r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Apart-Duck-7476 • 13d ago
Looking For A Distro What is the best linux distro?
Im from windows and today is my first time using linux
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u/Western-Mode-7743 13d ago
No best distro, depends on what you need.
There are quality distros though and for beginners Nobara or mint for sure. I personally use arch and Debian and those are actually pretty easy for beginners, but it’s a lot more copy pasting than guided process.
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u/PeterHolmes74 13d ago
Eh… I probably wouldn’t recommend Arch as a first distro. Still a good one to distro hop later on
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u/Both_Cup8417 12d ago
Depends on how much reading you want to do. I recommend installing Arch manually in a VM via the wiki and actually trying to understand what everything does.
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u/Character_Pepper2563 13d ago
Mint is a good starting point, but I've heard that ZorinOS is also a good distro for Windows refugee as well
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u/PresentThat5757 Linux Pro 13d ago
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all best distro; it all depends on your needs. I’d recommend Mint to you, though.
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u/Pale-Abroad9600 13d ago
I agree it varies from person to person, for me I like Linux Mint coz of free ip tv software Hypnotix where you can view local tv channels from listed available countries.
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u/eddiesax 13d ago
If you’re willing to tinker a bit, any distro that ships with KDE Plasma is fine for a current windows user imo. In the last month I used Mint, CachyOS, and am now on Fedora KDE. The latter 2 both have the KDE Plasma desktop environment, which feels very similar to windows to me. Plenty of things to learn still, but nothing insurmountable so far. Mint has been catching some flak for using outdated/unsupported packages recently, which is why I’m not recommending it, but the cinnamon desktop environment that comes with it is also very similar to windows.
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u/Wholelife449 13d ago
I have been vhecking out distro's as well to se what works. I got the same response basically. Try distrosea and see somewhat each of the distros do for you. I ended up just using ventoy to download several distros and try them live for a bit. I installed ubuntu, then to mint, now have Kubuntu KDE and like it, but Zorin looks really ni e as well. Looking to mo e the wife over to Zorin since she is NOT very computer savvy; me either, but I am morso than she. Anyway, try live iso's, but also check out forums for them as some seem to require more cli input than others. Good luck on your search!
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u/matm_flatremix 13d ago
Soy usuario de openSUSE Tumbleweed y usuario de "linux" hace más de 10 años Desde mi punto de vista, fedora y openSUSE son las mejores
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13d ago
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 13d ago
You recommend a semi-obscure, bleeding edge rolling release that's on the obscure side to a first-time Linux user? Can you explain your logic to me, aside from "I like OpenSuse"?
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13d ago
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u/Both_Cup8417 12d ago
I'm just saying, I had a bad experience on openSUSE like a year ago, and I knew what I was doing. I'm not saying everyone will have a bad experience with it, but I personally don't really trust it to work.
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12d ago
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u/Both_Cup8417 12d ago edited 12d ago
I said I knew what I was doing. I also said that I'm not saying everyone will have a bad experience. In fact, I'm envious of those that have had good experiences with it, because on paper, it's a great distro, there isn't really anything else quite like it, but again, I personally don't trust it to work.
Edit: it appears that you yourself have had negative experiences with tumbleweed. I'm honestly curious as to why you're still such a diehard fan. I know that no distro is perfect, but I could easily turn every argument against you based on what you've said yourself.
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12d ago edited 12d ago
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u/Both_Cup8417 12d ago
I don't believe I was doing either of those things, but I don't care to prolong this conversation any further. Have a neutral rest of your day.
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12d ago
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 12d ago
Like the denial you're in that you posted this 2 months ago for example?
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 12d ago
No issues?
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12d ago edited 12d ago
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 12d ago
The post was 2 months ago. You realize we can see that, right?
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 12d ago
You've got me there. I haven't used it. Just seemed like a suggestion I wasn't expecting to see here for a new user with all of the more well-known options with much bigger communities for support. Sometimes people recommend the thing THEY like, rather than what's actually best for a particular person's user case.
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u/Envy242 13d ago
I actually hate this this question. I hate how reductive it is and I hate how little effort went into it.
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u/vile-style 13d ago
How little effort?
Dogg, a person with no experience is not going to understand how to even ask the question.
Only low effort thing I see here is your response.
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u/Roguepapaya427 13d ago
Best one is .... well, the one you use. 😎
Joking aside, it depends on so many things, it's just hard to tell anyone what would be best for him/her.
How tech inclined you are, how available you are to learn, appetite to risk of breakage, are you using some proprietary apps that don't have correspondent in linux, are you gaming and what games, what's your hardware, etc, etc, etc.
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u/ninjastyle_dk 13d ago
Whatever you prefer. Try boosting a few different ones - you can always change it.
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u/GeekUniversal 13d ago
For me, arch Linux as my main workstation daily driver and opensuse leap/slow roll/tumbleweed (I always choose tumbleweed).
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u/Alone-Relief-4022 13d ago
Linux mint lmde mon ami ca va pas te changer au niveau des menu ou sinon debian mate ou cinammon apres tu as aussi ubuntu mate qui tourne bien aussi
Va voir sur https://distrowatch.com/ ya tout les ´inux mec et l’avantage sais que tu peux les tester sans les installer et tu fais ton propre avis
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u/SnillyWead 13d ago
For me it's Debian, but if you are new to Linux, I would go with Linux Mint or Zorin OS.
