Arch Linux documentation and some careful trial and error, I managed to install Linux on the hard drive and register it as the default boot option in my motherboard’s UEFI settings. Using grub on the Linux hard drive, I could select between Windows and Linux. Since this was still a first experiment on this computer, I left Windows as the default boot choice.
Over the next six months, I tried to figure out if I could move everything to Linux. Here is a summary of my main concerns and the outcomes:
- Huion Kamvas Pen Display – I thought I would have to install custom drivers or tweak obscure configuration files to get this working, but it worked immediately on a fresh Linux installation. In the KDE settings (a graphical UI, like Windows Settings) I had to tell it to map the pen only to itself, not my entire dual-monitor setup, but that’s similar to what I need to tell Windows. I was off to a great start!
- Clip Studio Paint – most nights, I practice drawing on my pen display using Clip Studio Paint. This one application is the reason this experiment was a full six months long. CSP is not supported on Linux, and the short list of workarounds (trying to run it on wine or in bottles) completely failed, even when trying it with older builds of CSP. After many, many attempts, I finally gave up and decided to try Krita instead.
- Krita – Krita runs natively on Linux, so there is no compatibility issue. It works great with my pen display. At this phase of the experiment, I just needed to see if I liked Krita enough to switch from Clip Studio Paint. I really like CSP and its interface, and I am really used to my keyboard shortcuts and custom brushes. Migrating to Krita meant I had to find brand new brushes that match my needs (CSP will import Photoshop brushes, but Krita will not import either). After some customization and finding David Revoy’s free brush set, I decided that I could try making a permanent switch to Krita. I’ll be honest – I still like the drawing experience on CSP a little better. But Krita is still really good, it’s free, and it runs on Linux.
- iTunes – I don’t sync my phone to the cloud. Every once in a while, I connect it to my computer and do a full local backup to iTunes. I hoped that iTunes would run on Linux, but no such luck. After a few attempts at trying to run iTunes on Wine, I gave up on this one as well. For my iTunes backups, I’ll need to continue using some Windows device or try following some of the custom scripting solutions on Linux. Since I can continue to dual-boot my computer and I still have a Windows 11 laptop, this is not a deal-breaker, but it is disappointing.
- Spotify – I use this computer to listen to music during the day while I work, so I wanted to make sure Spotify worked well. Fortunately, there is a Spotify installation for Linux that works great!
Making It Permanent – Installing Linux a Second Time
My Windows installation is on a SSD and I use a separate physical hard drive for storage. That provides improved performance for system startup and launching applications, because data access from a SSD is significantly faster than a disk drive.
I decided to buy one more upgrade for my computer so that my Linux environment benefits from that same performance boost: a new SSD for the actual OS installation. My motherboard has additional SSD slots, so this would be in addition to my existing Windows SSD. In August I ordered my new SSD, paying a premium because of the component shortages from the AI hardware this year.
I took decent notes during my first run at Linux on this computer, so installing it onto the new SSD was quick and easy. This time around, I made Linux the default boot choice, but I can still choose to boot into Windows.
Since August, Linux is my main operating system and what I normally run. I have switched back to Windows for a few tasks here and there, but those have been rare. As I’m writing this, I haven’t booted into the Windows drive in over a month.
Wrapping Up
I really enjoy my switch to Linux. First, it feels great to be off Windows and the non-stop barrage of ads, AI, and attempts at forcing you into the Microsoft ecosystem.
But second, I actually look forward to using the operating system each day. I periodically poke through the Arch Linux documentation and find new ways to customize the operating system. I’ve written a few custom scripts to tweak some behavior I wanted to improve, something that would have been impossible in Windows. The OS is designed so the user can mold it into what they need, rather than force them to use the system the one way the OS wants you to use it.
If you’re thinking about switching to Linux, I recommend trying a phased experiment approach like I did. It was very reassuring that I could return to Windows at any point.
Here are a few recommendations, if you want to try your own experiments:
- You don’t need a new computer or hard drive to test drive Linux, all you need is a USB drive. All distributions can run directly from a flashed USB drive, so you can try the interface and check hardware compatibility. This is the full operating system; you can install any programs you want and try them out. But be aware that it’s all temporary – if you reboot, the next time you go to Linux on your USB drive it will be a fresh installation again.
- I would not recommend basic Arch Linux unless you really know what you’re doing and why you want to use Arch. There are plenty of more user-friendly distributions out there. I chose Arch to dive into the technical details of the installation and Linux, something that specifically interested me. The next time I build a new computer (fortunately not for a while, especially with current prices for components) I want to try one of the Arch-based pre-built distributions, like CachyOS.
- Linux is typically less resource-intensive than Windows, and can often run on older hardware. So if you have an old computer or laptop collecting dust, try installing Linux on it and see how you like it!
Overall, I am very happy the last few months running completely on Linux. If you have any questions about my experience or about switching to Linux yourself, let me know in the comments!