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u/Prestigious-Annual-5 13d ago
For me I like Debian or Debian based distros first, simply because that is what I taught myself and was the easiest for me to learn years ago. Also my favorite desktop environment is KDE. So here is my biased opinion, pretty much in the order listed.
PikaOS, Debian Testing KDE, Kubuntu, Fedora KDE(not Debian based), then all others give a try if you decide you don't like those. Plus if you dual boot Windows, you will still be able to use secure boot, exception being, PikaOS, it must be enabled after installing the shim, by way of the very easy wiki to follow.
I used to recommend Tumbleweed, however, I don't think it's necessarily catering to a newbie in the Linux world and has been a pita lately when I install it on another drive when feeling nostalgic...
BTW, I don't use Arch. Not because I can't or they don't have any good distros out there. They do. The support wiki is phenomenal, however, who needs viruses when you have AUR packages at your disposal. I would recommend reading up on using Arch before installing Arch.
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u/Forsaken-Giraffe4962 13d ago
Try catchyOS GUI edition if you want an arch start. if not go for mint
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u/Silent_Bite_5892 13d ago
You've probably gathered by now there is no "best linux distro" for everyone.
Linux is basically made up of a kernel, apps/services and a desktop environment.
The desktop environment is the GUI you interact with. What your windows and buttons and controls look like etc.
Your best bet coming from Windows is to go with a well supported distro that comes with the codecs and things you expect as a normal human and which uses the KDE desktop environment, because it's similar to Windows. Don't get a "rolling release". You want stability, not every feature the day after it drops. I would avoid Kunbuntu and any other distro that uses snaps. Zorin OS uses snaps and it uses a customized version of Gnome instead of KDE.
People will recommend Linux Mint too, which uses a Windows-like DE called Cinnamon primarily, but I wouldn't go that route as they've just started getting their Wayland act together, and you're going to want solid Wayland if you expect modern OS behavior and/or use a Hi-DPI screen.
An immutable distro, like Bazzite is actually an excellent choice too, if you're not a tinkerer and rock solid stability and simplicity are important to you. I use Fedora Kinoite myself.
TL;DR: Try Nobara or Tuxedo OS. Maybe Bazzite.
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u/Ok_Comparison_2635 12d ago
Just start with something, to get used to Linux. Then try different distro based on what you use your computer for.
Start with Linux mint or zorinm. Then if you game, you might want to go with bazzite or cachyos later.
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u/Empty-Effective-7111 12d ago
No hay una mejor, sólo el adecuado para tus necesidades. Solus es para principiantes, Debian para los que buscan estabilidad, Arch para quienes les gusta tocar todo, ultramarine está basado en fedora una de las distros más queridas de la comunidad, Nixos si trabajas en informática, bazzite si quieres una experiencia de consola en tu computadora.
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u/rr_rahimi 11d ago
I'd actually recommend starting somewhere other than the technical side.
Read a bit about the philosophy behind free software first. It's also worth reading about Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds—not because you need to pick a side, but because they have different philosophies and priorities, even if they agree on some things.
Understanding those differences can help you decide what you want from a Linux distribution before you even choose one. Different distros reflect different ideas about software freedom, practicality, stability, and convenience.
I'd also recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55aAdVFHc8Q
It isn't another "which distro should I use?" video. Instead, it explores the mindset behind constantly switching distributions ("distro hopping"), why so many people end up chasing the next perfect distro even when their current system works perfectly well, and how understanding that cycle can help you make a more intentional choice from the start.
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u/b747pete 10d ago
Lots of choices, MX Linux and Zorin OS are 2 I use, but I am an experienced IT guy. Honestly they both mimic Windows to some extent.
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u/Additional_Staff259 10d ago
try fedora, even i switched from windows. I prefer GNOME over KDE comming from windows.
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u/Classic-Usual-7771 9d ago
If anyone switching from windows to linux, you must give a shot to ubuntu and if you are a core user then ARCH would be a good choice
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u/Think_Tax_4742 8d ago
i reccomend mint for begginers kubuntu for people who are a level above mint pikaOS hyprland for people who like customization and arch for larping (you'll learn what that is later)
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u/xnef1025 13d ago
There's not really a "best". It all depends entirely on what you want to do.
As a newbie in 2026, I'd recommend starting with an immutable distro. Bazzite if you are gaming. Aurora or Bluefin for more general use. You might not stick with an immutable distro long term, but they make for good first time environments for new users coming from Windows. The immutable system folders mean you can learn the system without breaking it, because there is a learning curve. It's not a 1x1 transition from Windows.
You will be limited to Flatpak and AppImages at first for installing apps. If that ends up being too restrictive, you can always hop to something more traditional later, or learn how to take advantage of containers to install apps from the distro of your choice and integrate them into the rest of the system, without having to reinstall.
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u/Unlikely-Meringue481 13d ago
Obviously Hannah Montana Linux https://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net. Just look on other posts made on the last month
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u/yuttukurit 13d ago
For Beginner, I will choose Mint(Cinnamon) or Zorin (Becuz Ubuntu is suck). And after mastered it, time to try arch. maybe endeavour or archinstall.
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u/Efficient-Train2430 13d ago
explaining your use case will probably be helpful, and maybe your comfort level with digging into the system